Category Archives: Chuyện Dân Gian

Chuyện Dân Gian

FOLKLORE

VIETNAMESE LEGEND & FOLKLORE
FOLKLORE
P. Kim Long

Ancient Vietnam has 3 kinds of writings: Chinese (period of Chinese dominion), Vernacular Vietnamese (in the 7th century), and Latinized (or Modern Romanized) Vietnamese scripts (from the 19th century to present day). The high-brow literature was written in the Chinese characters because Vietnam only achieved independence from the Chinese dominion in the year 930 but all Vietnamese kings and their ruling classes were a slave to the Chinese literature and culture: they used the Chinese characters in administration, diplomatic relations, education, examination and so forth.
However, we can easily transliterate Chinese words into Vernacular Vietnamese ones because our Vietnamese people only pronounced Chinese characters in Vietnamese pronunciation and Vernacular Vietnamese letters were a mere means of recording the pronunciation of Chinese and Vietnamese. Chinese characters and Vernacular Vietnamese letters were an ideographic system but Latinized Vietnamese letters were phonetic script. Therefore, we can easily transliterate all works written in Chinese characters and Vernacular Vietnamese letters into Latinized Vietnamese.
There were some books of folktales written in the Chinese characters but afterward there were some versions of translation from the Chinese characters into the Vernacular Vietnamese letters and finally into the Modern Romanized Vietnamese. The majority of folktales was oral or written in the Vernacular Vietnamese letters, therefore, they belonged to the low-brow, popular or folk literature.
Whether they were written in the Chinese characters and in the Vernacular Vietnamese letters or only retold in oral means, the Vietnamese folktales bore the signs of immanent humanity because they had the clear vestiges of Buddhism: philanthropy, compassion and leniency. Besides, they often covered metempsychosis and Karma: about 70 per cent of Buddhism and 30 per cent of Confucianism and other doctrines. Therefore, the ancient sages used folktales as moral lessons for the uneducated, especially for the women who always got no permission to go to school because of Confucianism’s male mastership.

Chuyện Dân Gian

FENG SHUI GEOMANCER TA AO

VIETNAMESE LEGEND & FOLKLORE
14. FENG SHUI GEOMANCER TA AO
Phạm Kim Long

He was born in the Ta Ao village, Nghi Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province. His family name was Nguyen and his nickname Duc Huyen but his given name fell into oblivion right after his death, so he was named Ta Ao after his natal village.
Being very poor in his childhood, he earned a poor living as a handyman to support his old parents. One day when passing the river Phu Thach, he saved a rich Chinese trader from drowning. After having recovered consciousness, the latter offered him a great sum of money to express his gratitude, but Ta Ao refused resolutely. Being good at Chinese Physiognomy and Oriental Horoscope, the Chinese trader congratulated him because he had a fairy-like manner.
“You’ve a surpassing appearance,” the latter spoke in a sincere manner. “Being helpful to everybody, you aren’t gain-minded. Therefore, you should study Feng Shui geomancy so that you may be of service to everybody. I’m willing to defray the cost of your study and residence in China to repay my debt of gratitude to you.”
Being jubilated over the Chinese stranger’s suggestion, Ta Ao accepted his generous kindness and followed him to China. The latter guided Ta Ao to the Quang Dong province and introduced him to a famous Feng Shui geomancer. Being devoted and kind-hearted, his Chinese teacher instructed his Vietnamese student wholeheartedly in Feng Shui geomantic arts. After one year of laborious study, suddenly his teacher suffered from an acute malignant conjunctivitis and would be half-blind if there was no effective treatment. Indeed all traditional physicians were helpless to cure it after many months of continuing treatment. Suddenly Ta Ao remembered one secret method of his hereditary treatment. His five-generation ancestor had been an experienced physician. He asked his teacher for permission to put his hereditary method into practice. It would seem that his teacher reached an impasse. He disinfected the patient’s back by rubbing slices of ginger on it for some times. After having dried a sewing needle on the fire, he punctured it on some points of his teacher’s back to bleed some drops of violet blood. Afterward he boiled some medical herbs to obtain a thick liquid and told his master to drink it. Only after a week, his teacher recovered from his illness and his eyes became normal. To show gratitude to his dutiful disciple, his teacher instructed him wholeheartedly. After three years of diligent study, his teacher tested him in Feng Shui geomantic knowledge. He leveled a heap of sand after having hid 100 coins in it. After having drawn 100 geomantic points on the sand, he told his pupil to locate the sites of 100 coins in the sand. They were the typical of 100 geomantic sites according to the Chinese art of Feng Shui geomancy. After having handling his knowledge and what he had learned from his teacher, Ta Ao could unearth 99 among 100 coins hidden in the sand. His teacher was elated because he was the first among his disciples to have such mastery.
“My Feng Shui geomantic art is now bequeathed to Vietnam!” he spoke under his breath regretfully.
He knew well that the mastery of Feng Shui geomantic art always required three elements: intelligence, diligence and especially endowments. He had five children but only two sons took up Feng Shui geomancy as a profession but they both got no innate ability. He also gave his dear disciple two precious items: a Feng Shui compass and a very rare handbook covering Feng Shui geomancy, talismans and spells.
“These two things are very special, especially in Vietnam,” he recommended to him in a pleading voice. “You should keep them for yourself and keep them secret. Nobody has permission to get them.”
Before his return to Vietnam, he knelt down to say farewell to his teacher respectfully.
“There’s a magical burial site in the Chau Phuc district of the Nghe An province,” his teacher again recommended to him secretly. “You should exercise extreme caution to inform it to your client. That geomantic site is only reserved for the blessed. Fate decides our act. We can do nothing against God’s will. Your bad decision may cast blight on you and even on your teacher too. You’ll get serious consequence if you do against conscience.”
After having returned to his native village, he began earning his living by searching prosperous sites. One day, he recalled his master’s recommendation so he went to the Chau Phu district. It was an auspicious site which departed from the Hong Linh mountain range. It had 36 dragons in attendance while the Phu Thanh riverside looked like a royal council chamber, besides, thousands of soldiers and horses were surrounding this geomantic site. He thought that this site was only reserved for the qualified emperor or king and he had no permission to sell his information to anybody even he got well rewarded. He would get immediate effects if he was greedy for gain. So he kept it secret.
After having mastered the Feng Shui geomantic art, but having no condition to execute it, he decided to travel round the country to search qualified clients. One day, he reached the Bat Son village of the Hoang Hoa district and found an auspicious site.
“I’ve just found a prosperous site in this region,” he told to the local people. “If you bury your parent’s corpse in the Dan (tiger) time (3-5 o’clock), you’ll acquire wealth at the Mao (cat) time (5-7 o’clock). I only get one tenth of your gain as a reward.”
After having heard such strange word, a middle-aged man came to make contact with him. Following his advice, the latter buried his dead mother’s bones in the newly dug grave. After having done his job, he took his dirty tools to clean them in the next river. Suddenly he saw a corpse of a drowning man. To show mercy to the ill-fated man, he dug a deep hole to bury him. He lifted up the corpse but it was too heavy so he touched its body and found that it had a big parcel. He opened it and found that it contained 50 taels of gold. Ta Ao only got 1 tael of gold as his reward. Afterward he told him how to bury that ill-fated victim.
One day he reached the Thanh Hoa district of the Ha Nam province and discovered an auspicious site which would render dukedom.
“This prosperous site may give you a golden occasion to become a duke,” he again told to the local people. “I only get one tael of gold as a reward.”
A rich old man in that village came to make contact with him. During that time rebel Mac Kinh Do was at war with the Later Le dynasty. But finally after having lost a great battle, he was reluctant to escape for some consecutive months. The king decreed that any person could turn him to the local mandarin would be rewarded with dukedom. After having heard such news, the rich man hired some detectives to investigate the rebel’s trace. After many days and nights of dodging the hot pursuit, the rebel suffered great hardships and became in low spirits to surrender. He told to the rich man that he agreed to be turned to the king if he had a sumptuous feast. After having turned the rebel to the king, the rich man received a dukedom in reward for his bravery. He gave the Feng Shui geomancer one tael of gold as a reward. From then on, Ta Ao was famous throughout the country. He traveled round the country from the north to the south: in any zone of the country he also gave auspicious sites to qualified clients. The greatest one was to become a Doctorate winner or a high-ranking mandarin and the smallest one was to become a Baccalaureate holder or a district chief.
One day he reached the Thien Mu village and discovered a divinely auspicious site. He wanted to sell his information to a rich landlord named Tran. But after three times of putting his Feng Shui compass on that site, it fell off the table onto the ground three times. Finally, he burned incense to pray and bow to the Local Deity to get information. The latter explained that God had reserved that prosperous site to a certain man named Nguyen Quy Duc because its site owner would get the position of Prime Minister for three generations. The Local Spirit also told that the Tran family had no permission to enjoy that auspicious site because of his unblessed cause. Ta Ao understood that if he broke the heavenly law, he would get disaster. Afterward he relinquished his intention of selling it to the Tran family.
One day he discovered the special site of an utmost prosperity in the Ham Rong zone of the Nghe An province. This site may offer kingship to descendents for thousand years. At once, he returned home to inform it to his brothers to carry their dead father to that site. It was turning to rain while there was a thunder-storm. This auspicious site was a small pit. Suddenly it became large and deep while columns of smoke were rising from it.
“We must put our dead father in that pit,” he raised his voice urgently. “Hurry along, my brothers! The magical dragon is opening its jaws. If we delay, it’ll shut its mouth. It’ll only open its jaws after each five hundred years.”
His brothers refused to put their dead father in the pit because they didn’t want to lose their father’s corpse for ever. Suddenly, there was a roll of thunder and the pit disappeared while the ground became perfectly even.
“The dragon has just shut its jaws!” he told them regretfully. “It’s over now! We’re resigned to our fate! Our descendants will live their simple lives.”
Finally, he told them to bury their father in a prosperous site about two miles from the former pit. It was an auspicious site too and their father would become a Blessed Genie to enjoy worship yearly by the local people.
At the age of 60, he decided to return to his native village to live peacefully with his great family and to end his career in Feng Shui geomancy. Then one day he felt rather diseased and understood that he was at death’s door so he told his two sons to convey him on a stretcher to the Dong Phuong district about 100 miles from his native village. This region had an auspicious burial site which may offer kingship to descendants for one thousand years. But they only set out half the way when their father was dying. Finally, he told them to bury him in a small hill to get worship yearly by the local people. It was fated that he would be a Presiding Genie of an on-spot village.
There was an anecdote about Ta Ao. One day after a nightly banquet, the Chinese emperor took his ministers of state to the royal park to study astrology. After a moment of observing the astral phenomenon, his royal astrologer pointed at a brilliant star in the south and informed the emperor that the Vietnamese Feng Shui geomancy was reaching its highest peak and that in a near future Vietnam would surpass China in culture and armaments. He also explained that a certain Chinese Feng Shui geomancer had transmitted this art to a Vietnamese. At once, the Chinese emperor issued an imperial decree to punish those who broke the law. After having heard about bad news, the Chinese geomancer at once made plans for redressing his mistake. He told his two sons to visit his former disciple in Vietnam to destroy some most auspicious sites and to add some wrong characters in his rare handbook of talismans and spells. After a two-month journey, they met their former schoolfellow. Ta Ao entertained them generously and concealed nothing because it was his right obligation of a disciple toward his venerable teacher. Sometimes he guided them to observe few auspicious sites. But they always pleaded their own discovery to go alone without his company. After having reached some most auspicious sites which had been determined by their father, they found way to destroy dragon’s important veins so that these most auspicious sites became valueless. Afterward they again returned to his house to stay for a fortnight to wait for occasion. Right when he absented himself from home for some days, they began expediting their malicious plan. They mixed lampblack with coconut oil to make a kind of black ink and added some ambiguous characters in his handbook of Feng Shui geomancy which had been given by their father to Ta Ao. Due to their deeds, their father enjoyed immunity from prosecution because Vietnam was always inferior to China and was never powerful to encroach on China. It was told that Great Emperor Quang Trung, after his glorious victory over the Chinese invaders in 1789, prepared his seasoned army and military supplies for attacking China to claim back two provinces (Quang Dong & Quang Tay) but was struck by sudden death in 1792. It was said that his ancestor’s remains were buried in one of those most auspicious sites which had been secretly destroyed one hundred years ago.

Notes
1. Geomancy
According to Wikipedia, “geomancy” is a method of divination that interprets markings on the ground, or how handfuls of dirt land when someone tosses them. It has existed in China, Arabic countries, Africa… for thousands of years. Due to the above definition, geomancy is a mere method of divination performed and based on the local ground.
2. Feng Shui
Feng Shui is only for the living people because it only brings good luck to its on-spot people. It may derive from the “safety first” idea. In olden times the population was still ignorant and sparse so they always selected a safe zone against wild animals and brigands. For them, a safe place always stood against any hill and was in front of a river or a big lake. Their above prejudice became their conception of life to select their safety place to build their houses. Finally, it became the Feng Shui theory. Gradually, only in rural zone they could build their houses close to a river and a hill, but in towns there were no river and mountain so they were reluctant to find other artificial work to substitute for water and mountain, which was a man-made set of miniature rock and spring to put in their houses.
It is the ancient Sino-Vietnamese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment or to normalize the balance of Yin and Yang elements in the world because the ancient people believed that energy grids (below or above the ground) or the electromagnetic field had an effect on health, wealth, reputation and power of human beings. This ancient practice serves any person concerned when he or she is still living. It describes the environmental interaction with the human beings or the direct relationship between people and their environments.
3. Feng Shui Geomancy
I must coin a new word “Feng Shui Geomancy” to denote a divination method of the ancient Sino-Vietnamese people who believed that the location of burial site can conceivably have consequences – good or bad – on future generations of the dead person buried in that grave.
Feng Shui geomancy is only for the dead, but it may bring good luck to its on-spot deceased and especially to the children of the dead.
It is the ancient Sino-Vietnamese practice of discovering an auspicious area for a burial site to inter a corpse or mortal remains (bones, cremated remains) because subtle energies (earth radiations, electromagnetic field) may affect the dead person’s descendants for some next generations. The type of environment you bury your parent’s corpse can have profound influences on your present life and your own family for your present life or for some next generations. For example, a burial site which is located on a mountain range “like a woman lifting up her skirt” will produce future generations of prostitutes; a burial site which is located near a low hill and a pond “like a pen and an ink-pot” will generate future descendants of literature…
Retold by Phạm Kim Long
Saigon, 2006

Chuyện Dân Gian

MOUNTAIN & WATER SPIRITS

VIETNAMESE LEGEND & FOLKLORE
4. MOUNTAIN & WATER SPIRITS
Phạm Kim Long

Being King Lac Long’s descendant, Spirit Tan Vien was poor during his childhood. He resumed his career as a woodcutter to earn his living. Being poor, he suffered great hardships but he often helped the poor and miserable people. His kindness moved the Heaven deeply, so one day he was given a magical wand. It had healing powers. From then on, he may cure all patients of their diseases.
One day he met a seriously injured snake. It blinked its eyes miserably as if to beg him for treatment. At once, he stopped walking and began making a medical examination. After having been cured, the snake introduced itself as the Prince of the Junior King of the Seas and invited him to visit his Aquatic Palace to express his thanks to his benefactor. Before his benefactor’s return home, the Prince gave him a magical book of wish. From then on, Tan Vien often cured many kinds of malignant and perilous illnesses besides he would save many miserable people.
Finally, he left his native region for the mountain Tam Dao about 50 kms North of Hanoi and began building a grandiose magnificent palace. He protected all poor people against wild animals and treated incurable diseases, so the on-spot people extolled him as the Holy great physician and the Savior and called him the Mountain Spirit (Son Tinh).
During that time there lived a divinely beautiful princess named My Nuong in the Hung reign and there were only two qualified applicants for marital offer because they were powerful and magical. They were the Mountain Spirit and the Water Spirit. The former governed all mountains and forest while the latter controlled the rivers and sea. Being very perplexed, the king didn’t know how to select the Royal Son-in-law because both of them were talented, staid and elegant. Finally, the king decided that the one who came firstly to welcome the bride in the next morning would be selected for being the Royal Son-in-law.
The next day at the early daybreak, the Mountain Spirit was the first applicant to be present at the royal palace and could take the Princess to the peak of Ba Vi.
Being apathetic-natured, the Water Spirit was the latecomer. When he arrived there, the former had taken his bride to the mountain to celebrate his sumptuous wedding rites. Having flown into a violent temper, the Water Spirit caused floods in the two banks of the Red River damaging many houses and rice field. He also mobilized his aquatic monsters such as giant water-snakes, crocodiles… to attack his enemy. The more the water rose high in an action of drowning the mountain in water, the more the mount stretched high and loftily. The more the aquatic monsters rushed to destroy forest and mountains killing many innocent people and animals, the more rock and tree fell in killing these wicked aquatic beings. After having known that many innocent people were victims in the flood and eaten by those hungry aquatic monsters, the Mountain Spirit taught his people how to make bows and arrows to kill those wicked aquatic beings. Therefore, his people had enough fish to eat in flooding. Finally, the Water Spirit lost a battle after having suffered heavy losses and was unwilling to withdraw without getting his beloved back.
Afterward, the Mountain Spirit taught his people how to build solid dams, to stiffen dyke systems and to dredge all rivers to provide against flood. After having known that his rival had known well how to handle flooding, the Water Spirit was able to wage war on the Mountain Spirit each 5 years a time. Therefore, in Vietnam there is a great flood after each 5 years.
Retold by Phạm Kim Long
Saigon, 1970

Chuyện Dân Gian

DESCENDANTS OF DRAGON & FAIRY

1. DESCENDANTS OF DRAGON & FAIRY
P. Kim Long

Being the third-generation nephew of Than Nong (Spirit of Agriculture), De Minh (Emperor Minh) traveled around the country to inspect the south of ancient China. Finally, he stopped at the foot of the Ngu Linh Mountain in the present-day Ho Nam province. After having met a female fairy, he married her and they lived in that region for some years until the day she gave birth to a male baby named Loc Tuc. Finally, Emperor Minh gave the throne to his first son (born by his first wife) named De Nghi (Emperor Nghi) to become the king of the north of China and to his second son named Loc Tuc to ascend the throne in the south. The latter proclaimed himself King Kinh Duong (Kinh Duong vuong) and named his country Xich Quy (Red Monster) in 2879 B.C. The Xich Quy territory was bordered on the north the Dong Dinh Lake (the present-day Ho Nam province), on the south the Cham kingdom, on the west the present-day Tu Xuyen province and on the east the South China Sea (Gulf of Tonkin). He married Dong Dinh Quan’s daughter named Long Nu. Their son was Sung Lam who ascended the throne to become King Lac Long. During his inspection tour he met Emperor Lai’s daughter named Au Co and he married her by his own choice. Some years later she produced 100 eggs which finally hatched out 100 children. Because of these above reasons, the legend told that she was dragon descent and he was a direct descendant of fairy. After some time he decided to part with her.
“I’m a direct descendant of fairy,” King Lac Long explained his decision. “You’re from dragon so I can’t cohabit with you forever. From now you take 50 children to live in your mountainous zones and I do mine others to dwell in the seaside.”
Afterward their 100 children began scattering in all directions. They represented 100 sections of the Vietnamese population. Therefore, they had the name of “Bach Viet” (100 races of Vietnam) to stay from the Dong Dinh Lake (the present-day Ho Nam province) to the Cham kingdom (the present-day Ha Tinh province). Those who lived in mountains became ethnic minorities while those who stayed in seaside and plains became the Vietnamese nationals. The ethnic minorities lived in separate tribes in mountains and highlands and gradually separated from the Vietnamese community in plains. Sometimes they did not participate in wars of the Vietnamese against foreign invasion. Because they were the ethnic minorities of the same parents, there was no war of these two different sections of the Vietnamese population in the ancient time. The Vietnamese dwelt in thinly scattered settlements throughout 18 provinces of the south of ancient China. Their ancestors were Toai Nhan (Sui Ren) who discovered the fire to separate human beings from animal, Phuc Hy (Fu Xi) and his sister Nu Oa (Nu Wa) who found out breeding and eight-element diagram and Than Nong (Shen Nong) who invented agriculture, cultivation and pharmacology. Being intelligent, hard-working and peace-loving, they gained a high civilization having a developed agriculture. They showed a skill of astronomy, weather, meteorology, soil science, irrigation… These characteristics needed a long time (at least a cycle of some years) to watch and study the environment and weather so they selected a fixative and permanent settlement and gradually developed into villages and societies while their economy was agricultural. But all ancient Chinese historians called the ancient Vietnamese people “uncivilized races” or “barbarians.”
During that time there existed in the north of ancient China many nomadic tribes. Their living standards were underdeveloped and poor because they lived on hunting, fishing and gathering fruits in the forest, which meant that was available in the nature. Completely contrary to the Viem (Yan: former name of the ancient Vietnamese) people who could rebuild and to transform the nature, these nomadic people developed a mobile workforce to fulfill a plan of forest destruction or to set a forest on fire so they would bring land into cultivation. But they didn’t know how to handle fertile land so they only made land suitable for growing crops for one or two years. Afterward they began moving to other places leading a nomadic life. Their lives seemed provisional because they always faced restriction on food due to flood, storm, drought, bad crop, catastrophe… But they were soulless like wild animals because they only thought of satisfying their basic instincts: eating, drinking and sex for reproduction. Therefore, they were always brutal to preserve their lives. Being patient, they would spend hours to lie in wait for prey (animal or enemy). Therefore, they were ready to become thieves and bandits when they were in needy circumstances. Finally, their victims were the civilized Vietnamese in their fixed settlements. Gradually they gave up their nomadic lives to become warmongers. From then on, they became the ancient Chinese people. Being bloodthirsty, better-armed, better-trained and seasoned, they always slaughtered the Vietnamese with pitiless volleys. They only ravaged villages and towns to loot foods and riches and afterward they captured women because they were polygamous. First they only carried out ambushes and hit-and-run raids to get riches and women and never occupied their devastated villages and cities because they were bad at administrative policy. When there was a population explosion and their military strength became strong, they began attacking neighboring villages to occupy the enemy land so they could expand their territory.
Being intelligent and civilized, the Vietnamese settlers were peace-loving, coward and bad at battle. Chi You (Xi Vuu) became the leader of the Viem (Yan) clan while Huang Di led his northern nomadic people. Besides, the nomadic warmongers were easy to mobilize many troops to attack a city with its fixed strength so many cities and villages fell into the enemy’s hands. Finally, Chi You decided to assume a decisive battle to regain possession of his occupied zones. They were ready to fight for the lives of their selves and their families agreeing to fight to the death while their enemies had the same idea because if the latter didn’t win the war they would become hungry and miserable. Finally, Chi You became a war loser in a final battle and got killed in action while his troops were slaughtered without pity. Besides, Huang Di ordered to kill all prisoners, surrendered enemies and even passive resisters to prevent future rebellion. He only spared the lives of some distinguished scholars if they agreed to serve him absolutely. Among this circle of intelligentsia were female advisers of sexology named To Nu (Su Nu) and of military theory named Huyen Nu (Xuan Nu)… All other ancient Vietnamese people were whether obedient to Emperor Huang Di to become Chinese subjects living in his kingdom or opposed to the brutal foreign invaders to become refugees in the southern region. Therefore, there were two thirds of the vanquished Vietnamese agreed to stay in their native land to become Chinese subjects and one third to evacuate to the south of China, e.g., present-day Vietnam. Afterward they began to form the first kingdom of the Hung kings. They named their new land Van Lang and selected region Phong Chau as the capital of their kingdom. It was the Hong Bang dynasty (2879-258 BC) which had 18 generations of the Hung kings.
But the Vietnamese were always proud of being descendants of dragon and fairy because of the story of King Lac Long (descendant of fairy) and his wife Au Co (descendant of dragon), therefore, their founders were “dragon and fairy” and in the same time their second ones were the Hung kings.

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Chuyện Dân Gian

LEGEND

LEGEND
P. Kim Long

All stories retold in my book are adapted from some ancient books written in the Chinese characters by Vietnamese authors living in the 14th and the 16th centuries. Afterward their pen colleagues translated them into the Vernacular Vietnamese letters because in that time appeared two kinds of literature: the low-brow or folk literature and the high-brow one. The former used the Vernacular Vietnamese letters to transfer their ideas and sentiment to their readers or audience while the latter used the Chinese characters to express their opinion to the upper class readers or scholars because the Chinese characters could legitimately spread in the machinery of government, administration, examination, education and so forth.
However, we can easily transliterate Chinese words into Vernacular Vietnamese ones because our Vietnamese people only pronounced Chinese characters in Vietnamese pronunciation and Vernacular Vietnamese letters were a mere means of recording the pronunciation of Chinese and Vietnamese. Chinese characters and Vernacular Vietnamese letters were an ideographic system but Latinized (or Modern Romanized) Vietnamese letters are phonetic script. Therefore, we can easily transliterate all works written in Chinese characters and Vernacular Vietnamese letters into Latinized Vietnamese.
For example, Viet Dien U Linh Tap (Anthology of Mythical Stories of the Viets), was written in the Chinese characters by Ly Te Xuyen in the 14th century, afterward translated into the Vernacular Vietnamese letters and finally transliterated phonetically into the Modern Romanized Vietnamese in the 40s. The same as Linh Nam Chich Quai (Strange Extracts in Linh Nam zone) was written in Chinese characters by Tran The Phap in the 15th century and Truyen Ky Man Luc (Transcription of Romantic Strange Stories) in the 16th century, afterward translated into the Vernacular Vietnamese letters by Nguyen The Nghi in the same century and finally transliterated into the Modern Romanized Vietnamese by Phan Ke Binh in the 40s and Le Huu Muc in the 60s. But after the year 1900 Vietnam formally used the Modern Romanized Vietnamese (chu Quoc ngu) so many renovation-minded writers used these new letters to propagate their opinions and doctrine.
All Vietnamese legends have popular but lofty topic covering patriotism, defense of country and freedom, justice, equality, morals and virtue (loyalty, filial piety, chastity, righteousness, benevolence, propriety, truthfulness, responsibility and so forth). In a word, they have a clear vestiges of Confucianism which was the “engagement philosophy” (serving king and lord, defending one’s country, educating people, striving to become responsible to his self, family and country): about 70 per cent of Confucianism and 30 per cent of Buddhism and other doctrines.

Chuyện Dân Gian

VIETNAMESE LEGEND AND FOLKLORE

VIETNAMESE LEGEND & FOLKLORE 
P. Kim Long 

Introduction 
Legend 
1. Descendants of Dragon & Fairy 
2. Setting a pole 
3. Saint Giong 
4. Mountain & Water Spirits 
5. The Three Kitchen Gods 
6. Square sticky rice cake & Sticky rice dumpling 
7. Princess Tien Dong 
8. An Tiem & watermelon 
9. The magical crossbow 
10. Emperor Ly Thai To 
11. Madam Lieu Hanh 
12. Unjust Trial of Litchi Garden 
13. Bewitching Singing 
14. Feng Shui Geomancer Ta Ao 
15. Doctorate Laureate Giap Hai 
Folklore 
1. The toad to be Heaven’s uncle 
2. The betel & the areca tree 
3. Little urchin Cuoi 
4. Legend on mosquitoes 
5. Da Trang crab 
6. Asking for one to get three 
7. The golden ax 
8. The jar of gold 
9. Lasting friendship 
10. Young wife Nam Xuong 
11. Models of laborious study 
12. Killing dog to persuade her husband 
13. One-hundred-internode bamboo tree 
14. Eating carambola returning gold 
15. Vietnamese Cinderella 
16. Strange meeting in the Bich Cau land 
17. Tu Thuc in fairyland 
18. Thach Sanh 
19. Vietnamese spectrophilia 
20. Psychological strategy before offensive tactics 
Appendix 
1. Brief history of Vietnam 
2. Yin & Yang 
3. Method of naming 
4. Vietnamese worship 
5. Funeral rites 
6. Matrimony & wedding 
7. Ceremonial offerings at the tombs 
8. Tet’s metaphysical meanings 
9. Ancient examination 
10. Parallel sentences 
11. Fairy tales 
12. Pleasure in enjoying folklore 
Reference 


INTRODUCTION 

The Westerners and even all Western-trained Vietnamese scholars thought that ancient Vietnam had no philosophy and even no philosophical thoughts. Such fact tortures me a lot each time I read books about Western civilization and culture. In reality, their view is quite right if philosophy is a systematized philosophy like the one of Hegel. In this condition all philosophers and scholars think that they are the peak of intelligence and are prone to deflect from common sense and reality. It’s the typical of philosopher B. Russell and linguist N. Chomsky who became stupid doves and had wrong opinion about the Vietnam War. Finally, they became the outsiders living in their own ivory towers always expressing dissatisfaction with society. 
For me, it is rather difficult to be in search of ancient remains related to culture and philosophy. There were various aggressive wars from foreigners and many ups and downs in politico-economic cultural states, especially if we want to mention what related to ancient Vietnam. But finally, I find another way to discover Vietnamese philosophy, precisely speaking, philosophical thoughts in aphorisms, proverbs and sayings through Vietnamese legend and folklore. 
Being a small and peace-loving country close to big powerful and warlike China, Vietnam underwent 9 centuries of Chinese dominion, so Chinese influence was always present in literature, culture and civilization of Vietnam. After independence recovery, the system of administration and education was modeling of the Chinese because all Vietnamese kings and rulers were a slave to Confucianism. They refuted the traditional creation of Chu Nom (Vernacular Vietnamese letters), a special form of imitation or a variation of Chinese letters, so they didn’t use Chu Nom in educational program and administrative management. Finally, Vietnam uses the Romanized system of letters gradually separating her own past culture. 
1. Foreign culture 
Ancient Chinese culture always screened Vietnamese civilization. The foreign influence came out clearly in the upper classes and in the intelligentsia: from literary and cultural activities to politico-economical life and way of living. But the ancient Vietnamese civilization remained in the common people. For example, ancient China only had temple of Confucius in every village while ancient Vietnam, besides a temple of Confucius, had a common hall used as a meeting place for villagers to discuss the administration of rural activities. The former had only hat for men and women while the latter had turban which had two functions: to wipe one’s face and to wear on one’s head to protect oneself from the sun and the rain. Chinese women wore loose-fitting trousers and Vietnamese women in countryside wore brown or black skirts. Vietnamese men and women blackened their teeth to prevent dental decay. Ancient China had its foot-binding for women but Vietnam didn’t follow such barbaric custom. 
1.1. Confucianism 
Confucianism and Chinese letters were the effective instruments always used to rule ancient Vietnam and her people. With its special morality, Confucianism supported the male administration: man is a social being to find his fullest expression only through his associations with others to serve his king faithfully and his country loyally, to do good work, to serve as a mandarin when in success and to become a teacher when in failure, etc… It supported patriarchal society and female duties. Father is the supreme ruler in his family whereas king does the supreme governor in his country. Moderation (in idea, action, speech, etc …) is the ideal attitude to govern his own family and to deal with his surrounding people. 
After having born, a man is to show his merit by studying hard to become a mandarin to serve his king and his country, or to become a scholar or a professor to teach Confucianism and Chinese letters. Beside he must always fulfill filial piety (towards his own parents), propriety, wisdom, rightness, charity and sincerity while a woman must perform her four duties (home management, conduct, chastity and fidelity) in her family. 
1.2. Buddhism 
Its misanthropic attitude is suitable to the low society and broken-spirited people in the same time its advocacy of mental struggle against sensual need always adapt to self-made people and intelligentsia. The Buddha teaches people to rely on themselves to achieve their own deliverance and not to look to any external savior. He supports that “life is suffering” so the best way to get Nirvana is to remove suffering and wish because there is the result of actions in a previous life and as well as the unbroken circle of birth and death in various worlds. 
2. Native culture 
2.1. Taoism 
Lao Zi was a Chinese citizen, but in my opinion, he should be a Vietnamese-born Chinese because thousands of years ago one half of ancient China had belonged to the ancient Vietnamese. But after having been defeated by Chinese Emperor Huang Di in a decisive battle, our Vietnamese ancestors were reluctant to evacuate from the center of China to the south to form a new country called Van Lang (2879-258 BC). Taoism is the philosophy of worldly disengagement versus Confucianism viewed as the one of worldly engagement. It supports the harmony of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang are principal in nature: Yang symbolizes positive trait, and Yin stands for negative one. Yin and Yang are hostile but complementary to each other. These two parts interact with each other to become the motor of all changes in the microcosm as well as in the macrocosm. Besides, it supports Wu Wei (Vo vi): to do without doing and deliberate inactivity. Wu Wei is effortless doing because the harder we work to get in, the farther we drift from its entrance. In brief, we get along as nature does, or we should work according to the Way of Heaven. 
2.2. Ancient Vietnamese civilization 
According to Scholar Ho Huu Tuong (in his novel Hon Buom Mo Hoa) and Professor Kim Dinh (in his book Viet Ly To Nguyen), the ancient culture and civilization of China were the ones of ancient Vietnam, because Emperor Huang Di (so-called the father of Chinese civilization) was a plagiarist of ancient culture and civilization. According to Sino-Vietnamese legend, after various bloody battles against Chi You (Si Vuu), the so-called cruel barbarian leader of the South region, he won the last battle. But the real fact was reverse: his victory over the Southern leader was only the victory of war-mongers over peaceful-loving people, of guerrilla warfare and terrorism over civilized society, of warlike nomadic civilization over peaceful agricultural one. After his power seizure, he massacred his Southern enemies and captured the culture and civilization of the war losers claiming falsely his inventions and discoveries. Lao Zi was the representative of the Southern war losers and Confucius the one of the Northern conquerors.
According to Professor Kim Dinh (in his cultural treatise “Viet Ly To Nguyen”), the southern civilization was agricultural, glorious and peaceable while the one of the North had its characteristic of nomadic and warlike society. 
According to Scholar Stephen Oppenheimer in his book “Eden in the East” (pp. 4-5 and pp 475-485, Phoenix, Orion Books, 1999), the real cradle of the world’s civilization and culture was Southeast Asia, for example, Thailand and Vietnam. 
2.2.1. Southern matriarchy 
Matriarchy was the family governance by woman, and custom of bridegroom to live in his wife’s family. Vietnam had three heroines and various female generals to battle against Chinese and French invaders. 
2.2.2. Higher culture 
2.2.2.1. Invention of Ba Gua (Bat quai). – After having invented, the eight-element diagram (Ba gua) was the basis of the Book of Changes; 
2.2.2.2. Jie Sheng (Ket thang). – “Knotting a cord” was a preliminary form of ancient letters to prepare the Book of Changes, Odes, Dao De Jing (Dao Duc Kinh), etc… 
2.2.2.3. Information of meteorology.- The knowledge of harvest and cultivation requires at least one-year cycle to remark season and climate while understanding of stalking preys only needs twenty-four-hour period to watch time and space. 
2.2.2.4. Agriculture. – Because of the discovery of fire, there were many inventions of agricultural tools such as plow and harrow… The ancient Vietnamese showed a competence in astronomy, weather, meteorology, soil science and irrigation which resulted in fixed settlements and promoted the welfare of the nation. 
2.2.3. Feeble sword 
The southern people were peaceful, kind, generous, wise, intelligent, but libertine and coward… 
3. Harmony of foreign and native cultures 
Leniency and compassion in Buddhism was suitable to the peace-loving Southerners; while the law of cause and karma in Buddhism adapted to the spirituality of the Vietnamese ancestors. Confucianism, the doctrine of worldly engagement, was Yang; while Taoism, the one of worldly disengagement was Yin. Extremely antagonistic, basically their doctrines remained essentially the same: both accepted the idea of Dao, Yin and Yang as principles of beginning and completion and the cyclical characteristic of Nature. They became complementary to each other, so Confucianism and Taoism had their mutual dependence and mutual supplementation. Besides, the two contradictory thoughts were only the way of life, and not the religion in the Western meaning of the word so they were easily suitable to the ancient Vietnamese society. 
4. Hidden philosophy 
In a word, Vietnam didn’t support systematized philosophy but had incoherence of conception of life. Only in legendary stories and folktales we can discover unsystematic or disjoined philosophy of our ancient Vietnamese. The ancient Vietnamese supported Idealist Monism (God) and Materialist Dualism (Yin & Yang) and resulted in a paradox of philosophical thoughts at first glance. But after a moment of examination, it seems there is no paradox because Idealist Monism stands for the immaterial world while Materialist Dualism covers the material one. 
4.1. God & Apostles 
The God is a mere image of a man or woman, so the God has his or her human temper and quality: good or bad, compassionate or cold-blooded, fair or partial…, which means there is always a two-edged factor. Therefore, there is a copy of the human kind’s socio-cultural institution in the heavenly world. A leader always needs few obedient servants to achieve his plan therefore the God also has many special apostles. Mr. But (abbreviation for the Vietnamese Buddha), the Goddess of Mercy, male or female fairy… have their duty of helping the miserable in misfortune and danger. In a bad and difficult situation we are always prone to pray the God or the Buddha in hope of getting out of such plight, therefore, such above divine helpers always appear in all folktales. Besides, the Local Deity, the Presiding Genius (of a village), the Three Kitchen Gods, the Genius of Mountain… have their duties of guarding their on-spot people or of reporting their bad or good deeds to the divine superior (God). Our ancient ancestors always thought that in the earthly world there are many plights, catastrophes, demons and ghosts. But in folktales there are also two kinds of Genie: Good Genie and Evil Genie. 
4.2. Yin & Yang 
Being Vietnamese Materialist Dualism, Yin & Yang only show two material or physical elements of the world. They are principal in nature: Yang symbolizes positive trait such as the sun, day, activity, man, heat, height…, and Yin stands for negative one such as the moon, night, inactivity, woman, coldness, depth… Besides, Yin and Yang are hostile but complementary to each other. They interact with each other to become the motor of all changes in the microcosm as well as in the macrocosm. 
4.3. Conception of life 
4.3.1. Metempsychosis 
They believed that death was not the end of a living being, but a mere end of one of a series of periods of that living being. Its material body changed into another form while its soul was the same, which means the transmigration of the soul. It is the passage of the soul after death from a human or animal to some another human or animal body. In a word, humanity’s life is not a linear design, but a circular one. 
4.3.2. Happy ending 
Perfect beauty and perfection is people’s expectation so they all prefer a happy ending. In all folktales there is always a motif of such topic because there is always an appearance of fairy or angel to help all victims and good people. 
4.3.3. One good turn deserves another 
All good people are always in good luck while bad and cruel ones always meet disaster and death. That is a certainty in all other ancient cultures. 
4.3.4. Paradise & Hell 
These two paradoxical categories appear in all ancient cultures. They are the home of the doers of good and the doers of evil. 
5. Conclusion 
The ancient Vietnamese had no interest in philosophy, but only devoted to the “smallest such as eating, drinking, sleeping, living, weather, and enjoyment” which supported by philosopher Nietzches (1844-1900) one hundred years ago. The father of Existentialism thought that we should study such above (Ecce Homo). Those above “smallest things” are always present in our folklore and legend. They are a part of philosophy too because the philosophical opinion is always prevalent in human deeds, behavior, conception of life, etc… Writer Maxim Gorky (1868-1936) said in his work The Zykos 1914 that “you can’t do without philosophy, since everything has its hidden meaning which we must know.” (Tripp, Rhoda. The International Thesaurus of Quotations. p. 688. A Crowell Reference Books, 1986.) 
But we can see a series of philosophical thoughts appeared continuously in Vietnamese legend and folklore. We can only explain details or plots of these Vietnamese folktales and legends in their own national traditional surroundings because they only happened in such environment. The Dialectical Materialism is useless to explain all ancient cultures in the world because Materialism was only correct and suitable in its time, e.g. the 19th century. French philosopher Michel Foucault (1926-1984) affirmed that Marxism had only existed in thoughts of the 19th century as a fish could only live in water, which means that it will surely die when it must live in a waterless environment. (Robert Andrews, Dictionary of Contemporary Quotations, p. 274, ed. Cassell, 1996) 
Vietnam has some hundred traditional and legendary stories in which there are some tens of interesting meaningful ones. I completed 35 stories by adding an appendix of 10 articles covering Vietnamese mores, customs, mode of life and so forth to help the foreign readers understand well our Vietnamese people because each country has its own cultural feature that is always strange to the other foreigners. For example, the article “Method of naming” explains the meaning of the names of the Vietnamese people. According to its contents, we can notice the immanent spirit of the Yin Yang principle: basing on all human names, we can distinguish the sex and characteristics of the name holders. I only selected intentionally 35 stories to demonstrate that ancient Vietnam had a series of unsystematic or disjointed philosophy and each story expresses an implicit philosophy of Yin Yang and Yi Jing (Book of Changes). 
All stories retold in my book are adapted from some ancient books written in Chinese by Vietnamese authors living in the 14th and the 16th centuries, afterward translated into the Vernacular Vietnamese letters and finally into Vietnamese in the 20s in Hanoi; and some books written in Vietnamese published in recent years. My work shows three parts: legend, folklore and appendix. 
5.1. Legend 
All Vietnamese legendary stories cover the defense of country and freedom, justice, morals and virtue (filial piety, loyalty, chastity, righteousness, benevolence, propriety, truthfulness). In a word, they have the clear vestiges of Kong Zi’s philosophy. Confucianism was the philosophy of “worldly engagement” because its Venerable Master always told its followers to serve king and lord, defend their country, and educate people and so forth. There are about 70 per cent of Confucianism and 30 per cent of Buddhism and other doctrines. But this part shows 15 stories: 1. Descendants of Dragon & Fairy, 2. Setting a pole, 3. Saint Giong, 4. Mountain & Water Spirits, 5. The Three Kitchen Gods, 6. Square sticky rice cake & Sticky rice dumpling, 7. Princess Tien Dung, 8. An Tiem & watermelon, 9. The Magical crossbow, 10. Emperor Ly Thai To, 11. Madam Lieu Hanh, 12. Unjust trial of Litchi Garden, 13. Bewitching singing, 14. Feng shui geomancer Ta Ao, and 15. Doctorate laureate Giap Hai. 
5.2. Folklore 
All Vietnamese folktales have immanent humanity because they have the clear vestiges of Buddhism, especially its compassion and metempsychosis: about 70 per cent of Buddhism and 30 per cent of Confucianism and other doctrines. But this part only shows 20 stories: 1. The Toad to be Heaven’s uncle, 2. The betel & the areca tree, 3. Little urchin Cuoi, 4. Legend on mosquitoes, 5. Da trang crab, 6. Asking for one to get three, 7. The Golden ax, 8. The Jar of gold, 9. Lasting friendship, 10. Young wife Nam Xuong, 11. Models of laborious study, 12. Killing dog to persuade her husband, 13. One-hundred-internode bamboo tree, 14. Eating carambola returning gold, 15. Vietnamese Cinderella, 16. Strange meeting in the Bich Cau land, 17. Tu Thuc in fairyland, 18. Thach Sanh, 19. Vietnamese spectrophilia, and 20. Psychological strategy before offensive tactics. 
5.3. Appendix 
This part shows 12 articles introducing a summary key topic, mores, religion, faith and taboos: Brief history of Vietnam, Yin & Yang, Method of naming, Vietnamese worship, Funeral rites, Matrimony & wedding, Ceremonial offerings at the tombs, Tet’s metaphysical meanings, Ancient examination, Parallel sentences, Fairy tales and Pleasure in enjoying folklore. They are a main key to decipher mores, religion, faith, habit and the way of life of the Vietnamese people because each people has their own culture. For example, the article “Funeral Rites” explains clearly the Vietnamese people’s faith in Buddhism’s metempsychosis. Therefore, they become fanatical about worshipping ancestors and other Gods (Spirits). 
In a word, I hope that my book can help you understand some ambiguous parts in conception of life of the ancient Vietnamese so you can grasp the prevalence of Vietnamese philosophy and the characteristic of ancient Vietnamese culture and civilization. 
P. Kim Long 
Saigon, 2006