The temple was built on a high mound south of Thủ Lệ Zoo in what is now known as Ngọc Khánh Ward, Ba Đình District, and surrounded by gardens and many luxuriant ancient trees.

According to existing historical documents as well as the legends related in its parallel sentences and commemorative panels, Voi Phục Temple was built during the reign of King Lý Thánh Tông, in 1065. It has been repaired and restored many times from the Nguyễn Dynasty (1802-1945) up through recent years.

Voi Phục Temple is dedicated to Prince Hoằng Chân (Linh Lang Đại Vương), the fourth son of King Lý Thái Tông (1028–1054). The legend says the king was growing old but he had no son to inherit his kingdom or carry on his name. One day, while the first imperial concubine, Nguyễn Thị, was bathing in Dâm Đàm Lake (now West Lake), a dragon suddenly appeared and wound round her body. It covered her with its perfumed saliva, then blew water from its nostrils and whooshed up into the sky. Nguyễn Thị went back to her palace and, after a few days, discovered she was pregnant. Fourteen months later, she gave birth to a prince called Ling Lang Đại Vương (the Great Aristocrat). When he was born, a strange smell spread over the palace. The prince, who was very handsome, had 28 dragon scales on his back and seven black moles twinkling like pearls on his chest. The King was very surprised so he called the baby, Hoàng Tứ Lang, and when he was seven days old, the King allowed his wife to bring him up in her native land in Thủ Lệ Camp.

Two months and seven days later, Triệu Tiết, a mandarin of the Song Dynasty, brought his troops to plunder the country’s border. The king was sleeping in his bed when he suddenly heard the voice of a god say, “Our country has talented men, we are not afraid of the invaders”. The King woke up and ordered his messengers to travel the land and recruit talented people to fight the invaders. When the messenger came to Thủ Lệ Camp, Ling Lang Đại Vương, who was lying on his bamboo bed, suddenly stood up and told his mother, “Invaders are attacking our border, I can’t stay here!” His mother was very surprised and said, “The invaders are very strong. You are still too small to fight against them.” The Prince replied, “You do not need to worry. I am small now but I will grow up.” He called the messenger and said, “Go back and tell my father not to worry. I only need a 10-meter long red flag and a male elephant to defeat those invaders.” The messenger went back to the palace and reported to the King who was happy to supply the prince with all the things he ordered. The Prince stood up, stretched his limbs, and suddenly became “Thiên Bồng” (Heaven General). He shouted so loudly that the elephant kneeled in front of him then he took the flag and rode the elephant to the Phú Lương Palace where he swung his flag and the enemy army was crushed. Having gained victory, the Prince went back to his camp, but seven months later he became ill with a strange disease and no medical treatment could cure him. The King came to visit and commiserate with him and the Prince said, “I came down to earth as punishment from heaven but now the punishment is over. If you love me, please look at the flag flying over the Đại Hùng Gate; that is the flag I carried to fight against the enemy. After my death, please launch it into the sky. Wherever it falls, have a temple built and worship me there. That’s enough.” The King agreed, got in his sedan chair and said goodbye. The prince suddenly turned into a huge white dragon over 100 meters long, wrapped himself around a gigantic rock and disappeared into Dâm Đàm Lake. A few days later the wind whipped up waves on the lake and it was dark all day. The red flag flew into the sky, touched down at 269 different places, then returned to Ngọ Môn Gate. The King was amazed and ordered 269 temples dedicated to the Prince to be built in 269 villages, then he proclaimed the Prince “the Great Aristocrat” and built Voi Phục Temple on the site where he had lived. The temple is believed to be miraculous and magical and it is said that all wishes made there will come true.

The above story is only a legend, however, according to historical documents, Prince Hoằng Chân, together with Prince Chiêu Văn and Lý Thường Kiệt, succeeded in repelling the Song invaders on the bank of the Như Nguyệt River (now called the Cầu River) in Bắc Ninh Province. After gaining victory, he returned to his home village to die. The king christened him Ling Lang Đại Vương and ordered an old temple to be restored in his honor. Now there are two kneeling elephants at the temple gate and on the gate’s pillars are the following parallel sentences:

“This land has existed since ancient times under the Southern sky
This temple is dedicated to one of the Supreme Gods”

The temple now consists of the reception gate (nghi môn), which opens inside to a three-entrance gate, and the main temple. The main temple is shaped like the công character with three rows of houses: the five-room upper chamber (tiền tế), a two-room middle chamber (trung tế) and a three-room lower chamber, all of which have roofs covered with mũi hài (toe cap-shaped) tiles.

The temple has a collection of a wide range of cultural artifacts including a throne, bronze temple bells, sedan chairs, ancestral tablets, statues of sacred cranes and horses, many parallel sentences and some splendid painted commemorative panels. Besides these valuable objects, inscriptions in Han and Nôm scripts conserved in the temple are filled with many stories of the gods, particularly the tutelary god.

Whoever coming to Vietnam and most Southeast Asian countries (such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia) is much fond of a special condiment – Fish sauce (or nuoc mam in Vietnamese). It is a staple ingredient of numerous food like curry and sauces, and is derived from fish that is allowed to ferment.

The origin of fish sauce in Vietnam dates back to ancient times as a primary source of protein. Early fishing boats were unable to venture into the deep ocean to catch larger fish for more fish meat. Instead, they mostly stayed close to the shore and net small fish. Later on, it was found that they could produce a richer protein sauce by layering these small fish in barrels with salt. Since then, there appeared such a delicious sauce!

Ingredients and production process: Only the fresh small fish makes good-quality fish sauce, which is found in clear color and good smell. In Vietnam, fish sauce is very popular and can be any of various mixtures based on the liquid of salted, fermented fish. First, small fish and salt are put in wooden boxes to ferment. Then, it is slowly pressed so as to yield the salty, fishy liquid.

This extremely pungent, strong-flavored and salty liquid can range in color. For the pure fish sauce, fresh anchovy fish sauce is selected and mixed with salt by applying the unique Vietnamese traditional process. Fermentation is started once a year, during the fishing season. After about 3 months in the barrel, the liquid drips from an open spigot, to be poured back into the top of the barrel. Six months under the sunlight will make the fish sauce of much better smell.

The unique characteristic of fish sauce is salty flavor and fishy smell. An interesting characteristic of fish sauce is that it loses its fishy odor once mixed with other ingredients. It is commonly used for cooking and dipping seafood and many other Vietnamese foods as well. In Vietnam, it is generally called nước mắm (well known by these brand names: nước mắm Phu Quoc or Phu Quoc fish sauce, and nước mắm Phan Thiet or Phan Thiet fish sauce).

Corn noodles are made from corn and is very delicious and sweet-tasting if noodle makers use the corn from the Tuy An and Dong Xuan areas of the central province of Phu Yen.

For a long time, corn noodles were a traditional product of the Tuy An people. Over 90 percent of the population of Tuy An made corn noodles; however, in modern times young people have not followed family traditions. At present, only a few families remain making corn noodles in this area.

Visitors will have a chance to taste corn noodles during festivals or Lunar New Year. Corn noodle soup is quite different from other soups as the soup is cooked with Giang leaf and goby fish which is caught at the O Loan lagoon. If you do not have time to follow the traditional recipe, mixing fish sauce with chili then adding the mixed fish sauce to the broth and the corn noodles will make a satisfactory variation. If you prefer vegetarian cuisine, you can try the following recipe step by step to make your noodle soup pretty good!

The ingredients include: 1 large can tomato sauce, 1 large can cream corn, 1 small onion (diced onions), 1 package large corn noodles (flat), 2 tablespoons oil (just use pan spray), 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste.
Corn noodle soup

Directions as follows:

In pot add oil and diced onions, cook until onions are done. Then follow the instructions for cooking the noodles, adding the water to the onions. Then add the cream corn and tomato sauce, followed by salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and let it boil for a minute or two, adding the noodles and stirring.

Lower heat and let simmer until liquid is reduced, stirring often. As it thickens you may wish to reduce heat a little more to keep from sticking. Do not let it cook down to dry, as it will thicken more as it cools. You do not want it to runny so it will run over the plate, but thicken somewhat.

If travelling to Phu Yen, you should not miss the opportunity to taste the corn noodle soup at the Chi Thanh market in the An Dan commune. Most of tourists love these noodles, and they think the noodles are so delicious!

Nem chua is a meat roll with a sweet, sour, salty and spicy taste which makes the mouth salivate with each bite. Nem chua possesses the local character of each region of Vietnam, due to the differing ingredients and sauces used. Most versions of Nem chua can be distinguished by their name, which is usually named after the area it originated from, such as nem Thanh Hoa, nem Dong Ba in the ancient royal capital of Hue, and nem Ninh Hoa in Khanh Hoa Province, nem Yen Mac in Ninh Binh Province, etc.

Traditionally, to make Nem chua, the main ingredient is pork thigh. Nem chua is made from minced pork, sliced pigskin and a mixture of seasoning and garlic. These contents are mixed thoroughly before being wrapped with aromatic, fresh leaves (usually in banana leaves) into small, boxy rolls before being stored for natural fermentation process for three to five days in a cool place before eating.

In the Lai Vung District of the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, the locals take pride in their Nem chua recipe, which has been passed down through many generations. Called “nem Lai Vung” after the district, it became more widely known in 1975 when a local woman, Tu Man, made Nem chua for visitors. She used pork, but she also used pig liver, and then ground them into a mixture with rice, shrimp meat and seasonings. The characteristics of nem Lai Vung and other specialty foods from Lai Vung District are so distinctive and recognizable that they have been registered under a domestic brand name. Tourists to Dong Thap Province can take part in nem Lai Vung cooking classes to learn more about this regional specialty.

The northern areas also create their own favorite varieties of Nem chua. The famous one is Nem Yen Mac, which has been made for a long time in Ninh Binh Province. The number of locals in Yen Mac who can make this kind of Nem chua is small because the work requires not only secret formula but also passion for the work. Nem Yen Mac is eaten with guava leaves, fig leaves and aroma vegetables dotted into nuoc mam (fish sauce) which is mixed with mingled with garlic, lemon juice, pepper and chilli.

While many people prefer the more traditional method of preparation for Nem chua, others enjoy a grilled and unfermented variety of Nem chua. Both traditional and grilled Nem chua are usually served with uncooked sliced garlic and nuoc mam (fish sauce). Whereas nuoc mam adds saltiness and spiciness, some prefer to use chili sauce instead.

Nem chua is best known to the expatriate community and international tourists who have taken an interest in Vietnamese cuisine in recent years…

“Mứt Tết” refers to fruits or vegetables that have been prepared and canned for long term storage. The preparation of preserved fruit traditionally involves the use of pectin as a gelling agent, although sugar or honey may be used as well. There are various types of fruit preserves made in Vietnam, and they can be made from sweet or savory ingredients.

“Mứt” is made from all sorts of fruit, including mandarin oranges, apples, banana, coconuts, persimmons and breadfruit. Vegetables like patatoes, carrots and squash are also turned into “Mứt”, as certain types of blossoms.

The most famous variety of “Mứt” is made from rose petals or peach blossoms. The raw materials are cleaned and peeled, then soaked in sugar and cooked until dry. Other types of “Mứt” have the sticky consistency of jam. Some varieties, like “cu lac” (peanut jam) are covered with a thick layer of sugar, but most have thin layer of sugar.

The colors are often quite intense and people serve different types of “Mứt” together, arranged in a colorful display.

In Hanoi, Hang Dieu or Hang Duong Streets in Old Quarter are famous for shops that sell “Mứt”. Preserved fruits are masterpieces in these shops. They make all kinds of preserved fruit such as ginger, waxy pumpkin, apple, orange, lemon and carrot in various shapes and colours.

To welcome Tet is to welcome the spring. However, in January, which is spring time, the weather in Vietnam is still cold. It is a good idea to warm up with a cup of hot tea and a slice of preserved ginger with golden yellow colour and a special flavour…

Different styles of “banh xeo”

“Banh xeo” is prepared differently throughout the country. Tourists traveling about in Vietnam are sure to encounter a different recipe, and sometimes even a different name, for “banh xeo” depending on which region and province they are visiting.

These are a pale yellow spicey Vietnamese style crepe. One piece on the bottom, and another on top encase what is usually a salad consisting of been sprouts, prawns, boiled pork, taro and carrot. Drenched in fish sauce, and you have a deliciously messy slice of fine pleasure. The dish is round, and you cut it into slices, like a pizza, so it resembles a triangle on the main platter, but usually by the time it arrives on your plate, it could resemble anything really.

In the Southern region, the “banh xeo” is the size of a large dish and yellow in color due to the employment of turmeric powder. The Southern people always add coconut milk to the rice flour to make the crepe extra delicious. The crepe is stuffed with bean sprouts, mung beans, shrimp and pork. A sweet and sour fish sauce and fresh vegetables are used as accompaniments.

In the Central region, “banh xeo” cooks make a smaller crepe that is white in color. In Hue, the crepes are called “banh khoai”, which is similar to “banh xeo”, but smaller in size and stuffed with fennel, sour star fruit, green banana and a thick soy sauce.

In addition to selling the crepes to patrons, vendors also prepare them en masse for birthday parties and festivals. Northern preparations of “banh xeo” are similar to the ones down south, but include special fillings like slices of Indian taro and manioc. In some regions, “banh xeo” is prepared thick, but Southern crepes are characteristically thin, crispy and served fresh out of the frying pan. The secret to extra-thin crepes is a deep frying pan and a quick wrist to coat the frying pan with the batter before it starts to set.

Where to enjoy “banh xeo”?

In Hanoi, there are a lot of addresses for you to enjoy “banh xeo”, such as 22 Hang Bo Street, “Quan Ngon” restaurant at 12 Phan Boi Chau Street or “Chin Tham” restaurant on Thai Ha Street.

In HCMC, southern-style “banh xeo” can be found at Banh Xeo 46A on Dinh Cong Trang Street, District 1 or An la ghien Restaurant at 54A Nguyen Van Troi Street, Ward 15, Phu Nhuan District. Those seeking a meatless version of “banh xeo” can find them at vegetarian restaurants on An Lac Restaurant, 175/15 Pham Ngu Lao Street, District 1, and Thien Nguyen Restaurant, 174 Calmete street, District 1.

In south-central Vietnam, people generally made their own clogs. They favoured thick soles with slightly turned-up tips. The traps, which attached through a hole in the front and a pair of holes on the sides, were braided from soft cloth. Because the sole was curved at the front, the knot of the front strap did not rub on the ground. The soles of women’s clogs were shaped like hour-glasses, while men’s clogs -known as “sampan clogs” – had straight soles. Made of white wood, Phu Yen clogs were left unpainted, while those from the central city of Hue were often painted in black and brown with a pale coloured triangle on the side of the sole. Only well-to-do men wore painted clogs. Some areas called clogs don, hence the saying “a foot with a shoe, a foot with a don” to indicate rich people who put on airs.

Up until the 1940s, young pupils at public schools in the southern province of Ben Tre began wearing clogs. Before the August Revolution in 1945, clogs produced in Hue were called “capital clogs” or guoc kinh. These clogs had soles made from coconut shells or light wood, painted white and gold with embroidered straps.

In the 1950s and 1960s, wooden clogs produced in Dong Do village in the Thanh Tri district of Hanoi and Ke Giay in Ha Tay province were taken to 12 Hang Ga street or Bach Mai street in Hanoi to be painted and sold. Poet To Huu revealed that clogs were considered extremely romantic by young girls of the time:

“Clogs long unheard
On the tree-lined streets
And spring comes, apples fall,
I remember your zither sounds”

By the 1970s, plastic clogs rivaled wooden clogs in popularity. Considered stylish and comfortable, clogs could offer other, more unusual, benefits. Travelers would sometimes bore holes in the wooden soles to hide gold or jewels.

From Ba Trieu’s ivory clogs to clogs made of bamboo, wood and plastic, this humble footwear has covered a lot of ground on Vietnam. While countless Vietnamese poets have waxed lyrical about the conical hat and traditional ao dai tunic, clogs are often the subject of riddles: “Two females in colored dresses. Each carrying five males on their backs. On the way, talk and chat. And left alone at home: fed up! What is this?”. Naturally, the riddles refer to a pair of clogs:

“Two parallel and loving boats
With dragon bows and phoenix sterns
Double rows of nails
I carry five boy-lovers per boat
And ten per pair.
But, let you be reproved, you ingrate!
Profiting from me, and forgetting me
What am I?”

Being the second largest ethnic group in Vietnam, the Thai’s brocade is very well-known for its unique, colourful and durable motifs. In recent decades, Thai men have adopted the Kinh’s style of dress, while Thai women retain their traditional clothes including short vests, long skirts, scarves and ornaments. The Black Thai are concentrated in Son La and southern Lai Chau Provinces whilst the White Thai are found predominantly in northern Lai Chau and Lao Cai provinces. The traditional costume of the Thai generally comprises a coloured blouse (often green, blue, pink or purple) with a distinctive row of silver buttons down the front, a long black skirt and usually an intricately embroidered and very distinctive black headscarf. Travelers will encounter many Thai people in Mai Chau village near Hoa Binh but they only wear their traditional costume when performing dances for tourists.

Nung communities are found today mainly in Cao Bang and Lang Son provinces, but they are also settled in parts of Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Bac Can, Thai Nguyen and Ha Bac provinces. The traditional clothing of the Nung people for both sexes comprises a plain indigo vest and trousers often decorated with a coloured belt and won with a black turban covered by a white or coloured scarf. However, there are a number of variations in costume. The Nung An sub-ethnicity are settled exclusively in the region north east of Cao Bang. Their distinctive costume is based on a plain black tunic and black pantaloons. The tunic is buttoned at the right shoulder with thin bands of alternate blue/white and/or multicoloured embroidery at the collar. At the cuffs there are bands of multicoloured blue at the front and white with black patterns at the rear. Around the waist there is often a belt made of white material with black patterns, similar to that used on the cuffs. The ensemble is usually worn with a white or occasionally blue headscarf, though on occasions a turban of white material is wound around the head and a blue scarf worn on top of it. The Nung Phan Sinh of Lang Son province are mainly settled in the Cao Loc region, east of town. The costume consists of plain black trousers and a plain shirt which buttons under the right armpit, both edged with thin bands of white or floral material. a small white turban embroidered with vertical black and white, or coloured stripes is also worn.

The Giay are quite widely spread and can be seen not only around Sapa but also in Lai Chau near Tam Duong and in the Dong Van and Yen Minh districts of Ha Giang Province. The traditional woman’s costume in Lao Cai and Lai Chau Provinces consists of black trousers and a coloured shirt (light or dark pink, light or dark blue, green or white) decorated with a wide band of different coloured material which stretches around the collar and down to a clasp under the right armpit. The ensemble is generally worn with the ubiquitous pattered headscarf seen everywhere.

The Lu are a long established ethnicity of the Tay-Thai language group. Their population of just under 4,000 makes them the 40th largest group in Vietnam. Their traditional black and silver coloured clothing is one of the most striking in northern Vietnam, featuring a distinctive black scarf with a silver striped pattern and colourful tassels. The smiling women will also often show you a fine row of blackened teeth. They are now mainly concentrated between Sin Ho and Binh Lu in Lai Chau province.

The Tu Di are one of two groups of the Bo Y ethnic minority. The other group – the Bo Y themselves, are settled in the Quan Ba District of Ha Giang Province. The Tu Di women of Muong Khuong have adopted a style of dress similar to their Phi La neighbours and now wear black trousers and a shirt of black and blue material with a distinctive front panel, decorated with pieces of coloured material, patches of embroidery and silver chains: the shirt buttons under the right armpit and has concentric rings of coloured material around the upper sleeves and cuffs. The hair is tied in a chignon at the top of the head and covered by a black turban and embroidery.

The Pa Di are a sub-ethnicity of the Tay exclusively settled in the Muong Khuong District of Lao Cai. They are instantly recognisable by their distinctive headgear which comprises a studded decorative headband enclosed in a stiff pyramid shaped black hat. Like their Thu Lao cousins, the Pa Di women also wear a black skirt, a black shirt which buttons under the right armpit and a black apron, but the shirt has a blue border and the shirt features blue and white rings at the lower sleeves and studded decorative patterns at the collar.

The Tay are the largest single ethnic minority in Vietnam numbering well over 1,200,000. However, they are often difficult to spot because they dress very similarly to modern Viet Kinh. They usually wear costumes with the black trousers and shirt but with the shirt buttoned under the right armpit with rings of distinctive blue material here and at the lower sleeves.

The “khan dong” is a black piece of fabric wrapped around a girl’s long hair so that it forms a tube around the hair. The fabric-entubed hair is wrapped around the crown of the head. Usually, the girl’s hair is a little bit longer than the “khan dong”, forming a skinny, wispy ponytail sticking out of the “khan dong”. This ponytail is left dangling down from the “khan dong” on one side of the head. The Vietnamese call this hairstyle “toc duoi ga” because the ponytail resembles a rooster’s tail (“toc duoi ga” means rooster-tailed hair). For formal occasions, Vietnamese girls often used “khan dong” made of black velvet.

Instead of the rooster-tailed hair, they would pin the extra hair down and cover their heads with a “khan mo qua”, meaning crow’s beak kerchief. A “khan mo qua” is a black, square piece of heavy fabric. It is folded in half into a triangle and worn over the “khan dong” to cover the hair. The long side of the triangle is placed above the forehead while the two corner of the long side are tied at the nape of the neck (like the American bandana and kerchiefs). Because the “khan mo qua” is made of heavy, stiff fabric, the long side the of the triangle, or the folded edge, sticks out in front of the forehead in a point, sharp as a crow’s beak. “Khan mo qua” is not just a simple kerchief on the girl’s head, it is really the art of beautification that a Kinh Bac girl should know. Someone used to sing:

Look you with a “khan mo qua”,
Make me miss you so much…
Look you with a “khan mo qua”,
Make me so admired for your beauty…

In Asian societies, particularly Vietnamese society, people have a habit of being superstitious and this has been part of their daily life. On such occasions as marriages, funerals and open new house, people will try to choose a propitious date.

On the Vietnamese New Year, people believe that the first person who visits their home during Tet holiday has a bearing on their welfare for the whole year. In contrast, the person who sweeps the floor on the first three days of this festive occasion might sweep away the wealth. As for other things, such as setting out for an examination, embarking on a business venture or planning an escape from Communist Vietnam, people will try to avoid “crossing the path of a woman”, in much the same way as Western people would try to avoid “crossing the path of a black cat” when undertaking something important.

The Vietnamese attach great importance to two traditional family obligations: to care for their parents in their old age and to worship them after death. In each Vietnamese family has at least one altar on which there are the pictures of their ancestors. Family members worship their ancestor because they think parents after death will go to live in another world and this altar is the place where the ancestors’ soul live in. As a result, every day, Vietnamese people not only lay the table for meal but they also lay the food on the altar for the belief that those ancestors will have a meal with them.

Spiritual life, sometimes, plays more than a passing role in Vietnamese society. By the time a boy is old enough to marry, for example, he may not be able to wed the girl he loves because she was born in the wrong year. On the 12-year lunar calendar commonly used throughout Asia, many of the years are considered incompatible. Such years are thought to bring misfortune if they are improperly matched with other years. Thus, a young man born in “the Year of the Tiger,” cannot marry his beloved from “the Year of the Horse” unless he wants to risk a break in family ties with his parents and elder relatives. To the conservative relatives, the Tiger and Horse are incompatible and sure to bring bad luck to such a marriage. Besides, the hoot of an owl is regarded as a bad omen announcing death or illness. According to ancient tradition, the bird must be chased away and those who heard his cry should be extremely cautious about their personal safety.

What is the best way to keep a child healthy? An old Vietnamese grandfather believes the charm of a certain necklace wards off evil spirits and he may give it to his grandson to protect the boy. An employee fails to show up for work on the third day of the lunar month because he believes that particular date brings him bad luck. A student tries to borrow money to buy lottery tickets because he dreamed of a special event or number one night before. These are some examples of spiritual life which may baffle the foreign visitor to this country. Yet, in Vietnam, it is part of tradition and customs passed down from one generation to the next. Ignorance, of course, plays some roles in the traditional acceptance of spiritual life. Not having sufficient knowledge, faith or trust in scientific methods, a Vietnamese often relies on his prejudices, emotions and the word of his forefathers to guide his daily life.

A large number of fortune-tellers, astrologers and palm-readers owe their living to Vietnamese spiritual life and often made a small fortune from their clients. That the reason why, in Vietnam, even the poor save money for occasional visits to well-known soothsayers. Spiritual life has been known to determine the conduct of the war in this ravaged country. A friendly or enemy commander may refuse to attack or may alter his strategy if the stars are not in his favor.

One story has it that, an American commander always consulted a Vietnamese astrologer before planning the deployment of his troops. When questioned by his incredulous superiors, he explained that, according to his theory, he could depend on the enemy to base his attacks on the positions of the stars. Therefore, he consulted a stargazer himself for intelligence on the enemy’s movements.

Another story passed down through history is about of the two famous Vietnamese generals, Le Loi and Nguyen Trai. Several years ago, the pair was leading a war against Chinese invaders. Nguyen Trai decided to turn spiritual life to his advantage and used grease to write the phrases “Le Loi vi Quan; Nguyen Trai vi Than,” (Le Loi for King; Nguyen Trai for Minister of State) on the large leaves of forest trees. Ants later consumed the grease absorbed in the leaf tissue and left the prophecy clearly engraved. People living nearby noticed the perforated leaves and interpreted them as a “divine message.” Inspired by this, they wholeheartedly supported the war which eventually led to the defeat of the Chinese and the enthronement of Emperor Le Loi.

There are some social reformers in my country who believe that, spiritual life is a problem and should be eradicated as Vietnam is now becoming a truly progressive as well as modern nation. Personally, how dull life would be if all our soothsayers, fortune tellers, palm-readers and astrologers were pensioned off and retired! I promptly took this bad proposition to my favorite soothsayer who solemnly assured me that this is not in the stars…