The 2016 Law on Belief and Religion has created positive impact on the religious life in Vietnam, creating a firm legal framework to ensure the exercise of the rights to freedom of belief and Later, the magpie will return with a new tooth for the child. In other Asian countries, such as Japan and Vietnam, children follow a similar tradition of throwing their lost teeth onto the roofs of houses. Birds aren't the only animals thought to take lost teeth. In Mexico and Spain, tradition says a mouse takes a lost tooth and leaves some money. While she is combing the hair, she will recite blessings to the bride or groom: May the first comb bring you a long-lasting union. May the second comb bring you a harmonious union. May the third Aboriginal mortuary rites in Australia. When a loved one dies in Aboriginal society in Australia's Northern Territory, elaborate rituals begin. First, a smoking ceremony is held in the loved one's living area to drive away their spirit. Next a feast is held, with mourners painted ochre as they partake in food and dance. Tigers were central to all Asian belief systems, a claim which is highlighted when considering that the Bengal Tiger is the national animal of India, the Royal Bengal Tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh, the Malayan Tiger is the national animal of Malaysia, and there are strong associations with the animal in South Korea. The basic teachings of Islam are contained in the Qur'an (Koran), the revelation of Allah's will to Muhammad, and in the hadith, reports of Muhammad's statements or deeds. There are several specific requirements of a Muslim, which are known as the "Five Pillars". These are: 1) the confession of faith. 3O2INSQ. Entrance gate to the The Temple of Literature in Hanoi, northern Vietnam. Vietnam is the sole Southeast Asian nation with its indigenous religion as the dominant belief system. About of the inhabitants of the state adhere to the beliefs of the ethnic religion. Numerous similarities have been pointed out between Vietnamese folk religion and the southern Chinese folk religion. Vietnam's ethnic religion is often identified with Confucianism as it features values that were promoted by Confucius. The religion is characterized by a group of local worship traditions venerating the thần, a word that can be taken to mean "spirits" or "gods. Development of the Religion The period between 1945 to 1980s was characterized by the suppression of the Vietnamese folk region. The temples in Northern Vietnam especially underwent extensive damage and neglect in the course of the land reform from 1953 to 1955 and in the period of collectivization between 1975 to 1986 in a reunified Vietnam. The cultural destruction prompted criticism and debate in the 1960s. The climax of the anti-religion campaigns, as well as the devastation of the temples, occurred in 1975 to 1979. The country committed itself to a policy of preservation of the religious culture from 1985, and the religion is celebrated as an element of the country's identity. The state and the local population enjoy a dialogical and flexible relationship in the journey towards religion renewal, and the two actors play an important part in the recent revival of the religion. Deities of the Vietnamese Folk Religion Vietnamese gods can be grouped into four categories. Heavenly gods, for instance thiên thần, and nature gods, like nhién thần, are associated with natural phenomena including oceans, lightning, trees, grottoes, rocks, and rain, and also with the regenerative or generative powers of a locality or of the cosmos. Deified ancestors or tutelary gods represent the gods installed by Chinese or Vietnamese rulers or those consecrated by villagers including founding patriarchs and founding figures of arts and crafts. This group can also feature impure spirits. Various court-like or hierarchical pantheons passed down from the Taoist patterns and headed by the Heavenly Emperors in addition to the immortals, and the holy sages form a separate category. Another category is the deities of Khmer and Cham as well as other Southeast Asian native origin. Forms and Places of Worship The concept of self-cultivation is prominent in the religion. The self-empowering action is expressed in several Vietnamese words including tu which means "to correct." The process of self-cultivation knits together a person and the social scene in an orientation of both action and discourse. Vietnamese temples go by the name miếu which translates to temple in the Vietnamese language. Miếu temples host the "primary worship" of a deity in the northern regions, and they are often built in secluded areas while other temples are constructed in proximity to habitation areas for "secondary worship." The two categories often blur in the southern territories. Nhà thờ họ are found in middle and northern Vietnam as family shrines equivalent to the ancestral shrines present in China. Distinct Branches of the Vietnamese Folk Religion Caodaism was formally created in 1926 in the southern Vietnamese city of Tây Ninh. Adherents of Caodaism venerate a deity called Cao Ɖài which translates to Highest Power or Highest Lord, and is the equivalent of the Jade Emperor attributed with the creation of the universe. The veneration of Cao Ɖài is undertaken in the main temple, and Caodaists worship the Mother Goddess too. The Left Eye of God represents the symbol of the tradition's faith, and it signifies the masculine actions of the male creator balanced by the yin actions of the feminine. Another religious tradition is Ɖao Bửu Son Ký Hurong which contains Buddhist elements. It was promoted by the mystic Ɖoàn Minh Huyên. The religion's name represents the Thầt Son range situated on the Vietnamese-Cambodian border, and it is where Huyên identified as a living Buddha. Huyên was rumored to possess supernatural powers to heal the sick and the insane during an 1849 cholera epidemic. The tradition has about 15,000 adherents residing in provinces such as Bến Tre, An Giang, and Long An. Ɖao Mẫu translates to Way of the Mother, and it features the worship of the Mother Goddess called the Mẫu in addition to the various mother goddesses making up a central part of Vietnamese folk religion. The tradition was promoted in North Vietnam in the 1970s and then in the unified country. It consists its priesthood, rituals, and temples. The Jade Emperor is regarded as the originating god, although he is rarely worshipped. The supreme goddess is named Thánh Mẫu Liễu Hanh. The Ɖao Hiề Nghĩa tradition was established in the 1880s and has about 80,000 adherents residing in southern Vietnam, particularly in Tri Tôn District. The Minh Ɖao consists of five religions that share Tiên Thiên Ɖao roots with Caodaism. The religion's name translates to the "Way of Light." The five religions spread in the southern part of Vietnam in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Queen Mother of the West and the Jade Emperor serve as the primary deities. Confucianism and Taoism The Vietnamese folk religion has Confucian elements, and it is often considered as Confucianism. The Temples of Literature are used for the veneration of Confucius, and they served as academies during the Imperial dynasties time. The introduction of Taoism in the country is traced back to the first Chinese domination of Vietnam. The Vietnamese folk religion has adopted elements of Taoism's doctrines. Taoist influence is also visible in the Ɖao Mẫu and Caodaist belief systems. Practices of the Vietnamese Folk Religion Adherents of the Vietnamese folk religion carry out numerous practices in observance of their faith. One of these practices is the ritual of len dong' meaning "to go into a trance" or "to mount the medium." Practitioners of this ritual become mediums for different deities who possess their bodies and execute actions in the human world. The main ritual may stretch for seven hours through which a practitioner incarnates a series of various spirits and deities and which changes into a different set of clothes for every incarnation. After the deity has possessed the body of the practitioner, one may stage a dance or try some dangerous stunts including walking on embers. The process also includes singers who use invocation songs to trigger a trance in the ritualist. The audience approaches the possessed practitioner after the dance and makes offerings and petitions to the deity. Home Society Vietnamese Folk Religion Beliefs Vietnamese are a Southeast Asian ethnic group originally native to modern-day Northern Vietnam and southern China. The native language is Vietnamese. It is the most widely spoken Austroasiatic language. The diverse cultural traditions, geographies, and historical events have created distinct regions in the country. Vietnam has unique culture and tradition that has been passed over for millennia. Many ethnic groups inhabit the highlands. Therefore the culture has varied in the central region, sharing characteristics including the way of life. This has led to numerous special festivals where it shows belief and traditions. It is worth enjoying some of the festivals in Vietnam to get a better understanding of the peaceful country. Here are some of the 10 Vietnamese you should know 1. vietnamese people worship their ancestors The Vietnamese ancestor believed to continue to live in another realm. It was the duty of the living beings to meet their need. In return, the ancestor would give advice and bring good fortune. A small altar is usually placed in every house in Vietnam. It is used to commune with the departed ones. Some of the rites consist of making offerings of fruits, food, wine votive paper, lighting candles and also burning incense before praying in front of the altar. 2. Hung King Temple Festival Hung King Temple Festival is a national event. It is normally held in Phu Tho. The event takes place annunciator to commemorate Hung kings the founder of the nation. During this festival people all over the world and living abroad head from the main temple on Nghia Linh, Phu Tho to take part in the meaningful festival. The atmosphere of the festival is bustling with different folks with games like human chess, bamboo swings, rice cooking competitions, wrestling, and lion dance. 3. Celebration of the baby’s first month Vietnamese people celebrate one month of baby. It is like commemorating a president’s first 100 days in office. While Vietnamese mothers are expected to rest indoors without taking a shower for a month after giving birth. At the celebration friends and family present mother and child with luck money. 4 Visit/perfume the pagoda festival Perfume pagoda festival is the most popular festival in Hanoi. The festival draws visitors all over Vietnam to the iconic perfume pagoda. During the spring season, many Vietnamese go to pagodas. Praying is one of the most important activities in Huong Tich cave. It is believed that if you pray here to get a son/ daughter by touching the mountain the wish will come true. If you touch the silver/ gold trees in the cave you can pray for wealth and prosperity. 5. Eating the boiled chicken Boiled chicken is a strong cultural indicator that the Vietnamese continue to serve in any traditional holiday meal. In Vietnamese whether it’s a wedding party, new year holiday, or any other holiday there is no proper meal will be served without a boiled chicken cooked with handed-down skills. 6. Traditional costumes of Vietnam Vietnam has 54 tribes and every tribe has its traditional costumes. The traditional dress of the Vietnamese people has changed significantly from time to time. The common people of the country had greater freedom to choose their clothing under the Nguyen dynasty. During the Nguyen dynasty, several restrictions were placed on the type and the colours of clothes that should be worn by the common people of Vietnam. Some examples of traditional Vietnamese costumes include the Ao Giao Linh, Ao Tu Than, Ao Canh, and the Ao BaBa. The first one refers to a cross-collared robe worn by Vietnamese men while the second is a four-part dress worn by women. 7. Martial Arts in Vietnam Vietnam’s traditional martial art is Vovinam. The country has a very well-developed tradition of martial art. It has some similarities to that of Chinese martial arts. Vietnamese vovinam martial arts philosophy guides the martial art practice in the country. The martial art is associated with intense spirituality because of its association with Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The scissor kicks are a famous movement in this form of martial arts. 8. Buddha’s birthday Buddha is a religious and also a national festival. Buddha’s birthday became a significant event for Vietnamese people. They celebrate commemorating the birth and enlightenment and the death of buddha. Before the celebration, hundreds of monks and thousands of people tend to gather in big pagodas chosen to act as the holding place. These pagodas are cleaned and decorated with buddha’s statue in the middle of a pink lotus. They are surrounded by colourful lanterns, different kinds of flowers, and small lotus flowers. During the festival, sacred rituals like offering incense and flowers are done to celebrate the birthday. people actively participate in charity activities like helping the unlucky, mentally retarded, and the elderly. 9. Vietnamese music and dance Vietnam is associated with a rich tradition of dance and music. The Vietnamese music exhibited variance in every part of Vietnam. It is older and more formal in the north while Champa culture exerts considerable influence on central classical music and the music of the southern part of the country. The country has nearly 5o national musical instruments. Some important traditional forms of Vietnamese music include imperial court music and ca tru. The great ethnic diversity of Vietnam has gifted the country with diverse dance forms. These dances are normally performed at the cultural program and festivals that are held in the country. Some of the traditional dance forms in Vietnam include the lion dance, platter dance, fan dance, and imperial lantern dance. These dances developed in the imperial courts of Vietnam. They are quite complex. 10. Lunar new year is more about the family reunion It is also known as the Tet holiday. The Vietnamese new year takes place from the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar. It is around late January or early February and lasts for at least 3 days. This is a joyful family reunion full of smiles and blessings to express filial piety. the family bonds and the desire for the coming year full of happiness and also the prosperity and the goodness. Ivone Discover Walks contributors speak from all corners of the world - from Prague to Bangkok, Barcelona to Nairobi. We may all come from different walks of life but we have one common passion - learning through travel. Whether you want to learn the history of a city, or you simply need a recommendation for your next meal, Discover Walks Team offers an ever-growing travel encyclopaedia. For local insights and insider’s travel tips that you won’t find anywhere else, search any keywords in the top right-hand toolbar on this page. Happy travels! Confucian writers and fantasy short stories in contextFrom the 10th century AD under the Ly Dynasty 1009–1225, the Vietnamese gained their independence after a millennium of Chinese domination 207 BC 938 Dao, 2016; Ngo et al., 2009. From this point in time, a model of totalitarian monarchy and centralized government from the Chinese pattern was chosen to address the country’s urgent problems. Despite promoting Buddhism, Confucianism with the objective of “rule the country” in its doctrine was a perfect governing instrument for the state and completely adapted to government to create a world with a closed mainstream model in the vision of the Ly court at that began to flourish in Vietnam in the feudal era in the early Le Dynasty Ngo et al., 2009; Nguyen, 1992, and the Vietnamese state had an urgent need for organization and management of the country according to a strict model. By the second half of the 15th century, the monopoly of Confucianism as the dominant ideology was strong during the reign of Le Thanh Tong 1460–1497 Tran, 1999; Dao, 2016. The deliberate selection of Confucianism was intended to increase and consolidate the status of the ruling dynasty, which caused Taoism and Buddhism, which had come to Vietnam before the Common Era Ngo et al., 2009 and had a considerable influence on the cultural figure of Vietnam, to gradually extend beyond the central area and become peripheral voices. To this time, Confucianism had surpassed the social components used in the past by Buddhist clergy who had become the monopolizing elites of the Vietnamese feudal dynasties pursued nationalism and resolutely fought against the expansion of Chinese feudal powers, the choice of the Confucian intellectual model to dominate ambassadors’ political paradigms and the use of Han characters as the official language created intricately dualistic cultural discourses in the history of Vietnamese thought. Literature from the 10th century to the end of the 19th century as the creative genre mainly of Confucian writers also reflected the conflict and this tacit complexity. In the new period of literary formation from the 10th to the 15th centuries, the writings of Confucian authors in terms of themes and content all mentioned political culture with ideal social models based on a policy called “ruled by virtue” đức trị Nguyen, 2000; Bui, 1999. However, in the period of violent and bloody wars and the rapid change in Vietnamese dynasties in the 16th and 17th centuries, Confucianism in Confucian writing presented a clear contradiction helplessness before the breakdown of the political battle. The creation and integration of folk cultural materials and Taoist thought in the writings of Confucians, especially in mainstream prose narratives, with the typical genre called “fantasy short story” truyen ky, showed a hidden link with the authors’ attitudes of defying authority in the turbulent context of this historical context in which truyen ky writers lived was an era of many wars among feudal groups mixed with a war against aggression. After the reign of King Tran Thanh Tong 1258–1278, the Le dynasty 1428–1527 fell into turmoil when six Le kings were successively killed or were otherwise incapable of ruling. The Le dynasty’s weakness and crisis led to the rise of and usurpation by the Mac dynasty 1594–1677. However, the Trinh Feudal Lord supported the Le dynasty, defeating the Mac dynasty and ascending to the throne. Later, this family overwhelmed the power and turned King Le into a puppet. All events of these internal conflicts, division of territories and conflicts between the ruling class and the people that lasted throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. In particular, peasant rebellions broke out continuously in many places, Than Duy Nhac stirred up troops in Kinh Bac 1511, Nguyen Nghiem rebelled in Hung Hoa 1512, and the Tran Dao uprising occurred in 1516 Ngo et al., 2009; Le, 2013; Dao, 2016.Thus, political turmoil and war between feudal and enemy groups within foreign enemies became a part of Vietnamese medieval history. All these events eventually engendered clear changes in the spiritual life of the society. Faced with such a reality, Confucianism—a theory useful in peacetime—displayed powerlessness and was no longer attractive. In addition, from this important pivotal period, the fantasy short stories of Confucians appeared to be symbols of a tendency to return to the core values of a national in the 14th century, Vietnamese fantasy short stories in medieval times, also known as truyen ky stories, originated from the Chinese chuanqi genre Tran, 1995; Tran, 2000. This genre often borrows stories from folk narratives, exploits pre-existing motifs, themes and plots from the world of traditional storytelling, and uses fantasy as an artistic means to convey problems with deep content relating to contemporary socio-cultural life. Therefore, the connotation of truyen ky is often emphasized in the phrase “phi ky bat truyen” implying the preference for the transmission of strange stories in the human world. These stories are often characterized by coincidence, grandiose and sublime events reflecting the chaos and dissolution in real life Lu, 1993. One of the genre’s other key artistic features is that,despite being geared towards exposing political and social messages, the wording of fantasy short stories is sumptuous and elegant, with expressive ideas and romantic and rich details to create a mixture of prose and poetry. In particular, with the author’s own ethical commentary at the end of the story, this genre often creates harmony and tension among strange events through genuine emotions and gives the reader a sense of ambiguity and insecurity about the metaphysical elements dominating his or her stage of birth of the fantasy story and its rapid development in the 16th and 17th centuries was the result of the perfect artistic fusion of an exotic literary genre and endogenous flow of folk narratives. The materials of traditional folk stories in this genre seemed to have a quality that was easily recognized by readers. In the most famous collection including 19 fantasy short stories that are “reaching to the paradigmatic level”, Nguyen Du’s Excursive Notes on Weird Stories, many plots and motifs in the first folk narrative collections reappear. These folk narratives collections such as Spiritual Powers in the Viet Realm Viet dien u linh by Ly Te Xuyen and Strange Stories Gathered from the Linh Nam Realm Linh Nam chich quai by Tran The Phap in the 14th century were written in Chinese characters by Confucian mandarins who recorded folk narratives at the request of the Notes on Weird Stories, which is the only work of the famous Confucian Nguyen Du a writer living in the 16th century; his exact birth and death dates are unknown, is considered the brilliant climax of Vietnamese fantasy short stories. Le Quy Don, a famous 17th century scientist, stated in Accounts on Things Learnt Kien Van Tieu Luc that “Du from a young age was famous for learning widely, remembered a lot, and could use literature to make a great career. Many times, Nguyen Du won contests to pass the Confucian examination and was appointed chief of the Thanh Tuyen district, but only a year later, he used the excuse of working far away and being asked to take care of his parents. After the Mac Family took the throne, he vowed not to work as a mandarin anymore. The contemporaries of the continental record have four volumes, poetic language, and contemporary people extensively praise them Le, 2013. The titles of the 19 stories in Excursive Notes on Weird Stories contain the words “ky”, “truyen”, or “luc”. These words all have the common meaning of “records” ghi chep. From the perspective of Confucius’ humble language and artistic manner, these words indicate that the author regards his work as a collection of tales derived from the aim of discovering the cultural identity of Vietnamese narratives with sociohistorical approaches and discussing the archetype grounded in specific contexts, this research focuses on journey motifs to the upper and lower world in collections of folk narratives written in Han characters in the 13th century and relates historical and cultural documents. At the same time, by analyzing the fantasy short stories in Nguyen Du’s Excursive Notes on Weird Stories, this paper aims to discover the process of acculturation and creation of materials and motifs from folk narratives and discusses how the motifs are adapted, thereby revealing specific messages about the history, culture, era, voice and true identity of the Vietnamese of the archetypal journey comparative analysis of Vietnamese folk narratives and literatureAs a country with a long-standing wet rice agricultural civilization more than 4000 years ago Tran, 2006; Dao, 2016, animism and polytheism strongly influence the minds of Vietnamese communities, including a strong belief in the power of sacred mountains and the mountain gods living on top of host mountains. The belief in worshiping mountain gods is evident along the Red River delta and extends to neighboring plains in the North of Vietnam, where residents have suffered from the devastating impacts of flood disasters for thousands of generations Vo and Ngo, 1990; Ta, 2006. This belief partly reflects the desire of people in wet rice farming to overcome and tame floods. Therefore, in the minds of the Vietnamese people, images of mountain deities together with sacred territories on the high mountains are both vividly present in traditional stories such as the series of Tan Vien Son Thanh, Chu Dong Tu, and have a strong presence in ritual practices in the temples of mountain gods around sacred mountains such as Ba Vi, Tam Diep, and Hoanh from this cultural feature, by researching the Vietnamese folk narratives in Spiritual Powers in the Viet Realm, Strange Stories Gathered from Linh Nam Realm and related historical documents, it can be seen that the journeys to paradise and hell are associated with the character setting foot on a sacred mountain and having strange encounters with the mountain god. Therefore, the symbol of the mountain is envisaged as a magical realm where the convergence of the sacred air of heaven and earth is the gateway to the magical heavenly world of the Legend of Tu Thuc Cave Su tich dong Tu Thuc is the title of a folk narrative widely circulated in medieval Vietnam and is closely associated with the scenic Tu Thuc Cave located on the majestic Tam Diep mountain range bordering the Kim Son district in the Ninh Binh province. The place is known as the most beautiful mountain range and cave in Thanh Hoa land and is associated with the legend of the love of Tu Thuc and Giang Huong. In addition to the work of Tu Thu Married a Fairy Tu Thuc gap tien, which was re-created by Nguyen Du in Excursive Notes on Weird Stories, this story was also briefly recorded by the anonymous writer in Copying from Strange Things Heard Thinh van di luc in the 17th century Tran et al., 1997a and through the part of the Sage worshiping at Hoanh Son mountain in the Vietnamese-Han script titled Vietnamese Taoist Legend Hoi Chan Bien by Thanh Hoa Tu Chan et al., 1992. “Classic reference” Dien tich Tu Thuc Giang Huong is also widely popular in other famous 17th century collections of fantasy stories such as a Strange Meeting in Bich Cau Bich Cau ky ngo by Doan Thi Diem Tran et al., 1997a. The legend of this magnificent melancholic love is also the inspiration for the poem Du Phat Tich Ngau De Son by Pham Su Manh, who lived in the 14th century, and Le Quy Don’s poem De Tu Thuc Dong composed in the 18th century. The Legend of Tu Thuc Cave is a folk narrative that was popular and widely circulated in folklore before becoming the inspiration for medieval the story, Tu Thuc is mentioned as a famous Confucian who lived under the Tran dynasty 1225–1400 and as a mandarin in Bac Ninh. He is known as an intelligent, benevolent ruler who enjoys rambling about natural scenery and writing poetry. Adjacent to the district, there is a famous pagoda where flower-viewing festivals are held and where many horse-drawn carriages add to the bustle. Under the peony tree is a beautiful young woman with her hand resting on a branch. The flower suddenly breaks apart, and then, the girl is punished by the temple keeper. Tu Thuc passed by, and he took off the brocade cloak he was wearing to rescue her. After leaving his office early, Tu Thuc, who enjoyed traveling mountains and rivers, went on an excursion to Hoanh Son mountain, passed Nga Son, and finally arrived at Bich Dao cave where there are steep cliffs. Tu Thuc thought of a poem and wrote it on the wall when the cave door opened, and a page led Tu Thuc to enter the magical world on the mountain top. In the world of immortals, Tu Thuc married and lived happily with the fairy Giang Huong, who was the beautiful girl breaking the peony branch who he had helped during the annual flower festival. Soon, Tu Thuc also attained first enlightenment. However, after a year in the fairyland, Tu Thuc became disheartened and even wished to return to his own town. He was brought back to earth by his fairy wife in a mythical carriage. However, 100 years had passed since he had left his old place; only the rocky slot was the same, and everything else had changed completely. Then, Tu Thuc traveled to Hoanh Son Mountain again, and no one knew him anymore. Currently, people call him “Vu Khach Hoanh Son” Hoanh Son Taoist, and Bich Dao cave is known as Tu Thuc Cave Chan et al., 1992; VASS, 2004.In the Tu Thuc Cave story, the nature of the upper world is not clearly depicted, but the time of the journey has strange features. Time travel involves crossing disparate worlds to explore the space realms of the universe. The one-sided story shows the aspirations of the folk people in discovering the existence of many worlds expressing the dream of a love affair through time. On the other hand, the story conveys the contrast between foresight and earthly time, highlighting the fragile and fanciful feeling of an eternal world of which people addition to the legend of Tu Thuc Cave, the Chu Dong Tu story, another typical legend about one of the four important and immortal gods in the mind of the Vietnamese was recorded in the book Viet Dien U Linh in 1329 Ly, 1961. This story also features an archetypal journey with the motif of enlightenment into a God and magic on the high mountains. Therefore, the mountain in the folk belief of worshiping mountain gods becomes a symbol of the gate to heaven, the place of reincarnation, and the immortal for the gods in Taoism. In the spirit of seclusion, adventurousness, and the journey to the upper world of Tu Thuc, the Chu Dong Tu bears the Taoism color. Then, Taoism, especially Taoists, soon merged into the local folk beliefs and into the spiritual life bearing the metaphysical color of the Vietnamese people. Vu, 2017; Nguyen, 2018Re-created by Nguyen Du based on the widely circulated story about the legend of Tu Thuc Cave in folklife, the story of Tu Thu Married a Fairy in Nguyen Du’s Excursive Notes on Weird Stories is considered one of the most magnificent time travel stories in medieval Vietnamese literature. In the preface written in 1547 for Excursive Notes on Weird Stories, a famous Confucian who lived at the same time as Nguyen Du, Ha Thien Han, said that the author created this collection during a time when he resigned and returned the homeland by “taking care of the old mother” and then secluded himself in the forests of the Thanh Hoa realm Bui, 1999, which may be why the legends of the Sage, Taoist, and Gods, including Tu Thuc, were worshiped in the temples in this land and were the first stories rewritten by Nguyen Du. In Tu Thu Married a Fairy, Nguyen Du describes Tu Thuc as a typical Confucian who chose “the Wu-Wei principle” vô vi by becoming a hermit and being at one with the Tao.“Unable to force himself in fame, Tu wants to return his seal, leaves the mandarin to return. He loves the cave scene in Tong Son, so he built a house there to stay. Often using a page to bring a gourd of wine and a woodwind flute with him, he recites some poems by Dao Uyen Minh. Wherever he likes, he falls down to drink wine” Tran et al., 1997a p. 243The story also describes in great detail Tu Thuc’s journey to the fairyland on the top of the mountain, the meeting with the ruler god of Nam Nhac mountain, and the conversation mixed with poetic improvisations to express his open-mindedness and Tu Thuc’s aspiration to find a utopian society“Up to the mountain, it will be bright. All around the magnificent castles, red green clouds clinging to the railing, exotic flowers bloom in front of the door. Tu thinks that if it is not a magical temple of god, it is all the territory of sage, grotto paradises. Then suddenly he saw two fairies in blue said to each other- Our groom has just come!Right after that, they rushed inside to report the news, and after a while they went out and said- Our lady invited you to come followed them, circled around a brocade wall, entered a golden door and saw silver palaces standing in front of them with signs “The Delusional Temple”, “The Integrative Light Castle”. Upstairs he saw a fairy in white sitting on a bed where there was a small sandalwood guitar. She said that- Your curiosity has become experienced. The joy in this outing is also satisfying your aspiration. But do you still remember the predestined relationship?Tu said that- I am a recluse in Tong Son. I only have a wind sail, a bamboo boat, and travel to anywhere I like to live. However, I still do not understand what you meant, but dare to ask for clear fairy smiled and said- Well, it seems to be hard for you to understand. This is Phu Lai Mountain, the sixth of 36 caves floating in the clouds, wind and over the sea, like two La Phu Mountains dissolving in the wind and rain, like Elysium stretching with ripples. And I, the nymph of Nam Nhac Mountain, am Nguy’s Lord. Because I see you as a noble person willing to help people in need, so I dare to bother inviting you here” Tran N. et al., p. 245.Although almost re-using the plot of the legend of Tu Thuc Cave, the folk narratives express the idea of the coexistence of many worlds, emphasize the journey through time, and show the desire to freely seek love. The journey to the upper world in Nguyen Du’s Tu Thu Married a Fairy has political influences intertwined with the issue of ideological and religious conflict through a lyrical, beautiful, and poetic narrative language. The full description of the process of Confucian Tu Thuc when hanging the seal from the mandarin and the discourse about “escaping” to the utopian society on the high mountains to become a Taoist are implied to explain the cause of the transformation and the political doctrine of the contemporary Confucians and highlight the helpless tragedy in the midst of the vast world of Tu Thuc.“He only walked for a moment and came home but saw things changed. In details, the world landscape was no longer the same, only the ravine scene did not change the blue color of the past. Tu Thuc then took his name to ask the old people and found a person who said that- In my childhood, I heard there was an old man in my village told that your name is similar with my great-grandfather’s surname. It has been nearly a hundred years since he entered the mountain, it was from that time of the 5th year 1458 of the Dien Ninh period, the third king’s life of the Le he felt like he wanted to get back on the cloud truck to return to the heavenly world, but the cloud carriage had turned into a bird flying away. Opening the letter of Giang Huong, there was a sentence The phoenix’s marriage promise is in the clouds, the old karma has ended; looking for a fairy mountain in the ocean that occasion no longer exists’. Tu Thuc did not realize a truth that his fairy wife had mentioned the last farewell to him before. Then, he wore a light sheepskin, a short conical hat, and went forever to Hoanh Son mountain” Tran et al., 1997b.Thus, the adaptation of the journey motif to the upper world in the fantasy shows that Confucian writers under the hidden influence of folklore and Taoism found “the Way and the Power of the Way” to create the transcendent connection between humans, the universe and Dao. This transformation had the effect of replenishing the lacking Confucianism metaphysical vision, a rational theory that Confucianism could not carry out. On the other hand, the need to revive the journey archetype in 16th and 17th century fantasy literature also symbolized the desire to find a utopian society, reflecting “rebellious” discourse and the need for liberation from the present deadlock of Confucianism. Therefore, despite recreating folk narratives, the complex political and religious implications interwoven in a nostalgic love story allowed the story of Tu Thu Married a Fairy to have a strong diffuse effect on the intellectual community and the folk at that time. Commenting on the wonderful impact that Tu Thu Married a Fairy had on the widespread circulation of folk narratives, with the legend of Tu Thuc Cave, Chinese researcher Tran Ich Nguyen stated that“It is possible that Tu Thuc and Giang Huong are legendary figures that existed in the Nguyen Du period. After being put in the story of Tu Thu Married a Fairy, it was even more widely spread and eventually deified by the Taoist clergy. Excursive Notes on Weird Stories, in terms of influencing folklore, has such a great influence. It is a surprise” Tran, 2000.The Woodcutter of Nua Mountain Nguoi tieu phu nui Nua is another story in Excursive Notes on Weird Stories and describes the typical journey to the upper world on the high mountains of folk narratives, but the motif references fully expressed the particular cultural and social problems and historical theme of Vietnam in the 16th and 17th centuries. This story was written in Han characters in the form of short prose mixed with poetry, and the story ended with the author’s own commentary. Similar to many other plots in the story collection of Nguyen Du, in the story the Woodcutter of Nua Mountain, the author also borrowed a character that was praised by the world in the traditional story and then reorganized the character structure, adding details and editing words to create a new Nua mountain forest area in Thanh Hoa, the context of the story of the Woodcutter of Nua Mountain, remains an Am Tien relic worshiping Taoist. Folk believe that this place has a yang and that all the aura of heaven and earth will be gathered at this holy point. Some historical bibliographies and important autobiographies such as Du Dia Chi in the 15th century by Nguyen Trai 2019 and Vietnamese Historical Geography Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi in the 19th century NHIND, 2006 mentioned the sacred mountain Na and the legend of the woodcutter hermit. These documents described that the old character of Mount Nua as a real person. His surname is Tran, his real name is Tu, and people contemporarily called him Uncle Tu Nua. Because of the turmoil of the Tran dynasty, he set up a thatched tent to stay hidden. Therefore, based on factors such as Nguyen Du’s hidden background in the sacred mountainous region of Thanh Hoa, the Am Tien relic of Taoist worship on Nua Mountain remains in the tradition of worshiping the mountain gods of folk beliefs, and the top of the mountain is the convergence of heaven and earth, as well as the residence of the gods. Nguyen Du can be said to have absorbed material folklore to write about contemporary semi-fictional Taoists and the motifs of the journey to the upper world of the traditional narrative and conveyed his important political messages.“On a hunting trip, Ho Han Thuong the last king of the Ho Dynasty 1400–1407 strayed into the fantasy world in Nua Mountain and met a strange hermit. Ho Han Thuong accidentally heard from this stranger hermit three poems with many different implications. The first poem is meant to express the thought of living outside the canonical rule of the social community to bind people and the desire to live completely with the wu-wei principle. The second one is entitled Fond of Sleeping Thich ngu and the third one titled Fond of Chess Thich co on the wall implying two dialectical conflicts of Living “static” in Fond of Sleeping and “dynamic” in Fond of Chess. Tran et al., 1997b.Truong Cong, an officer in the entourage, was ordered to accompany the hermit to meet Ho Han Thuong, but Truong Cong followed close to the place and saw that he entered the cave quickly; then, he called that person but received no answer, only “saw that person riding clouds, walking freely in a moment of pineapple branches”. Following the faint footsteps of the Taoist, Truong Cong plunged into magical space and time in the high mountains. All night long, the hermit was talking and listening to the main discussions, predicting the fortune of the strange woodcutter. Although Truong Cong tried to persuade the hermit to bring talent to serve the dynasty, the woodcutter hermit a while, the officer Truong Cong returned to the old mountain temple and hoped that the strange hermit would help the nation again. However, he only saw the scenery of “moss covering the cave entrance, thorns overgrown in the mountains with vines, and bushes filling the path”. He saw only two traces of verses written in tree sap on the cliff “Ky La seaport is where the spirit will be ruined. Cao Vong mountain is where a traveler’s sentiment reaches to upset”. The implication of these two verses is a prediction of the fall of the Ho Dynasty shortly after, which is why Ho Han Thuong angrily ordered the burning of the mountain upon hearing this predictive poem. The mountain was burned down, but a black crane was found flying in the air. Later, exactly as predicted in two verses, the Ho dynasty met disaster. Ho Quy Ly was captured at the Ky La seaport, and Ho Han Thuong was defeated at Cao Vong mountain by the Chinese Minh army. That time was also a mark of the decline of the Ho story of the Woodcutter of Nua Mountain created a typical allegory of medieval literature that clearly shows the tendency to prefer the mysticism and ideology of Confucian intellectuals in Tran Ho times and Vietnamese Taoist colors. This spirit reflects the fact that medieval Vietnamese Confucians and writers were the product of Confucian training, but in times of turmoil, most of them chose the hidden spirit of Taoism. This image of high mountain hermitages clearly reveals the pessimism and the inadequacy of not finding a way out on the writers’ journey to practice the spirit of the transformation from Confucianism to Taoism among reclusive Confucians such as the Woodcutter of Nua Mountain or Tu Thuc showed that in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Confucian orthodoxy captured the human heart. This peacetime doctrine has shown its powerlessness in the face of the breakdown of the political matrix and bloody violence. Confucians then sought out and expanded the system of thought as a necessary adjustment to reconcile with reality. Taoism is a religion that is closely intertwined with the Vietnamese folklore background chosen by the Confucians, which also shows that, in the fantasy story, although positively inheriting the materials from folk narratives, the motifs were clearly and completely used to convey cultural problems and typical the politics of contemporary the journey to the upper world was upright and full of light, the archetypal journey to hell was a symbol of the journey of regression, backsliding and deep into the world of darkness Aldridge et al., 1988; Garry and Hasan, 2005. Images of the hell world developed very early in the beliefs, customs, and folk festivals of Vietnam under the universal influence of the polytheism beliefs, the yin–yang doctrine of the wet rice agricultural civilization and the influence of Buddhism introduced into Vietnam before the Common Era Nguyen, 2018; Ta, 2006.In Vietnamese folk narratives, the most prominent journey to the underworld is described in the story titled Thu Huong with the typical motif of “going to the dead land to visit the dead” Thompson, 1958 and the Vietnamese motif of the yin–yang market. The story is about a man who lost his wife very early. When he was a mandarin, he leveraged extensive injustice for his own benefit. In the later years of his life, when he was alone without children, he decided to find the yin–yang market, which was a bizarre market that took place only once a year and was known as a place where transactions regularly occurred between the dead and the living, and for a few special moments of yin–yang harmony, he accidentally encountered his dead wife there. The wife took Thu Huong to visit the lower world where he met the god governing the nine layers of hell, saw countless small rooms that held prisoners, and witnessed his fierce punishment in the next life. Upon wakening, Thu Huong hurried back to earth and began to give away all his inheritance. Historical documents indicate that he made friends and provided rice and money to the poor who stopped and waited until the river tide reached the junction of Gia Dinh River. Today, a temple named Thu Huong, which was built and worshiped by the people, is still standing at the confluence of this river VASS, 2004; Le, 2015.The Thu Huong story is considered a typical example of transitioning from the earth to hell through the yin–yang market. The ancient Vietnamese with a background of thinking that a static form of agricultural culture produced the negative/yin the feminine principle of the universe and positive/yang the masculine principle of the universe concept. These opposite ideas are considered to be two basic principles of the universe in mutual relation, thereby creating all dialectical phenomena in the universe, including the heaven and the hell world. In the story of Thu Huong, the details showing characteristic features of traditional Vietnamese culture include the gateway motif leading to hell and the motif of the yin–yang market where the living and the dead can meet and talk together. The yin–yang market is a long-standing cultural custom of indigenous people in the North from the Tran dynasty. These spiritual yin–yang markets are held only once a year at night and are also known as “the spiritual sessions”. Thus, the Thu Huong story is one of the typical folktales showing the influence of Buddhism with the philosophy of karma and the cycle of the law of cause and effect on Vietnamese people’s while depictions of the hell world have a strong presence in folk paintings such as Dong Ho, Trong and Sinh Village, in the practice of exorcisms, the July lunar month’s amnesty or in funeral rites Nguyen, 2018, otherworld journeys to the lower world in Vietnamese folk narratives collected in medieval times are quite limited. In contrast, this archetype thrived in medieval fantasy. In this archetype, we can easily realize that the journey to hell in the fantasy genre is much richer than the journey to heaven. Full depictions of hell with death and darkness related to karma have most likely appeared in Buddhist legends very early Nguyen, 2014, but in fact, this metaphysical journey was developed and expressed with all its levels of meaning in the literature first in the medieval narrative. Confucian writers chose the hell archetype to entrust their metaphysical experiences of life, emphasizing the discourse of “helplessness” in resisting stereotypes and the oppression of Confucianism. Therefore, through the development from folk beliefs combined with the development of a new level of metaphysical philosophical thinking, the displacement of space to the hell world has become a symbol of dramatic conflicts about ideology in fantasy the classical structural model of the heroic archetype and the motif of the journey down to the hell world in mythology and folk narratives are fully preserved in the mysterious cycle of death and resurrection Rank, 1914; Garry and Hasan, 2005 of characters in medieval fantasy short stories. However, this genre does not emphasize the strange fertility motifs. The fantasy characters do not even have a supernatural power such as the folk hero, but they have successfully completed the challenges and special tasks set out for the hero with the spirit of “the five constant virtues” of Confucianism. Therefore, when they die, they ascend to heaven and join the world of the gods. The story of the Chancellor at Tan Vien Temple Chuc phan su den Tan Vien is an example“Ngo Tu Van is from Yen Dung district, Lang Giang land. He was impatient, seeing the wickedness could not stand it, and there was a rumor from people in the North that he was a tough fellow. In the previous village there was a very spiritual shrine. At the end of the Ho dynasty, the Chinese army went to rob the area and became a battlefield. The Minister of Moc Thanh had an officer whose surname is Thoi, died in battle near the temple, and since then he has been a demon in folk. Tu Van was very angry, one day showered and washed, prayed to heaven and lit the temple. The people were all afraid for Tu Van, but Tu Van did not care” Tran et al., 1997b.Shortly after this “extravagant” act of Tu Van, a sudden illness struck. He was asked by the ghost of a Chinese officer who claimed to be a god of the temple to demand that the temple be returned. At night, his sickness became worse, and he saw two demons rushing to take and drag him out of the city to the east. Approximately one-half day was required to reach a large palace surrounded by a high iron wall with dozens of staff. Two demons reported to the ambassador of hell, and then, the ambassador came in for a time and commanded “The crime is very heavy, so the crime sentence is not reduced. Saying so, waving his hand to go north, that is the great river. On the north river there is a bridge estimated to be more than a thousand steps long, the wind is greyish and a bit cold. On the two sides of the bridge, there are tens of thousands of demons, both blue eyes and red hair, the shape looks very evil” Tran et al., 1997b.At night at the court of justice in hell, Tu Van clarified the truth about a defeated Chinese General turned into a helpless ghost in Vietnam who argued to occupy the temple and disguised the blessing body to disturb the villagers. Subsequently, he was granted permission and returned home safely by the king of hell. The story ends with the following detail “Tu Van returned to arrange housework, a few days later he was not sick but died. Behind this seemingly enigmatic death, it can be seen that there was a journey of Confucius following the call of the god, who invited him to carry out some lofty missions in the other realm and was ordained as the Chancellor at Tan Vien Temple. A worthy reward for the merits he has accumulated on earth”Tran et al., 1997b.Therefore, the seemingly sudden death, journey to the hell world, rebirth, and transformation into the god of Ngo Tu Van is a plot model to confer enjoyment from the life cycle of the hero in folklore. However, the color of the rite of sacrifices and the rite of passage in folk narratives have disappeared and completely replaced with the content of the new society based on the inspiration of “quan tu” honoring gentlemen and upholding the moral values according to the spirit of Confucianism. Importantly, all these new political, religious, socio-cultural contents readers do not seem to assume a story is strange from the title as the story has been associated with the temple of St. Tan Vien, which is the oldest temple in Vietnam built during Chinese domination Ly, 1961; NHIND, 2006. The temple is intended for worship of one of the four dark deities of the Vietnamese people, and the legend of Tan Vien is recorded in Spiritual Powers in the Viet Realm. In addition, in the commentary of the end of the story, Nguyen Du emphasized “Up to now, children and grandchildren still exist, they are said to be the Chancellors family” Tran et al., 1997b. These common room-style endings clearly show the author’s habit of recording old stories, tacitly emphasizing that the legend of the Tan Vien Temple is based on a local Nguyen Du purposely chose mainly historical contexts for his stories at the end of the Tran Mat, Le and Ho dynasties, which were full of chaos and turmoil. In that context, the ubiquitous demons and human emotional tragedies are intimately linked with the constant warfare and corrupt contemporary politics. Borrowing from the past to refer to the present such as in this manner is a familiar feature in the literature with political implications. Through charming stories, demons and journeys to other utopian worlds, Nguyen Du discreetly expressed his deep dissatisfaction with the late Ho dynasty, and Nguy Mac also wanted to be strictly a threat to the Minh enemy from China, which is the reason why the legend of Van Di Thanh, who helped in King Tran Trung Quang’s fight against Minh invaders in the early years of the 15th century, was borrowed by Nguyen Du to write the story of the Devil General Tuong Da XoaThe story is related to Voi Phuc temple built in 1420 in the Coi Son area. This temple worships Van Di Thanh 1380–1416 who recruited soldiers to organize insurgents against Minh invaders. Interestingly, the character Van Di Thanh hardly appeared in historical documents except at the Voi Phuc temple, and 40 King’s texts of ordinations from the Le Dynasty in 1620 to the Nguyen Dynasty in 1924 bestowed Van Di Thanh with noble titles such as “Vietnamese Supreme God” and “Vietnanese Hero”. Due to the complexity of this history, Van Di Thanh along with the Voi Phuc temple have become the favorite characters of many legends. In addition, when entering the artistic world of Nguyen Du, Van Di Thanh in the story Devil General became the typical hero who took on the task of taming and controlling the world of story describes that he was originally a scholar in Quoc Oai. At the end of Trung Quang’s times, demons were present everywhere, people often died, and helpless souls gathered in large groups, raging in the countryside without fear of anything, but when they saw Van Di Thanh, they all ran away. After a journey to hell at the invitation of messenger Minh Ty and the recommendation of demons to find people “to authorize the management of the lives of the public and human beings”, Van Di Thanh returned to earth and said “If a man is born in life, they should know how to save his name forever, there is no reason to bow in the mundane world and to have fear of death” Tran et al., 1997b. He arranged for the housework to be completed and died without becoming sick. The reality behind his seemingly sudden death is deification, canonization and the journey to another world to carry out the mission of controlling life according to the call of the the structures of stories such as Devil General or Chancellor at Tan Vien Temple, the characters Ngo Tu Van and Van Di Thanh all left the real world and experienced strange adventures, including journeys to the hell world. The characters overcame challenges in the lower world, perceived great truths and completed the life cycle of the hero’s death and rebirth. The story has also inherited some of the conflicts and basic patterns of folk narratives, such as difficult quests and/or the battle between good and evil, but clearly, new historical social messages predominate Bottigheimer, 2009. By letting the characters adventure to the hell world, experience strange events, and practice the principle of “virtue”—a principle no longer applicable in the real world—writers built other world journeys to describe the conflicts of thought in the human mind, between good and evil, and between order and disorder in the most ideal form. At the same time, with frequent recurrences and adaptations in the literature in the 16th and 17th centuries, the journey to hell motif is the clearest representation of the tragedies of thought and the failure of the Confucians to deal with journey from folk narratives to medieval literature historical, political, cultural dynamics and creative artAlthough it was formed relatively late, the medieval literature of Vietnam still bears the same characteristics as the writing of other countries in the world started by recording folk literature. This process corresponds to the early period of medieval literature, which is the period from the 10th century to the 14th century. Authentic literature only truly appeared in the 15th century and made great advancements in the 16th and 17th centuries, the most prominent of which was the fantasy short story Tran, 2014. The writers of the elite, those who were strictly trained by Confucian ideology under the influence of long culture, belief, and folklore traditions of the nation and influenced by the common religions of the Sinicized region, created this genre. However, the feature that distinguishes medieval Vietnamese short stories from Chinese stories, giving them a unique face and nuance, is the inheritance of the motifs and plots from Vietnamese folk narratives Nguyen, 2000.This process of transforming and re-creating this traditional narrative of a fantasy story can be explained from many different perspectives. The first important factor comes from the biography and parallel position of Confucian writers, of which Nguyen Du is a typical example. On the one hand, Confucians were political intellectuals, and their unique life and social class were intimately attached to the feudal state. On the other hand, most Vietnamese Confucians were from a peasant lineage. They grew up in traditional villages where community education was built on the foundations of the metaphysical folk belief and narratives of the wet rice farmers. Consequently, despite the success, mandate and advancement of Confucian examination, Confucian writers never seemed to give up their village roots Tran, 2012. The ideology of the essence of Vietnamese folklore has been summarized through thousands of years flowing through the blood of writers. Thus, the Confucians’ resistance to the crisis of society in the period of fierce and volatile history in the 16th and 17th centuries was of the other important causes comes from the cultural, social and political characteristics of medieval Vietnam. At this stage, culture does not seem to be a field capable of becoming independent and distinct from politics. The Confucian, both a symbol of the political system and an intellectual, had the mission to “cultivate” people, and at the same time had the responsibility to expose political consciousness through the implied messages intertwined in the literature. Therefore, we are not at all surprised that political implications are always the first goal of the writers in the process of re-creating traditional folk cultural materials as literary works. The Confucians took advantage of all conditions of speech by composing literature to send messages to the emperor. The nineteen comments at the end of the story by author Nguyen Du in Excursive Notes on Weird Stories with the motto “raise the saint’s bow, pluck the king’s sword” and “encourage good to punish evil” are the most vivid proofs for this importantly, when discussing the borrowing of traditional narrative materials from traditional tales the cause of the conflict and ideological competition of the prevailing religions in Vietnam at that time should be mentioned. The essence of Confucianism is a moral religion that only shows its usefulness in unifying the nation and all classes of society with a peacetime unification. However, the 16th and 17th centuries were the most violent period in Vietnamese history. The authoritarian feudal social model proved powerless in self-control, crisis in the face of civil war, enemy invasion from China and turmoil in the face of peasant rebellion. Confucianism now must determine and expand its own system of thought by itself. Taoism, an ideology with a close connection to Vietnamese folklore from before the common era was chosen by the Confucians to make a compromise with implicit transition from Confucianism to Taoism of the writers has received strong support from the Vietnamese folklore background. In the context of losing its most important position, oppressed social status, and forced removal from dominant discourse, most Confucians chose to live in seclusion. They wrote the superficial tales that appeared to be out of this life, leaving the world Nguyen, 2017. Their truths inside are discreetly expressed as belief, revealing the thought of noncooperation and the resistance against social reality. They practised collecting, writing, and telling mysteries in the peripheral world as a method to challenge the Confucian cultural and political powers at the center. Thus, the utopia of social aspirations in the writings of the Confucian writers offers a mixture of Confucian political visions at the surface of the text and the desire to understand the transcendent nature of the relationship between human and nature of Taoism and the folk metaphysical elements from the wet rice agricultural civilization the tradition of the creation of Eastern art and esthetics has a strong impact on the phenomenon of “borrowing” folk narratives. The author is consciously educated and traditionally raised with ancient elements, faithful to the tradition and with admiration for the prestige of the previous Sages. “Classic reference” to the medieval writer always has a positive meaning, and what belongs to the “classical” era is an unattainable ideal standard. The main purpose of writers’ creations is to capture the crystallized values of the old era and to simulate the perfect creative patterns that have shaped over time and thereby create a very ancient spirit. “I transmit but do not create. Being fond of the truth, I am admired of antiquity” is the motto of not only behavior but also an artist’s composition. Since then, this approach to art has led to the importance of simulation over creativity and a preference for classical stories, preferring to borrow traditional plots rather than creating completely new archetypal journeys, the fantasy short stories of medieval Vietnam contributed to the successful construction of the metaphysical world at deeper levels in the literature and represented a breakthrough in the process of artistic transformation from the acquisition of religious ideas and the exploitation of the materials of folk narratives. The process of reconfiguring archetypes in Vietnamese medieval literature revealed complex issues related to the historical, social, and cultural context in the 16th and 17th centuries. Vietnamese medieval literature reflects the power and influence of the competition between Taoism and Confucianism and the conflict between the official Confucian discourse of dynasty and the unofficial, resistant discourse that strongly manifest in the Vietnamese culture with the unification of spiritual power between Folklore and Valk 2005 argues in Discursive Shifts in Legends from Demonization to Fictionalization “the complex relationship between often-fragmentary oral traditions and authorship as a synthesizing force in constructing neat and coherent narratives”. Through the fantasy story genre, medieval Vietnamese writers demonstrated the ability to adapt folk materials and allow them to reach the highest artistic level by using an endless amount of natural and cultural energy in the motifs of folklore. At the same time, they absorbed, transformed and reproduced archetypes from folk narratives into artistic texts. Traditional folk narratives in this circumstance provided archetypes such as the story’s nuclear narrative units and literature based on this archetype to present a new cultural, social and historical message. Hence, by exploring the rebirth of the archetypes, Vietnamese writers adapted to traditional folk narratives and harmoniously adapted the faiths and aspirations of their cultural background through special narrative techniques. Viet Nam is a multi-religion and multi-belief country. The Vietnamese people have a time-honored tradition of practicing their beliefs. Different ethnic groups in Viet Nam have different beliefs linked to their own economic and spiritual life. Traditional belief With the perception that every object has a soul, since the ancient time, the Vietnamese people have worshiped a large number of gods, especially those related to agriculture such as sun, moon, land, mountain, river and forest, etc. Each ethnic minority in Viet Nam has its own way of practicing its traditional beliefs, most noticeably those maintained by some ethnic groups such as Tay-Thai, Hmong-Dao, Hoa-San Diu-Ngai, Cham-Ede-Gia Rai, Mon-Khmer. In addition, the most popular and time-honored custom of the Vietnamese people, including some ethnic minorities, is ancestor worship and commemoration of death anniversaries. Every Vietnamese family has an altar to worship their ancestors and attaches importance to the commemoration of death anniversaries of the predecessors. Beside ancestor worship in each family and each clan, many villages have a communal house or a temple to worship the Village Deity. The custom of worshiping the Village Deity is a unique feature of Vietnamese villages. The Village Deity worshiped in the village’s temple and communal house can be a god or an outstanding figure that rendered great service such as the forefather of a traditional handicraft or a national hero who greatly contributed to the cause of national building and fighting foreign invaders. The Vietnamese people also worship other gods like the Kitchen God and God of the Soil. Religion Viet Nam has six major religions, namely Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Muslim, Caodaism and Hoa Hao Buddhism. Buddhism Buddhism was first introduced in Viet Nam in the early years From the 10th to the 15th century, Buddhism developed rapidly in Viet Nam after Viet Nam had gained independence. Buddhism reached its extreme popularity under the Ly-Tran Dynasty from the early 11th century to the late 14th century. King Tran Nhan Tong was the founder of the unique Truc Lam Yen Tu School of Zen, characterized by creativity, harmony and integration. Theravada Buddhism was first introduced in southern Viet Nam in the 4th century. Most Theravada Buddhist followers are Khmer people living in the Mekong Delta, thus called Khmer Theravada Buddhism. At present, there are 10 million Buddhist followers, 17,000 pagodas, 40,000 Buddhist monks, and 36 schools for Buddhism training in Viet Nam. Catholicism Historians believe that Catholicism was first introduced in Viet Nam in 1533. From 1533 to 1614, priests of Portuguese Order of and Spanish Order of Preachers accompanied merchant ships to Viet Nam. From 1615 to 1665, priests of Portuguese Society of Jesus entered Viet Nam from Macau China, both in Dang Trong south of Gianh River and Dang Ngoai north of Gianh River. At present, Viet Nam Catholic Church has 26 dioceses, 6 million followers, 6,270 churches, 19,000 dignitaries, 6 grand seminaries, and 2 training schools. Protestantism Protestantism was first introduced in Viet Nam in the late 19th and early 20th century by the Christian and Missionary Alliance – CMA, later than other religions. 1911 is recognized as the beginning year when Protestantism was introduced into Viet Nam. At present, there are over one million Protestants, 500 dignitaries, 300 Protestant churches, and 01 biblical theology institute in Viet Nam. Muslim In Viet Nam, Muslim followers are mostly Cham people. According to historical records, the Cham were first introduced to Muslim in the 10th and 11th century. There are two schools of Muslim in Viet Nam the older one Cham Ba Ni with followers in Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan Provinces; and the newer one Cham Islam with followers in Chau Doc An Giang Province, Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh and Dong Nai Province. At present, there are 79 mosques, 72,000 Muslim followers and 700 dignitaries in Viet Nam. Caodaism Caodaism is an indigenous religion, officially established in Go Ken Pagoda, Tay Ninh Province in mid November 1926. At present, there are million Cao Dai followers, 31,700 dignitaries and over 100 churches in Viet Nam. Hoa Hao Buddhism Hoa Hao Buddhism is another indigenous religion created by Huynh Phu So on July 4th May 1939 in Hoa Hao Village, An Giang Province. At present, there are million Hoa Hao Buddhist followers, over 1,700 monks and 1,200 pagodas in Viet Nam. Freedom of Belief and Religion The right to freedom of belief and religion of all Vietnamese citizens is provided by the Constitution and ensured in practice. Article 70 of the Vietnamese 1992 Constitution stipulates “Citizens have the right to freedom of belief and religion, and may practice or not practice any religion. All religions are equal before the law. Public places of religious worship are protected by law. No one has the right to infringe on the freedom of belief and religion or to take advantage of the latter to violate State laws and policies.” The right to freedom of belief and religion is reflected in various legal documents. The Ordinance on Belief and Religion coming into force on 15 November 2004 has institutionalized state guidelines and policies on belief and religion and ensured the exercise of the right to freedom of belief and religion. All citizens, regardless of their belief and religion, are equal before the law, entitled to follow or not to follow a religion, entitled to express their beliefs, exercise worship rituals, pray and participate in religious activities and in the study of religious theories and ethics. All religious organizations are equal before the law. The State guarantees the right to freedom of belief and religion, protection of the facilities and assets of religious establishments such as pagodas, churches, mosques, oratories, sanctuaries, temples and headquarters of religious organizations, religious schools, bibles and worshiping objects. On 1 March 2005, the Government issued Decree 22/2005/ND-CP guiding the implementation of the Ordinance on Belief and Religion. Religious Practice At present, there are about 20 million followers of 12 religions and 30 religious organizations recognized by the State, 83,368 dignitaries and monks, 25,331 religious establishments and many traditional worshiping places in Viet Nam. Religious followers are free to practice religious ceremonies, express and exercise their religious beliefs. Religious dignitaries and monks are free to exercise religious activities in accordance with religious rules. The ordainment, appointment and reshuffle of dignitaries are carried out in accordance with church rules. Over the last years, religious organizations recognized by the State have developed in the number of establishments, followers, dignitaries, monks, worshiping places, prayer book publications and activities provided by its charter, statute, rules and laws. Dignitaries and monks enjoy the right to study and train at home or abroad, and participate in religious activities abroad. Many foreign religious organizations have come to Viet Nam for exchanges with local religious organizations. Viet Nam successfully hosted the United Nations Day for Vesak 2008 from 13 May to 17 May 2008 in Ha Noi. Vesak Day was participated by almost 4,000 official delegates, including around 2,000 foreign delegates from 74 countries and territories and over 200 overseas Vietnamese delegates. Viet Nam will host the 6th World Buddhist Summit in 2010 in Ha Noi. Religious Publications The printing of prayer books and other religious publications are conducted regularly to meet the demand of religious activities in Viet Nam. In 2008, Religion Publishing House published 1,768,000 copies of 613 books and 297,200 copies of other 251 religious publications. Religious organizations also have their own publications like Buddhism Research Magazine, Giac Ngo Newspaper Buddhism; Hiep Thong Review, Vietnamese Catholic Newspaper, Catholicism and the Nation Newspaper Catholicism; Huong Sen Review Hoa Hao Buddhism; Pastoral Bulletin and Spiritual Communication Bulletin Protestantism.

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