New story · Vietnamese Legend
The Returned Sword
Sự tích Hồ Gươm
A fisherman netted a blade, a banyan tree hid its hilt, and with that sword Le Loi freed his country. One year later, an ancient turtle rose from a lake in the capital and asked for it back.
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The Returned Sword
Sự tích Hồ Gươm
A fisherman netted a blade, a banyan tree hid its hilt, and with that sword Le Loi freed his country. One year later, an ancient turtle rose from a lake in the capital and asked for it back.
4 min read
Mai An Tiem and the Watermelon
Sự tích Mai An Tiêm – Dưa hấu
One proud sentence at a royal feast got Mai An Tiem and his family exiled to an empty island. Then birds dropped a handful of black seeds — and Vietnam got its New Year watermelon.
3 min read
Tam and Cam
Tấm Cám
A kind orphan girl, a magic fish and a lost embroidered shoe — Vietnam has its own Cinderella. But Tam's story doesn't end at the wedding: killed by her stepmother, she comes back as a bird, two trees, a loom and a golden fruit, until the king finds her again.
4 min read
Thach Sanh
Thạch Sanh
A poor woodcutter killed a python demon, shot down a giant eagle and saved a princess — and was betrayed by his sworn brother every time. Then he picked up a magic lute, and ended a war against eighteen kingdoms without killing a single soldier.
5 min read
My Chau and Trong Thuy
Mỵ Châu – Trọng Thủy
A golden turtle gave King An Duong Vuong a crossbow no army could defeat. Then his daughter fell in love with the enemy's son — and a trail of white feathers led the way to the end of a kingdom.
4 min read
Son Tinh & Thuy Tinh
Sơn Tinh – Thủy Tinh
The Mountain God and the Water God both came to marry a princess. One arrived first — and the other, the story goes, still sends the floods every year to take her back.
3 min read
Lang Lieu and the Banh Chung
Lang Liêu – Bánh Chưng
The old king asked his twenty sons for a gift worthy of the ancestors. The poorest prince brought no treasure — only two cakes of sticky rice, one square like the earth and one round like the sky.
3 min read
Saint Giong
Thánh Gióng
For three years the boy never said a word. Then invaders came — and he rose into a giant, riding a fire-breathing iron horse into battle.
3 min read
Lac Long Quan & Au Co
Lạc Long Quân – Âu Cơ
A dragon lord from the sea and a fairy from the mountains fell in love. Their hundred children became the first Vietnamese — which is why Vietnamese still call themselves children of the dragon.
3 min read
Ancient legends. Timeless stories.
Myths of VN retells the myths, legends and folktales of Vietnam for a new audience — as illustrated stories to read here, and animated films on YouTube.
YouTube channel coming soon
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Questions, ideas, a story from your village? mythsofvn [at] gmail.com