Originally Published On February 4th, 2019
Preface July 7th, 2021.
This is, for all accounts, my most viewed article of all time. One of my earliest articles. Forty-three of well over 200 articles and posts. It was in the early days when I posted daily, and the articles were short. And usually a wrap-up at the end of what was a crazy day of exploration. But, as do all things, it evolved. I began to become concise about the people I met and the places I’ve seen. What was once a few hundred words at the end of a day, or two per day in some cases, became hours of research, editing of both word and photos, and posts quickly reaching over 10,000 words, and essentially becoming in the realm of short story status.
Though all non-fiction. This was one of the early articles that began to head toward authentic storytelling and not just short posts about my discoveries exploring the world. This post was about nothing other than quenching my curiosity. You can learn a lot about people through their myths and fairy tales. My wife and I were only dating at the time. It was several months before we married. But, as I often do, I became a student of not only her but her world. Below is that post. Slightly edited, you will find an asterisk in any headline above a newly added section.
Origins of the Vietnamese people
I don’t think I can honestly explain the culture and people of this ancient land without at least a small conversation about its mythology. The culture has a fascinating creation Myth that describes how two ethnic groups came together and “blended,” so to speak, and ultimately split into two very different societies within the same cultural sphere. Their creation myth doesn’t tackle the beginnings of the earth, the animals, or the creation of Man himself. It’s simply a story of how a race of people and their culture came to be.
It is interesting to me that their focus isn’t on “The Beginning,” as we so often emphasize in the base of our religions in the West. Their Creation myth is merely explanatory of their time and place. I think it speaks deeply to the pragmatic nature of the culture in general. Why tackle the unknowable? There have always been two ways of life in Vietnam; duality, the yin and yang of life, is also a big part of the underlying culture of Vietnam and its people. As I have previously discussed, there always seems to be a duality to this day. The new collides with the old, Progress with tradition, the mountains with the sea.
The First King of Vietnam
The story of Lạc Long Quân coincides with the creation myth of Vietnam. It’s a story of how the bond was forged between the immortal mountain fairies and the mighty sea Dragons. As the story goes, Lạc Long Quân was the maternal Grandson of the Dragon Lord of the Sea, and his father was the ruler of Xích Quỷ, otherwise known as the Land of the Red Demons (the people who lived south of the Yangtze River).
Because Lạc Long Quân’s father was a mountain god and his mother was a sea dragon, he is considered by many to be the first genuinely Vietnamese ruler. He was a Hùng King, the title given to rulers during the Hồng Bàng dynasty (2879–258 BC). When Lạc Long Quân began his rule, there was unrest between the northern mountains and those in the southern lowlands. He sought to remedy this divide by traveling throughout his land. The stories of his successes have become those of myth – the quintessential Vietnamese account of the mountains meeting the sea.
*Why Might this be the case?*
Spending the last few years exploring a vast range of lands across Vietnam, there are two distinct ways of life. And even more subcultures within those two. Mountain culture and lowland/sea culture. It is amazing to see the vast difference below the surface of what looks like a homogenous cultural society. From language to food, there is a unique dividing line where the beaches, coastlines, and rice fields become replaced by thick jungle mountains, row cropping, a greater emphasis on traditional farming, and different grains.
Strawberries, broccoli, and cassava replace bananas, coconuts, and lychee. Evergreens and conifers of the high mountain ranges replace the tropical forests of the coastal and lowland areas. Indeed, there are two ways of life: but one people. One can only conclude that this must have been the catalyst for the creation myth of the Vietnamese people to be so intertwined with the mountains and the sea.
The Mythology of Lạc Long Quân
Taking after his mother, Lạc Long Quân had magical powers and the body of a dragon. Thus, his name translates to “Dragon Lord of Lac.” In the time of his reign, which is believed to have occurred around the establishment of his dynastic lineage of rulers in the Red Valley around modern-day Hanoi, they began their rule as the Hồng Bàng Kings in 2879 BC. It was a time of great turmoil across the land, and the Dragon Lord would rise to the occasion to protect the young Vietnamese people. Using his powers and intelligence, Lạc Long Quân was able to defeat three of the most horrible monsters of his age.
Ngư Tinh
The first was Ngư Tinh – a colossal fish monster that killed and terrorized sailors. It had a body like a centipede and a tail that rose above the waves like a sail. After hearing stories from widows and anglers along the coast, Lạc Long Quân vowed to kill the monster. With the help of the gods, Lạc Long Quân built a large ship. Additionally, he built a person made of iron – a decoy with razor-sharp edges. With the iron red hot, Lạc Long Quân set out to trick the monster, using the voices of anglers to lure the creature.
It worked, but even after Ngư Tinh ate the hot iron, the beast still fought. To finish it off, Lạc Long Quân jumped into the water and battled the monster. People on the shore watched as a terrible storm raged around their battle. In the end, Lạc Long Quân cut Ngư Tinh into three pieces. The head became the top of a mountain, the skinned tail became the beach around Bạch Long Vĩ island, and the body drifted off to a faraway land.
Hồ Tinh
The second monster, Hồ Tinh, lived under a mountain just west of Hanoi. For over a thousand years, this nine-tailed fox had lured people – especially young women – back to its cave, where it tortured and ate them. It could take on many forms, often playing tricks on people to make them hate and suspect each other. Upon hearing this tale and of the misery this beast had brought to the lives of his people, Lạc Long Quân took action. He tracked the cunning fox demon to his cave and prepared to battle the nine-tailed phantom of West Hanoi.
When he found Hồ Tinh, he trapped it with spells, forcing it to take the form of the giant fox. Sensing defeat, Hồ Tinh tried to flee, but Lạc Long Quân chased, eventually killing him after a battle that took three whole days. Ultimately, the fox had no strength left to fight, and the Dragon King cut off his head, thus ending his reign of terror. As the legend goes, after Lạc Long Quân released the people from Hồ Tinh’s cave, he flooded the area. Those waters became what is now called West Lake in Hanoi.
Phong Châu
Lạc Long Quân found his final test in Phong Châu – present-day Việt Trì, northwest of Hanoi. There, Lạc Long Quân heard of an evil genie that had consumed an ancient tree. This evil spirit played wicked games, taking many different forms to surprise and torture people. It took Lạc Long Quân a long time to find the spirit, but the battle raged for 100 days when he did. Finally, when he was unable to defeat the phantom, Lạc Long Quân used gongs and loud instruments to scare it away.
Joyous, the people built a palace for Lạc Long Quân. The palace is said to have been the most beautiful palace ever built. Just Northwest of Hanoi in the hills of Phú Thọ sits a temple in his honor, believed to be the site of the old palace. However, even with a beautiful palace, The Dragon Lord went back to live with his mother at her underwater home instead, telling the people he would return if and when they needed him.
Giving birth to the Vietnamese lineage
After Lạc Long Quân left, forces from the northern mountains invaded. Their chieftain fell in love with the beauty of the lowlands and decided to build a fortress to take it over. The locals resented this new ruler. So they again called upon Lạc Long Quân to return and help them. Hearing their call, Lạc Long Quân came back as a handsome man and met the chieftain’s daughter, Âu Cơ – a fairy princess. She fell in love with Lạc Long Quân and left with him to live in his mountaintop palace built previously in his honor. The chieftain tried to fight for his daughter’s return, but Lạc Long Quân used his magical abilities to defend his new wife. Eventually, they defeated the chieftain and restabilized the valley.
One people becomes two cultures.
According to legend, when a fairy and a dragon mate, the mother, rather than giving birth to children, actually lays a sac with a hundred eggs – which is how Âu Cơ gave birth to a hundred sons. I found that part interesting. All sons, he must have been one proud poppa. These children were superhuman and reached maturity very quickly. Since their children were all men, Lạc Long Quân told Âu Cơ that they could no longer live together. he told her their habits and customs were too different – then fire and water couldn’t mix – so she should return to the mountains with 50 of their sons.
The other half would go with him to his underwater palace. They would live separately, only meeting if the other side needed help for any reason. She would watch over the mountains while he would rule over the coastal lowlands. An ancient legend used to explain the very different ways of two groups of the same race. It’s believed that these 100 sons are the ancestors of all modern Vietnamese people. The legend goes on to tell that their oldest son, Kinh Dương Vương, would become the first king of the now unified peoples. This is why other Asian cultures have nicknamed Vietnam the land of the Dragon People.
*The People of Modern Day Vietnam.*
Though Vietnam is a modern-day country, a name derived from its later dynasty, the Đại Việt. A long-evolving term of Chinese origins that, in its most straightforward translation, means southern peoples. It is a land of more than one racial group. Fifty-four ethnic groups exist within its borders. Though most are small populations living in remote areas, some are displaced tribes that found refuge in Vietnam due to war in their native lands, such as Burma (modern-day Myanmar), China, Laos, and Cambodia. The ethnic race of the old Vietnamese lineage makes up about 86% of the modern population. And though the peoples of the country are collectively known as Vietnamese outside of Vietnam, they refer to themselves by the name of their first ruler, Kinh Dương Vương, and are known officially by the Vietnamese government as the Kinh people.
Lạc Long Quân, Âu Cơ and modern Vietnam
Today, there are many tributes to both Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ throughout Vietnam. Most cities and towns have streets named after the couple. In Ho Chi Minh City, there is an intersection where the two lovers still meet. In Phú Thọ province in northern Vietnam, there’s the Hùng temple, where people celebrate the lineage of the Hùng kings – all descendants of Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ. In the third lunar month, Vietnamese people celebrate the Hùng Kings Festival. Lạc Long Quân is one of Vietnam’s greatest heroes.
The mythical character unites the immortal mountain fairies and the sea dragons. He still makes Vietnamese people proud. Even after all these years, his presence is felt everywhere. Dragon imagery dots the landscape in both the modern and ancient sites. The Dragon adorns public buildings, billboards, bridges, homes, gardens, and restaurant menus and is virtually endless in its usage. Considered a symbol of water in the East, western cultures more often associate the Dragon with fire. It’s truly an essential part of the culture in Vietnam.
The Water Culture.
I have personally called this land’s culture the water culture because of how intricately woven water is to daily life. Water and its use are unparalleled to anything I’ve seen. It flows everywhere and is used for everything. The rice fields require constant coverage, and everything is perpetually cleaned. It cleanses the food, and the bathrooms are called water closets for a reason. Simply sealed rooms from top to bottom where everything is washed all the time. After each use, the toilets are hosed off, tubs on the floor with detergent to wash your clothes as you take them off to bathe.
The bathroom is always wet. The floor is always wet. Water seems to flow everywhere in the countryside constantly. Yet, there is always something being cleaned, polished, or rinsed out. It’s no wonder the mosquito and their borne diseases have been a problem in the past. The streets may often be dirty, and environmental pollution is just beginning to reach the public psyche, but they are the cleanest people I’ve ever encountered.
The eradication of malaria
To my pleasant surprise, however, Malaria has been all but eliminated here in Vietnam, which is an excellent thing because I didn’t take the vaccine. Or preventative medicines. There was a lot of fear-mongering going on when I visited the clinic to discuss vaccines for Southeast Asia. Typhoid, Meningitis, Malaria, Japanese Encephalitis (I wasn’t going anywhere near Japan), the list seemed endless, and the price was astronomical.
I spoke to my hosts and their kids born in the U.S., and they never had any issues. Quite frankly, the government has done an outstanding job of modernizing health care and eradicating many diseases. So if you ever get the desire to come here, and I highly recommend you do, don’t let the mongers scare you. It’s not what it’s made out to be.
*Epilogue, The Dragons of Vietnam*
Below is a series of pictures from my travels across Vietnam since I first published this article in February 2019. I’ll show you some regional variations and just how much the symbol of the Dragon permeates society. If I had to choose a national symbol for my country, a dragon would definitely be at the top of the list. Changed throughout the ages, appearing in different periods with a crocodile mouth, a lion’s nose, and many incarnations in between.
The Dragon in Vietnamese culture is the Yang. the embodiment of the universe, life, existence, and growth. Not the fiery beasts of European lore, dragons in Vietnamese culture are water symbols and represent wealth, prosperity, and royalty. Legends portray the Dragon as the bringers of rain and integral parts of the rice culture that has existed in the river valleys of Vietnam since ancient times. Dragons are often territorial, but not necessarily for their own purpose, which is why you often see them adorn Buddhist temples to protect the sites from evil spirits and even unworthy people. So, I hope you enjoy the Dragon in all of the forms I’ve discovered across Vietnam.
Dragons Take many forms
Dragon Bridge
A series of images I’ve taken over the years. Between January 2019 and today. The iconic symbol of Da Nang. It really is the centerpiece of the city. The river runs parallel to the ocean before flowing into Da Nang Bay on the north side of Da Nang. The river splits the city in two, with many unique bridges connecting the city’s two halves. Of course, this is what gives the city its nickname, the city of Bridges. But it’s Dragon Bridge or Cầu Rồng that really defines the cityscape.
More Dragons
Dragons of the Imperial City of Hue, June 2020
More Dragons
The Dragons of Chùa Linh Ứng Momostary – Bà Nà Mountain. Fall 2020
An Lao Valley, February 2021
Dragon’s of Nha Trang, April 2021
Dragons of Buon Ma Thuot, May 2021
The Dragons of Linh Ung Pagoda Da Nang, May 2021
Naga of Thailand.
Though not Dragons. The Naga is a dragon-like serpent creature common in the mountains of Southeast Asia. Below are a few examples of Naga at the entrance to a couple of temples to protect against evil spirits. November 2019.
For Posts on Thailand, click here.
Posts on Da Nang click here.
An Lao click here.
For more on Ba Na Hills, click here.
To learn about the UNESCO biosphere reserve of the Cham islands, click here.
For the Imperial city of Hue, click here.
