They mainly live in an area called the Jing Islands (京族三岛), off the coast of Dongxing, Fangchenggang, in the Chinese autonomous region of Guangxi.

Việt (越) is a reference to the Baiyue, a collection of non-Han peoples who lived in southern China since ancient times.

[citation needed] The ancestors of the Gin people immigrated to the area from Hải Phòng, Vietnam, during the 16th century and established communities on the three originally uninhabited islands of Wutou, Wanwei and Shanxin.

[citation needed] The people of this very small ethnic minority have lived for about 500 years on the three islands of Wanwei (Vạn Vĩ), Wutou (Vu Đầu) and Shanxin (Sơn Tâm) off the coast of Guangxi, China, about 8 km east of the border with Vietnam.

The main crops there are rice, sweet potato, peanut, taro and millet, and sub-tropical fruits like papaya, banana, and longan are also plentiful.

The large tracts of mangroves growing in marshy land along the coast are a rich source of tannin, an essential raw material for the tanning industry.

[3][8] Created on the basis of the script of the Han people towards the end of the 13th century, it is found in old song books and religious scriptures.

Traditionally, women wear tight-fitting, collarless short blouses buttoned in front, similar to what is worn in the south of Vietnam, as well as broad black or brown trousers.

[10] Fish sauce is a favorite condiment of the Gin for cooking, and a cake prepared with glutinous rice mixed with sesame is a great delicacy for them.