Eggsquisitely Mythical #18: Vietnam
- Wera Niyom
- Apr 5
- 10 min read
Hello, fellow eggs and mythology lovers!
For our next Eggsquisitely Mythical issue, we are doing a deep dive on the myths and legends of Vietnam.
BACKGROUND
Vietnam (the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) is situated in Southeast Asia. It shares a border with China in the north, Laos and Cambodia in the west, Thailand through the Gulf of Thailand, and the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia through the South China Sea. It is the world's fifteenth most populous country.
Vietnamese is the main language spoken. Hanoi is the capital and Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city.
DEITIES
Ah Nhi is the god of fire.
Âu Cơ is an immortal mountain snow fairy.
Bà Chúa Kho is the goddess of Vietnamese folk religion.
Bà Chúa Xứ / Chúa Xứ Thánh Mẫu is a goddess of prosperity, business, health, and a protector of the Vietnamese border.
Ba Co are water goddesses of Quang Hanh Grotto.
Chua Con Ho is a tiger-god devoted to Tan Vien, his master.
Chu Dong Tu is a culture deity, one of the Four Immortals.
Con Gau is a bear god and husband to both Mat Ga Trong and Trang Chim.
Giat Hai is the first goddess, who was also the companion of Khong Lo.
Hong San is the god of the Red River in northern Vietnam.
Khong Lo is the primordial giant who separated the sky and the Earth. He also set up the four Sacred Beasts to guard the four remnants of the columns.
Lac Long Quan is a divine hero, rumored to be the son of a red demon deity and a sea deity.
Liễu Hạnh is one of Four Immortals, and daughter of Ngoc Hoang. She is the goddess of women in the workplace, often appearing as an innkeeper, tavern keeper, or a beautiful flutist.
Long Vuong is the deity of the seas and patriarch of all deities of the dragon bloodline. He is the brother of Ngoc Hoang and father of Lac Long Quan.
Mat Ga Trong is the goddess of the sun, and daughter of Ngoc Hoang.
Mẫu Địa Tiên are Mother Goddess of Earth, who governs the Earth Palace, one of the Four Palaces.
Mẫu Thoải is the Mother Goddess of Water, who governs the Water Palace, one of the Four Palaces.
Mẫu Thượng Ngàn / Lâm Cung Thánh Mẫu / Bà Chúa Thượng Ngàn is the Princess of the Forest and Mother Goddess of Mountains, who rules the Forest Palace, one of the Four Palaces.
Mẫu Thượng Thiên / Mẫu Đệ Nhất is the Mother Goddess of Heaven, who governs the Heaven Palace, one of the Four Palaces.
Ngoc Hoang / Ong Troi / Thuong De is a god who rules over the Vietnamese pantheon and the heavenly home of the gods. He is in charge of each god and human's destiny.
Ong Lo is a god of the hearth/household.
Tan Vien is a guardian of the mountains, one of the Four Immortals.
Thach Sanh is the son of Ngoc Hoang.
Than Giong is the god of war, and one of the Four Immortals.
Thien Loi is the god of thunder.
Thiên Y A Na / Thiên Y A Na Diễn Phi Chúa Ngọc Thành Phi
Thuy Tinh is the god of monsoon rains.
Trang Chim is the goddess of the moon, and daughter of Ngoc Hoang.
Twelve Heavenly Midwives are the divine assistants to Ngoc Hoang when he created the first humans.
MYTHICAL CREATURES
Chú Cuội is a moon rabbit.
Hồ ly tinh / cáo tinh / cửu vĩ hồ / cáo chín đuôi is a nine-tailed fox.
Lan is a mythical tiger/giraffe/saola/lizard hybrid creature who guarded the Western column of the earth. One of the four Sacred Beasts / Four Holy Beasts.
Long is a dragon who guarded the Eastern column of the earth. One of the four Sacred Beasts / Four Holy Beasts.
Nghê is a legendary chimera.
Phung is a giant bird who guarded the Southern column of the earth. One of the four Sacred Beasts / Four Holy Beasts.
Quy is a giant tortoise who guarded the Northern column of the earth. One of the four Sacred Beasts / Four Holy Beasts.
MYTHS & LEGENDS
CREATION MYTH
Many years ago, during the reign of King Kinh Dương Vương, there was a kingdom called Xích Quỷ. It was an unknown stretch of a vast land that leaned on a range of high mountains and had a long shoreline, looking out to the oceans. King Kinh Dương Vương married Princess Long Nữ, the daughter of Động Đình Vương, the ruler of Động Đình Lake. They were blessed with a boy named Sùng Lãm, more commonly known as Lạc Long Quân, the "Dragon Lord of Lạc”. Princess Long Nữ’s origins led everyone to believe Lạc Long Quân was a descendent from the line of dragons. He possessed extraordinary strength and superior intelligence, but he had a strong adoration of the ocean. During his youth, he was often seen playing in the ocean’s waves.
When he became of age, he took the throne and led the Lạc Việt tribe. Meanwhile, in the north, there was a king named Đế Lai, who had a beautiful daughter known as Âu Cơ. King Đế Lai had a strong desire to unite his tribe with Lạc Long Quân’s, so he gave his daughter’s hand for marriage to Lạc Long Quân. They married soon after and the two kingdoms celebrated their unity with a grand feast and ceremony.
After some time, Âu Cơ gave birth to a pouch filled with one hundred eggs, which hatched into one hundred children. They grew up strong and smart like Lạc Long Quân and kind-hearted and talented by Âu Cơ. Their parents taught them how to cultivate their lands, but soon after, the couple became unhappy. Lạc Long Quân missed the coast, while Âu Cơ missed the highlands.
And so, they divided their children, with fifty living with Lạc Long Quân along the shores and the other fifty with Âu Cơ in the highlands. Lạc Long Quân taught his children how to fish, the art of tattoos to scare off sea creatures when diving and hunting for food, and trained them how to plant and harvest rice and cook in bamboo tubes. Âu Cơ taught her children how to live in the jungle and mountains, breed animals and cultivate the soil to make room for crops, and build houses on bamboo stilts to keep safe from the weather and wild animals. Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ made a promise to always look after each other should a situation arise, no matter the distance and separation.
These children of Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ are believed to be the ancestors of Vietnam. To this day, the Vietnamese call themselves the children of the Dragon and the Fairy to refer to Lạc Long Quân’s dragon lineage and Âu Cơ’s lineage from the fairy clan in the highlands. This legend has become the pride for all Vietnamese.
THE LEGEND OF SON TINH AND THUY TINH
During the reign of the 18th Hùng king, there was a princess named Mỵ Nương. Being the King’s only child, she was cherished greatly by her mother and father. She was also greatly beloved by the people as they would praise her for her beauty and kindness.
When she became of age, the King began to search for suitable men to marry her. He struggled with finding someone worthy, even when many men approached him to ask for her hand. The King had hoped for Mỵ Nương to marry someone who cherished his daughter as much as he did, but also had enough strength to protect her.
One day, two strangers arrived at court and they proposed to the princess. The King asked for their names. The first was Sơn Tinh, the God of the mountain. He reigned over Tản Viên mountain and ruled over the creatures of the sky. The second was Thủy Tinh, the God of the sea. He ruled over the creatures in the ocean. Sơn Tinh promised to make Mỵ Nương the happiest queen of the mountains, while Thủy Tinh promised to make her the glorious queen of the seas.
The King asked the two gods to demonstrate their power, so the God of the sea waved his hands and the wind began to blow. When he spoke, rain came down hard. As he continued waving his hands, the sea level rose. Everyone became afraid by this display of power, but the God of the mountain saw it as a challenge.
The God of the mountain came forward and waved his hand, causing many trees to grow tall quickly. When he spoke, mountains and hills appeared. As he continued waving his hands, the hills and mountains moved.
After seeing their power, the King was happy to accept either one as his son-in-law, but he had difficulty in deciding who the winner would be. He discussed it with his most trusted advisors and after the discussion, he told the two gods that he would be happy to accept both of them if he had two daughters. But because he only had one daughter, he had to choose one. And so, to help decide, he told them that anyone who showed up to court the earliest the following morning with a wedding present would marry his daughter. The gods asked the King what kind of wedding presents they needed to provide.
The King replied with a list: a nine tusk elephant, a nine spur rooster, a nine color hair horse, one hundred pots of glutinous rice and one hundred bánh chưng (square rice cakes). The Gods quickly returned to their domains to begin preparations.
The following morning, the God of the seas arrived at court before the sun rose. But, the God of the mountains had arrived before him and already married the princess. Mỵ Nương went with the God of the mountains to live in the palace there. Having discovered this, the God of the seas was angry and heartbroken. He ordered his servants to get Mỵ Nương back and used his magic to generate heavy rain. He also called strong winds and thunder, and for all water to rise. A terrible flood happened immediately after. He concluded by asking all his subjects in the seas to kill the God of the mountains and his men.
Everyone panicked, fearing the anger of the God of the seas. However, the God of the mountains remained calm. He used his power to raise the mountains and move the hills to stop the flood and protect the people and their domestic animals. The creatures of the mountain battled against the God of the seas and after some time, the God of the seas withdrew. My Nuong and the God of the Mountains were able to continue living together.
However, the God of the seas never gave up on Mỵ Nương. He continues to use his power to wage war with the God of the mountains. The higher the God of the seas made the water rise, the higher the God of the mountains made the hills and mountains rise. This is why there are many floods and prolonged rain storms every year. This myth explains the flooding seasonal patterns in Vietnam.
THE BETRAYED EMPEROR
The 18th dynasty of the Hùng king was defeated by Thục Phán’s army in 257 BC. These were the last line of rulers of the Hồng Bàng dynasty of Văn Lang. Thục Phán declared himself An Dương Vương (which translates to “Peaceful Virile King”) and renamed Văn Lang to Âu Lạc. He established a citadel above the Red River Valley in Cổ Loa, which is present-day Hanoi Dong Anh district.
In his new position, An Dương Vương was an intelligent ruler and a talented tactician, who used the confusion and turmoil in China to take control of new territory and establish a separate state for his people. At this time, China had several battles between Warring States as each fought for control over neighboring states. The Qin state ended up rising to power and unified China in 211 BC under Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who ordered the construction of the Great Wall. During this time, An Dương Vương began the construction of Cổ Loa Citadel (Cổ Loa Thành) to serve as a spiral fortress to defend his state against future invasions. It is unknown why he chose this design, but construction was said to be incredibly difficult. This was established as his new capital. Legends say that every time it approached completion, evil spirits would undo the work.
An Dương Vương burned incense and made offerings to gods to scare away the spirits. One night, an old man approached him in a dream and told him the only person who could help build the citadel was a golden turtle, who lived in Cổ Loa.
A few days later, he meets the golden turtle while in a boat on the river. The golden turtle offered one of its claws to help An Dương Vương with his plan and vanished soon after. After this interaction, An Dương Vương asked Cao Lỗ, his weaponry engineer, to craft a crossbow that incorporated the golden claw. After completion, his kingdom prospered and those who coveted his territory increased in size.
Triệu Đà, a Qin general, tried for ten years, between 197 and 179 BC, to conquer Âu Lạc, but failed every time. After forming a peace treaty withÂu Lạc, he hatched a scheming proposal for his son, Trọng Thủy, and An Dương Vương's daughter, Mỵ Châu, to marry. Triệu Đà learned of the magical crossbow and how it made An Dương Vương invincible. He asked his son to sneak into An Dương Vương’s palace and steal the crossbow by replacing it with a fake replica.
Trọng Thủy earned Mỵ Châu’s trust and manipulated her into stealing the magic crossbow. She successfully takes it and it is given to Triệu Đà, who wished to end King An Dương Vương’s dynasty. Triệu Đà attacked, forcing King An Dương Vương and Mỵ Châu to flee to the sea, after seeing his troops defeated. King An Dương Vương asked the golden turtle, who made the magical crossbow, to help.
The golden turtle revealed that Mỵ Châu was his enemy, so An Dương Vương killed his daughter and disappeared into the sea with the golden turtle. Her blood flowed into the sea and turned into pearls. Trọng Thủy searched for his wife and discovered her body a few minutes after she was killed. After learning of Mỵ Châu’s death, Trọng Thủy jumped into the well to join his wife. Pearls appeared in the well water as well. The especially bright sign of the pearls serve as a symbol of their undying love.
In other versions, it is said that Trọng Thủy takes Mỵ Châu’s body home. When he gained control of Âu Lạc, he became depressed, missing his wife. One day, he took a bath in the well and saw his wife’s reflection in the water. He jumped into the well to be with her and ended up drowning. Some say he killed himself because his felt guilty over the murder of his wife.
After the defeat of King An Dương Vương, Triệu Đà created the combined state of Nam Việt and declared himself the first emperor of the Triệu dynasty, which lasted from 207 to 111 BC.
That concludes today's discussion about Vietnamese myths and legends. We hoped you enjoyed learning about them!
Check out these other articles written by former team members:
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