There has always been an air of mystery in the East. Vietnam is not alone in its myths and legends. If you take a Vietnam family vacation you should all immerse yourself in the country, its many attractions and its people. Vietnam holidays have so much to offer and the more you see and hear the more you will want to learn. Perhaps you will do plenty of research before booking Vietnam travel packages and a good Vietnam tour operator will advise you on the many highlights. While myth and legend offers little in the way of tourist attractions they do provide an insight into the local people, their beliefs and sometimes the reason for their behaviour.

Here are a few examples of the stories told through time:

•    Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh explains the monsoon. The fight for the hand of a beautiful princess was won by the Son Tinh, the spirit of the mountain. In his anger Thuy Tinh, the spirit of the water caused the rivers and seas to flood the land. While he ultimately accepted defeat each year he calls once again on the water.

•    How the Odd Couple Came to Love Each Other teaches how an old man taught a young woman to remain loyal to a husband who seemingly was not very good at anything.

•    The Origin of Tao Quan, the three ‘’Kitchen Gods’’ tells the story of a woman who leaves her bad husband and meets a hunter whom she subsequently married. One day a beggar arrived and she recognised him as her former husband.  She hid him under a small haystack which her husband set alight to roast the day’s ‘’catch’’ without knowing the beggar was hiding there. She jumped into the fire after him and the hunter followed, trying to save her. All three perished. All acted with the best of motives and were later given the honour of being three ‘’kitchen gods.’’

•    The Story of Tam and Cam is similar to that of Cinderella. Tam’s mother died and her father remarried to a very cruel woman who then had a daughter of her own.  It ends with the wicked step mother and her daughter dying while Tam who had been treated very badly ever since her father remarried won the heart of the King and married him.

•    Why Ducks Sleep Standing On One Leg is explained by the Vietnamese as a result of four ducks that were only given a single leg each petitioning heaven for a second each. They were finally given legs made of gold that were taken from an eight legged incense burner but told to guard them well. As a result they tucked them in while they slept and other ducks came to believe that was the proper way to sleep.

There are many more myths and legends and hopefully the examples already provided will have whet your appetite to find out more. Here are several others that you might want to research before you undertake Vietnam tours. Vietnam holiday packages can be tailored to clients’ wishes so it is worth knowing as much as possible before travelling:

•    The Story of Truong’s Wife
•    The Story of Luu Binh and Duong Le
•    The Golden Star Fruit Tree
•    The Mountain of the Woman Who Is Waiting for Her Husband
•    The Legend of the Milky Way
•    Chu Dong Tu and Princess Tien Dung
•    The Moon Boy
•    Shoot at the Moon
•    Love Story of My Chau and Trong Thuy
•    Story of the Rice Cake in Tet Holiday
•    Legend of the Water Melon
•    The Legendary Origins of the Viet People