The
Âu Việt (
Hán tự:
甌越; Pinyin: Ōu Yuè) were a conglomeration of upland tribes living in what is today the mountainous region of northernmost
Vietnam, western
Guangdong, and southern
Guangxi,
China, since at least the
3rd century BC. Its capital was located in what is today the
Cao Bang Province of
northeastern Vietnam.
The Âu Việt were also referred to as Tây Âu (
西甌; ;
Tây meaning "western"), and were considered to be one of the
Hundred Yue tribes. They had short hair and
tattoos, and
blackened their teeth.
They are considered to have been the ancestors of the upland
Tai-speaking
minority groups in Vietnam such as the
Nung and
Tay, as well as the closely related
Zhuang people of Guangxi.
The Âu Việt traded with the
Lạc Việt, the inhabitants of the state of
Văn Lang, which was located in the lowland plains to Âu Việt's south, in what is today the
Red River Delta of northern Vietnam, until
258 BC or
257 BC, when
Thục Phán, the leader of the alliance of Âu Việt tribes, invaded
Văn Lang and defeated the last
Hùng Vương. He united the two kingdoms, naming the new nation "
Âu Lạc," and proclaiming himself king
An Dương Vương.