Vietnam

Stories from the Vietnam origin:

• The Legend of the Dragon King Jul 5, 2025

  

  In the deepest trenches of the South China Sea, where sunlight never penetrates and the water pressure would crush any mortal being, there lies a magnificent palace built from living coral and adorned with pearls the size of human heads. This is the underwater kingdom of Long Vuong—the Dragon King—the most powerful supernatural being in all of Vietnamese mythology.

  Long Vuong was not always a dragon. Centuries ago, he had been a mortal prince named Thuy Long, ruler of a coastal kingdom that prospered through fishing and sea trade. Prince Thuy Long was known throughout the land for his wisdom in governing, his skill as a warrior, and most importantly, his deep compassion for his people.

• The Story of the Magic Fish Jul 4, 2025

  

  On the banks of the mighty Mekong River, where the water flows brown with rich soil from distant mountains and the morning mist rises like incense from ancient temples, there lived a humble fisherman named Binh. He dwelt in a small bamboo hut with his wife Mai, and though they owned very little, they were content with their simple life.

  Every morning before dawn, Binh would take his old wooden boat and cast his nets into the river’s gentle current. He was not the most skilled fisherman in his village, nor did he own the finest equipment, but he worked with patience and persistence, grateful for whatever the river provided.

• The Tale of the Phoenix and the Dragon Jul 3, 2025

  

  In the beginning of time, when the world was young and the boundaries between heaven and earth were not yet firmly established, there lived two of the most magnificent beings ever created—Phung Hoang, the Phoenix of the Southern Skies, and Long Vuong, the Dragon of the Eastern Seas.

  Phung Hoang was a creature of incomparable beauty, with feathers that shimmered like liquid fire and a voice that could make flowers bloom out of season. She ruled over all the birds of heaven, commanded the warm winds that brought spring, and carried the power of the sun itself in her blazing plumage. When she flew across the sky, her passage brought renewal and rebirth to everything below.

• The Legend of the Fairy and the Woodcutter Jul 2, 2025

  

  High above the clouds, in the celestial realm where immortal beings dwell in eternal harmony, there lived seven fairy sisters whose beauty was said to rival the stars themselves. The youngest sister, named Zhinü, possessed not only extraordinary beauty but also exceptional skill in weaving silk so fine it seemed to be made of moonbeams and starlight.

  Every day, the seven sisters would descend from heaven to bathe in a crystal-clear lake hidden deep within the mountains of northern Vietnam. This sacred lake, surrounded by ancient pine trees and floating lotus blossoms, was known only to the forest spirits and creatures who lived in perfect harmony with nature.

• The Legend of the Kitchen God Jul 2, 2025

  

  Long ago, in a peaceful village near the Red River Delta, there lived a man named Trong whose life seemed blessed by all the gods. He owned fertile rice fields, a comfortable home, and had married the most beautiful and virtuous woman in the region, a gentle soul named Thi Nhi.

  For the first years of their marriage, Trong and Thi Nhi lived in perfect harmony. They worked together in their fields, shared their meals with gratitude, and were known throughout the village for their generosity to neighbors and kindness to strangers.

• The Story of the Jade Emperor's Daughters Jul 2, 2025

  

  In the highest realm of heaven, where golden palaces float among silver clouds and immortal beings live in eternal splendor, the mighty Jade Emperor ruled over all celestial affairs with wisdom and justice. Among his most precious treasures were his seven daughters, each more beautiful and talented than the last.

  The seven princesses lived lives of perfect comfort in their father’s celestial court. They wore robes woven from starlight, ate fruits that granted eternal youth, and spent their days in pursuits befitting divine royalty—painting with brushes made of phoenix feathers, playing music on instruments carved from jade, and dancing on floors made of polished clouds.

• The Story of the Starfruit Tree Jul 2, 2025

  

  In a prosperous village along the banks of the Red River, there once lived two brothers who could not have been more different from each other. The elder brother, Duc, was wealthy and successful but had a heart as cold as winter stone. The younger brother, Tam, was poor but possessed a generous spirit that warmed everyone around him like summer sunshine.

  When their parents died, Duc inherited the family’s large house, fertile rice paddies, and prosperous business, while Tam received only a small plot of land with a single starfruit tree growing in the center. Most people in the village felt sorry for Tam, thinking he had received a poor inheritance compared to his brother’s wealth.

• The Tale of the Golden Turtle Jul 2, 2025

  

  In the early 15th century, when Vietnam was occupied by foreign invaders who oppressed the people with harsh laws and heavy taxes, there lived a brave and righteous man named Le Loi in the mountains of Thanh Hoa province. Though born to a wealthy landowning family, Le Loi’s heart burned with compassion for his suffering countrymen and determination to restore freedom to his homeland.

  The foreign occupation had brought great misery to the Vietnamese people. Ancient traditions were forbidden, Vietnamese language was suppressed in favor of the occupiers’ tongue, and heavy tributes were demanded that left families hungry and desperate. Many villages had been destroyed, temples desecrated, and the proud culture of Vietnam was in danger of disappearing entirely.

• The Tale of the Moon Lady Jul 2, 2025

  

  Long ago, in the time when ten suns blazed simultaneously in the sky, scorching the earth and causing terrible suffering to all living creatures, there lived a skilled archer named Hou Yi, whose courage and marksmanship were legendary throughout the land.

  The ten suns, which were the sons of the Jade Emperor, had grown bored with their celestial duties and decided to appear in the sky all at once instead of taking turns as they were supposed to do. Their combined heat was so intense that rivers dried up, crops withered and died, and people and animals suffered terribly from the unbearable temperature.