Vietnamese Folklore: A Precious Heritage to Preserve

A Treasure Trove of Folktales: Legends, Fairy Tales, and Life Lessons

Vietnamese folklore is an invaluable treasure trove, preserving stories, legends, proverbs, folk songs, and folk melodies that reflect the lives, thoughts, and emotions of the Vietnamese people across generations. Fairy tales like Tam Cam and Thach Sanh, or legends like Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh, are not just entertaining stories but also carry profound lessons about morality, compassion, and the triumph of justice.

Legends are often associated with geographical locations and historical events, enriching the nation’s history. Fairy tales, with their clearly defined good and evil characters, teach children lessons about life, fairness, and the punishment of evil.

Folk Songs and Proverbs: The Face of the Vietnamese Soul

Folk songs (Ca dao), with their concise and succinct verses, express love for the homeland, family affection, and romantic love. Each folk song is like a small painting, creating vivid and evocative images of the daily lives of the Vietnamese people.

Proverbs (Tục ngữ), with their short, image-rich sayings, summarize the life experiences of our ancestors concerning nature, society, and people. Proverbs are a treasure trove of life philosophies, helping people act wisely in life.

Preserving and Promoting the Value of Folklore

In today’s era, with the rapid development of information technology, folklore faces many challenges. Preserving and promoting the value of folklore is an important task that requires the joint efforts of the entire society. We need programs and activities to introduce, promote, and educate the younger generation about the value of Vietnamese folklore.

Some specific solutions include: organizing storytelling and folk song singing contests, researching and publishing works of folklore, integrating folklore into schools, and building folklore museums.

Conclusion

Vietnamese folklore is an indispensable part of the national cultural identity. Preserving and promoting the value of folklore is the responsibility of every Vietnamese citizen, contributing to enriching the country’s cultural heritage.