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This is one
of the oldest legends of Vietnam.
It tells the story of the people's ancestors,
the first Vietnamese people.
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Grandmother
also told Tan about ancestors. They
are considered important in most Vietnamese
families. Many families have shrines
in their house and make offerings of food
and flowers. This is to nourish the
soul of their relatives who have died.
It is also believed that this act of generosity
will bring blessings on the living.
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Long, long ago before there were people on earth, there was a
fierce dragon who lived under the sea. He was called Lac Long
Quan, the Dragon King, and he ruled over the seven seas.
On land, there was a Fairy Queen, the beautiful Lady Au Co. She was known
for her loveliness and all of nature would bow to
her beauty. One day the Dragon King decided to venture
on land and as his huge body left the sea, great waves swirled
around him. The Fairy Queen just happened to be on the beach,
gathering pretty shells for a necklace. As soon as he
caught sight of the Fairy Queen the Dragon King was smitten
with love for her. ‘I have never seen such beauty,'
he said. The Fairy Queen herself was overcome with love
for the Dragon King. They married, and the Dragon King's
kingdom of the sea was united with the Fairy Queen's kingdom
of the earth.
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For
one thousand years, from 111 BC , China took
control of Vietnam and for all those years,
the Vietnamese people were dominated by the
culture and traditions of China.
Although the Vietnamese people were affected
by Chinese culture and adopted many of their
traditions, at the same time, they struggled
to keep their own culture. Several
Vietnamese myths and legends tell how physical
strength might be overcome.
For example, The Hare and the Tiger is a story
in which the hare outwits the tiger.
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Soon The Fairy Queen gave birth to a hundred
shiny pearl-shelled eggs. The Dragon King and the Fairy
Queen were delighted when the eggs hatched into one hundred
healthy children. They were truly blessed. The King
and Queen raised their children lovingly.
Several years later the Dragon King and the Fairy
Queen returned to their own kingdoms. Fifty of the children
went with their mother into the mountains of Vietnam.
There they became skilled in farming and hunting. The
other fifty children followed their father to the sea and became
skilled fishermen and workers of the land.
So, as the legend goes, that is how the very first
Vietnamese people were born.
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