To celebrate International Book Day and Vietnam’s fine literary history, leading digital travel platform Agoda has compiled a list of fairytale getaways for travelers looking to bring some of the country’s most loved folk-tales to life.
Whether it is star-cross’d lovers, foreign invaders or exiled princes, Vietnam’s literary history is rich, varied, and shapes the nation’s unique culture to this day, and many of the storied sites are great destinations in their own right for Vietnamese travelers.
Hanoi – The Folklore Capital:
Not just the nation’s capital, but Hanoi is also the capital of the nation’s literature and folklore traditions. We need look only at the mythical Hoan Kiem Lake to start the story, with the famed turtle’s cross-lake swim to return Le Loi’s magical Heaven’s Will Sword to its rightful owner. To this day, the lake – renamed as the ‘Returned Sword Lake’ – located in the heart of Hanoi’s Old Quarter remains one of the capital’s top attractions to visitors from near and far – and with around 600 properties on Agoda located near Hoan Kiem Lake, including the historic Sofitel Legend Metropole, we’re sure there is somewhere for everyone!
Just a cab-ride away, literature aficionados can find Vietnam’s Romeo-and-Juliet-esque tale of Co Loa Thanh, where our star-cross’d lovers are My Chau and Trong Thuy, the children of rivaling King An Duong Vuong of Au Lac and Chinese General Trieu Da. The tale took place in what is now the Co Loa Citadel in the city’s Dong Anh District – with visitors two-millennia later still heading to the ancient Citadel to pay homage to the great King An Duong while the death of his daughter My Chau can be commemorated at the nearby Trong Thuy My Chau Well, where legend has it the grief-stricken Thuy threw himself to his death.
Warding off foreign invaders is something of a through-line in Vietnamese folklore, with mythical battles and heroes often taking center stage. Hanoi’s Phu Dong Village plays a key role in the history of the nation, with the mountain retreat being used as the launchpad for child-warrior Thanh Giong’s legendary victories atop his iron horse. Honored annually with a festival in the village in the fourth lunar month of the year, which falls this year on 20 May, the festival includes a battle reenactment with a cast of hundreds ensuring the story lives on in lore today.
The Fabled Mountains of the North
Just 90 minutes from Hanoi lay the storied Ba Vi Mountain. With its dramatic peaks and valleys, the area has long been a drawcard for travelers seeking a getaway from the capital’s bustle. That same mountain was home to Vietnam’s fabled Son Tinh Thuy Tinh tale which saw the battle between Mountain God Son Tinh and Water God Thuy Tinh for the heart of Princess My Nuong. Perhaps visitors could re-read the tale and ponder the centuries old conflicts of love as you stroll Ba Vi today, exploring the gardens and vistas of the Melia Ba Vi.
Ba Be, Vietnam’s largest lake, features a mythical tale of karma that talks of a poor and old lady, disliked and distrusted by villagers because of her unattractive looks and poor hygiene. Luckily, a good-hearted mother and her son stepped in to lend her a helping hand. In return for their kindness, the visitor warned the family of a coming flood which was set to destroy their idyllic valley. She then gave the mother a bag of ash to protect her house from the flood. When the disaster happened, they survived and saved other villagers from drowning. For visitors traveling to the lake region and staring out from its banks at its majestic waterfalls, it’s worth sparing a thought about the way that when kindness goes around, it often comes around. Affordable accommodation dots the lake and Agoda offers terrific deals, perhaps try Mr Linh’s for a family-touch and amazing views.
The Heart of the Nation:
The center of Vietnam – its core and its cœur – shares in the rich folkloric history of the country. Indeed, when the banished Prince Mai An Tiem was sent to an island off the coast of the modern-day Nga Son District in Thanh Hoa Province. Discovering birds eating a mysterious and delicious fruit, he took to growing the fruit he named ‘watermelon’ and floating them in the sea, hoping his family and friends on the mainland would discover and try them. Impressed by his son’s resourcefulness, King Hung brought the prince home, where he shared the fruit with everyone. With a temple named in his honor in the district, each year a Watermelon Festival is thrown annually in the third lunar month (this year falling between the 23rd and 26th of April) where Tiem’s perseverance, patience and love for his homeland are honored. Sam Son Beach is located just over an hour away from the pagoda, and offers hotel accommodation at places such as the Muong Thanh Grand Thanh Hoa.
Just a few hours drive south via the famed Hai Van Pass we descend upon the central capital, Danang. Now known for everything from cable-cars to seaside resorts, the area’s Marble Mountains remain a drawcard for modern day visitors. Set across the highway from the main resort strip, ‘Ngu Hanh Son’ boasts a rich Cham genesis tale that sees a golden turtle asking an old man to protect a dragon egg from predators. The egg grew rapidly and hatched a beautiful girl before dividing itself into five pieces that became the five mountains – named for the five elements – Kim, Moc, Thuy, Hoa, Tho (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) – which we all know today. Of the five mountains, only Thuy Son can be hiked, with resorts including the nearby Hyatt Regency Danang able to assist with tours to its peak – itself one of the peaks of Vietnam’s literary past.
Tales of the “Wild West”:
Not to be outdone by her northern cousins, Vietnam’s south-west also boasts a deep literary history. Visitors still flock to the Ba Chua Xu Temple in An Giang Province, where the stories tell of a legendary battle for the nation where the Holy Mother fought off a Siamese army, protecting the nation’s people from the foreign invaders. A temple in Vinh Te village at the foot of the Sam Mountain commemorates her, where a three-day festival is held at the beginning of the rainy season in her honor. The Victoria Nui Sam Lodge is located upon the hill and is the ideal base to join the pilgrims for this festival.
A couple of provinces further up the Cambodian border lay Tay Ninh and Ba Mountain (Nui Ba). The mountain boasts another tragic tale of love in the story of Ly Thi Thien Huong. Huong chose to throw herself off the mountain rather than marry a man she did not love, preserving her virtue for her one true love. In later years, a statue cast in black bronze (leading to her nickname Ms. Den, or Black) canonized her as Saint Linh Son, and spawned the annual Nui Ba Festival held in the first month of the lunar year that continues to draw over a million visitors a year, taking in the view and commemorating her sacrifice. A popular trip for people in HCMC and its surrounds, the mountain is about 10km from Tay Ninh town, but the towering Vinpearl Hotel Tay Ninh offers stunning Mountain View rooms along with five star service and amenities.
So, if you want to walk a mile in the shoes of some of Vietnam’s mythical heroes, why not head to the trails they walked. One of the longest weekends of the year is just around the corner, and with Agoda’s GoLocal and GoLocal Tonight offers, book now, and start writing your own travel tale.
