Vietnamese Folklore: A Precious Heritage

Overview of Vietnamese Folklore

Vietnamese folklore is an incredibly rich and diverse treasure trove, reflecting the history, soul, and intellect of the Vietnamese people over many generations. It encompasses many forms of oral art such as legends, fairy tales, folk songs, proverbs, riddles, folk music, folk dance, folk games, and many other unique customs and traditions. Each region has its own unique characteristics, creating a colorful picture of Vietnamese folklore.

Legends and Fairy Tales: Origins and Meanings

Legends:

Legends often tell about historical figures and real events, embellished with magical elements, to explain the origin of objects, natural phenomena, or to honor heroes and deities. Examples include the legend of Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh, the legend of Con Rong Chau Tien… We learn many valuable lessons about courage, intelligence, patriotism… from these stories.

Fairy Tales:

Fairy tales focus on fictional stories, often with magical and fairy elements, aimed at educating and teaching people about morality and the meaning of life. Familiar characters like Tam Cam and Thach Sanh are clear examples of this. Through fairy tales, children develop their thinking, feelings, and understanding of the world around them.

Folk Songs and Proverbs: The Wisdom of the People

Folk songs are short poems, often lyrical, reflecting the emotional life, thoughts, and aspirations of people. Folk songs demonstrate subtlety and depth in expression, creating lessons about love, family, and homeland.

Proverbs are short, concise sayings summarizing the life experiences of the people about natural, social, and human aspects. Proverbs demonstrate the intelligence, observation skills, and summarizing abilities of working people.

Preservation and Promotion of Folklore

In today’s era, the preservation and promotion of folklore is extremely important. We need specific measures to preserve, teach, and promote the values of folklore to future generations. This is the responsibility of every Vietnamese citizen.

Preserving folklore is not only about preserving traditional stories and songs but also about preserving and promoting the good values of the nation, creating a distinct cultural identity of Vietnam internationally.