Legends of Vietnam

Nghia M. Vo, a Vietnamese-American, has written multiple books on Vietnamese culture. He helped found the nonprofit Saigon Arts, Culture & Education Institute and works to document Vietnamese-American culture through conferences, publications and a website.

“Vo presents and analyzes legends of the Vietnamese cosmos, northern legends, and southern legends. The time scale of the legends stretches from the prehistoric to after the war with the U.S.”—Reference & Research Book News; “In Legends of Vietnam, Nghia M. Vo offers more than just the retelling of Vietnamese tales and oral history. He provides a detailed account of the origins and evolution of Vietnam’s traditions and culture through the stories of its past. The value of the book is more than the legends themselves though his selections, which covers everything from Ghosts, Heroes, Martyrs, and Gods, are well thought out and insightful. Legends of Vietnam offers understanding into Vietnamese culture and history and helps to explain the differences between North, Central, and South. It not only provides an excellent sampling of the most significant of the Vietnamese tales but also makes clear why the Republic of Vietnam struggled for its independence against the Communist–led Democratic Republic of Vietnam”—Ronald B. Frankum, Millersville University of Pennsylvania.

• Table of ContentsPreface      Part One: The Vietnamese Cosmos      I. Introduction      II. Spirits and Religions      III. A Tale of Division      IV. Legends and Folk Stories      V. The Making of Vietnamese Legends      VI. Asian Legends      Part Two: Northern Legends      VII. Introduction      VIII. Việt Điền U Linh Tập      IX. Lĩnh Nam Chích Quái      X. Other Northern Legends      Part Three: Southern Legends      XI. Introduction      XII. Southern Legends      A. Historical Legends      B. Animal Legends      C. Traditional Legends      D. Social Legends      E. Ethnic Legends      XIII. War and Postwar Legends      XIV. A Tale of Deception and Failure      Chapter Notes      Bibliography      Index