In the misty dawn of Vietnam’s ancient history, when gods still walked among mortals and the line between legend and reality blurred like morning fog over rice paddies, there lived a being of extraordinary power whose very blood carried the essence of dragons. His name was Lac Long Quan, the Dragon Lord, and he was destined to become the second Hùng king of the Hồng Bàng Dynasty that would shape the soul of Vietnam for generations to come.
Lac Long Quan was no ordinary man, for the blood of dragons coursed hot and powerful through his veins, granting him strength that surpassed mortal limits and wisdom that flowed from the ancient depths of the sea. His domain stretched across the coastal lands where waves crashed against rocky shores and fishing villages dotted the coastline. But his kingdom was not without danger. The waters teemed not only with fish but also with terrible sea monsters serpentine creatures with scales like armor, teeth like spears, and appetites that knew no bounds. These beasts would rise from the depths to terrorize coastal communities, destroying fishing boats, devouring livestock, and spreading terror among the people.
But Lac Long Quan was their protector and champion. With the dragon power flowing through him, he would venture into the churning seas to battle these monsters. His strength was legendary he could grasp a sea serpent by its throat and wrestle it into submission, his dragon blood protecting him from venomous bites and crushing coils. One by one, he slayed the monsters that plagued his waters, making the seas safe for his people to fish and travel. The coastal villages sang songs of his bravery, and his name became synonymous with protection and courage.
Yet for all his power and accomplishments, Lac Long Quan felt incomplete. His heart yearned for something beyond battle and duty, for a companion who could match the depth of his spirit and the uniqueness of his nature.
High in the misty mountains that pierced the clouds and touched the realm of heaven, there lived an immortal mountain fairy whose beauty was so extraordinary that tales of her radiance spread across the entire land like ripples across still water. Her name was Au Co, and she was a being of ethereal grace and celestial origin. Her skin glowed with the soft luminescence of moonlight, her movements carried the gentle flow of mountain streams, and her voice rang with the clarity of wind chimes in a breeze. She was daughter to the mountain spirits, born of mist and magic, and she possessed the timeless beauty that only immortals could claim.
Au Co spent her days among the high peaks where eagles soared, and rare flowers bloomed in hidden valleys. She tended to the mountain creatures, sang with the wind, and danced with the clouds that wrapped around the summits like silk scarves. But she too felt a loneliness that even immortality could not fill a longing for connection that transcended her solitary mountain existence.
Fate, as it often does in tales of great significance, brought these two extraordinary beings together. When Lac Long Quan journeyed inland, following a river to its mountain source, he encountered Au Co in a valley where waterfalls cascaded like liquid silver and wildflowers carpeted the ground in brilliant colors. Their eyes met, and in that instant, something profound passed between them a recognition that went deeper than sight or sound, a understanding that they were meant for each other despite coming from such different realms.
The Dragon Lord of the sea and the immortal fairy of the mountains fell deeply in love. Their courtship was a thing of wonder, bridging the gap between water and sky, between the depths and the heights. When they married, it was celebrated by both the coastal people and the mountain spirits, a union that seemed to promise harmony between all the elements of the land.
After their marriage came an event that would change the course of Vietnamese history forever. Au Co, carrying the magical essence of both dragon and fairy within her, produced not a single child but something far more extraordinary a large, luminous sac of eggs. The sac grew larger each day, pulsing with life and magical energy, expanding until it seemed to glow with inner light.
On the seventh day, as both Lac Long Quan and Au Co watched in awe and anticipation, the sac burst open. From within emerged not one or two children, but one hundred, one hundred perfect babies, each crying their first breath in unison, each bearing unique features, yet all connected by the shared blood of dragon and fairy flowing through their veins. It was a miracle beyond comprehension, a gift from the union of two worlds.
Each of the one hundred children would eventually bear one of the one hundred Vietnamese family surnames, becoming the ancestral founders of all Vietnamese families to come. They were the children of both sea and mountain, of dragon strength and fairy grace, of water’s power and earth’s stability.
As the children grew from infants to youngsters, their parents began to feel the pull of their true natures. Lac Long Quan, despite his love for Au Co and his children, felt the constant call of the sea in his dragon blood. The crash of waves spoke to him in ways the mountain silence could not. He missed the salt spray on his face, the rhythm of tides, the deep mysterious currents that spoke of home.
Au Co, for all her love of her husband and children, found herself gazing longingly at the high peaks where she had been born. She craved the thin mountain air, the touch of clouds, the presence of her ancestral spirits. The coastal lands, though beautiful, felt foreign to her immortal fairy nature. She belonged to the heights, to the mists, to the ancient stones of the mountains.
With heavy hearts but clear understanding, the couple made a decision that was both painful and necessary. They would part, but their parting would not be born of anger or failed love it would be an acknowledgment of their true natures and a practical solution to ensure their children thrived in the environments best suited to them.
“I must return to the sea,” Lac Long Quan said, his voice carrying both sadness and certainty. “It is in my nature, in my blood. But our children need guidance in both realms.”
Au Co nodded, understanding flooding her immortal eyes. “And I must return to my mountains. But our children are of both our worlds. Let us divide them so they may flourish in the lands that suit them best.”
And so it was decided. Lac Long Quan took fifty of their children and moved seaward, back to the coastal regions where waves met shore and the sea provided endless bounty. There, he taught his children the ways of the water. He showed them how to fish how to read the currents, when to cast nets, which fish were safe to eat and which were dangerous. He taught them to build boats that could withstand storms, to navigate by stars, and to respect the sea’s power.
Most importantly, he taught them the art of wearing tattoos intricate designs inked into their skin that depicted dragons, waves, and protective symbols. These tattoos served a vital purpose: they would scare away the sea monsters that still lurked in the depths, for the creatures would see the dragon marks and recognize the blood of Lac Long Quan flowing through these people, staying away from those under the Dragon Lord’s protection. These coastal children became skilled fishermen, sailors, and guardians of Vietnam’s waters.
Au Co took the remaining fifty children and journeyed back to the highlands, to the misty mountains she had always called home. In the cool mountain air, surrounded by towering peaks and verdant forests, she taught her children different but equally important skills. She showed them how to raise animals how to tend to buffalo and chickens, how to care for livestock through seasons of plenty and scarcity. She taught them to grow fruit trees and cultivate rice on terraced hillsides that climbed the mountains like giant steps.
She instructed them in building homes on stilts structures elevated above the ground to protect against flooding during monsoon rains, to keep away from wild animals, and to maintain coolness during hot seasons. These highland children became skilled farmers, animal herders, and keepers of mountain wisdom.
Though Lac Long Quan and Au Co lived apart from that day forward he by the sea with the sound of waves as his constant companion, she in the mountains with clouds as her blanket their separation was not an ending but a beginning. Together, though distant, they ensured that peace and freedom reigned over their entire family. The Dragon Lord protected the coastal children from sea threats while the mountain fairy blessed the highland children with bountiful harvests and safe homes.
The fifty children by the sea and the fifty children in the mountains remained connected by the bonds of blood and shared origin. They would trade with each other fish and salt from the coast exchanged for mountain fruits, medicinal herbs, and highland products. They would visit each other during festivals, maintaining family ties across the geographical divide. They were one people, born from one miraculous birth, connected by dragon and fairy blood, yet adapted to thrive in different environments.
These one hundred children and their descendants became the Vietnamese people a nation born from the union of sea and mountain, of dragon and fairy, of strength and grace. To this day, the Vietnamese people claim descent from this legendary origin, calling themselves “children of the dragon and fairy” (con rồng cháu tiên). The story explains not only the origin of the Vietnamese people but also why Vietnam’s culture encompasses both coastal fishing communities and highland agricultural societies, why the nation stretches from sea to mountain, and why despite geographical and cultural differences, all Vietnamese share a fundamental unity of origin and purpose.
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The Moral Lesson
The legend of Lac Long Quan and Au Co teaches profound truths about unity in diversity and the strength found in honoring different natures. Though the Dragon Lord and mountain fairy had to live apart to remain true to their essential natures, their love and shared purpose created something greater than either could achieve alone. The story reminds us that family bonds transcend physical distance, that different environments and ways of life can coexist harmoniously, and that true unity doesn’t require uniformity. The Vietnamese people, whether from coast or highland, fishers or farmers, are all children of the same magical union a lesson in national identity that celebrates both diversity and shared heritage. The tale teaches that sometimes the most loving choice is to allow each person to thrive in their natural element while maintaining connections that matter most.
Knowledge Check
Q1: Who was Lac Long Quan in Vietnamese mythology?
A: Lac Long Quan was the Dragon Lord of ancient Vietnam with dragon blood flowing through his veins, making him a being of extraordinary power. He was the second Hùng king of the Hồng Bàng Dynasty and served as protector of the coastal lands. He was famous for slaying sea monsters that threatened his people, making the waters safe for fishing and travel, and later became the legendary father of the Vietnamese people.
Q2: Who was Au Co and what made her special?
A: Au Co was an immortal mountain fairy of legendary beauty whose fame spread throughout the land. She was born of celestial origin, daughter to the mountain spirits, and possessed the ethereal grace and timeless beauty characteristic of immortal beings. She lived in the high mountain peaks before meeting and marrying Lac Long Quan, and together they became the ancestral parents of the Vietnamese nation.
Q3: What miracle occurred after Lac Long Quan and Au Co married?
A: After their marriage, Au Co produced a large sac of eggs that grew larger each day. On the seventh day, the sac burst open and one hundred children were born simultaneously a miraculous birth that represented the union of dragon and fairy, sea and mountain. Each of these one hundred children would eventually bear one of the one hundred Vietnamese family surnames, becoming the ancestral founders of Vietnamese families.
Q4: Why did Lac Long Quan and Au Co decide to live apart?
A: Despite their love for each other, both felt the pull of their true natures Lac Long Quan’s dragon blood called him back to the sea, while Au Co’s fairy essence yearned for her ancestral mountain home. Rather than force each other to live in unsuitable environments, they made the practical and loving decision to separate, each taking fifty children to the realm where they could best teach them to thrive and survive.
Q5: What did Lac Long Quan teach his fifty coastal children?
A: Lac Long Quan took fifty children to the coastal regions and taught them essential sea-faring skills: how to fish, read currents, build boats, and navigate by stars. Most importantly, he taught them to wear tattoos depicting dragons and protective symbols. These tattoos served to scare away sea monsters, as the creatures would recognize the dragon marks and understand these people carried Lac Long Quan’s protective blood, keeping them safe from ocean threats.
Q6: What is the cultural significance of this legend to Vietnamese identity?
A: This legend forms the foundation of Vietnamese national identity and explains the origin of the Vietnamese people. It’s why Vietnamese call themselves “children of the dragon and fairy” (con rồng cháu tiên), acknowledging their dual heritage. The story explains Vietnam’s geographical and cultural diversity encompassing both coastal fishing communities and highland agricultural societies while emphasizing fundamental unity. All Vietnamese, regardless of whether they live by sea or mountain, are descended from the same miraculous union, making them one people despite different lifestyles and environments.
Source: Adapted from ancient Vietnamese folklore
Cultural Origin: Vietnamese people, ancient Vietnam (traditional dating to approximately 2879 BCE)
