Costume of the Va ethnic minority varies from place to place. In areas influenced greatly by the Han people, Va costume is similar to the Han's; in areas with great Dai's influence, it is similar to the Dai's. Only in Ximeng area of Yunnan Province, Va costume keeps much of its traditional feature.
In the past, Va men practiced haircut, and wrapped the head with kerchiefs in black, white or red. They wore short jackets and loose, short trousers, both of which were mainly in black. Young men wore chaplets made of bamboos and bines, and some wore silver chaplets and bracelets; one or two pierced the ear lobes and wore a thread fringe through the small holes in the ear lobes.
Va women in Ximeng keep long hair and don't plait it but use a silver or bamboo hoop to hold the hair together and fix it on the back of the head. They wear silver earbobs, the largest one 6-7 cm in diameter; several big bamboo hoops around the waist, several small hoops made of bamboo or bines around the part between the calves and the thighs, silver bracelets, and silver fingerings. Their costume varies with different places: Some women wear shawls and skirts, some wear short collarless jackets with short skirts and leggings, some long robes of the Lahu people with short shirts, and some, trousers.
