Banh Chung (Square rice cake) in Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Tet)

Banh Chung (Square rice cake) is a traditional Vietnamese rice cake which is made from glutinous rice, green beans, pork and other ingredients.

Its origin is told by the legend of Lang Liêu- the son of 6th Hung King. Hung King wanted to find the one to inherit his position and sit on the throne to lead the country when he was too old. Therefore, he held a cooking contest for his 21 sons, and who could fully satisfy his taste would be the next King. Most princes go everywhere to find special, exotic and far-fetched food, except for Lang Lieu – the 18th son of Hung King, also the poorest and loneliest since he lost his mother at a young age. Not having enough money to buy delicacies, Lieu just stayed around his house.

The God Gióng

The God Gióng

During the reign of King Hung there lived a woman who had never married. When the sun rose one morning she went to her small garden, and to her surprise found an enormous footprint. In the middle of it was a single tomato seed.

"Oh, how big it is," she cried in wonderment. "Surely such a mark could only have been left by a giant."

Eventually her curiosity got the better of her, and hesitantly she placed her own tiny foot in the huge imprint to compare the sizes. Her whole body quivered as she felt a strange sensation surge through it, and in the passage of time she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy whom she named Gióng.

She loved him dearly and cared for him well, but when he was three years old he could not speak, sit up or even roll onto his side.

The Saint Giong

It was said that, under 6th King Hung dynasty, there was an old couple in Giong village. They were kind and worked very hard but having a child was still their wish. Once day the wife came to the field and happened to see a large footprint, she then tried

Accidentally she was pregnant and born a son twelve months later. The old couple was very happy but the baby himself could not smile or speak. He just lied wherever he was placed even though he was three years old.

How the Odd Couple Came to Love Each Other

Once upon a time, at a small village in today’s Bac Ninh province, there was a beautiful and diligent girl born from a poor family. No matter how hard her parents worked, they could not get out of debt. The beleaguered parents had no choice but to give their daughter’s hand in marriage to a landlord’s son so as to clear their debts.

After the marriage the couple moved into a separate home and after a few years a small child was born. But every chore in the house was left for the wife as the husband was a good for nothing dolt of a man.

One day, when the child fell ill and the wife had to stay at home to take care of him, she told her husband to sell their dog at the market. Of course, the man was very reluctant as such responsibility was overwhelming for him. So, the wife repeated the instructions very clearly several times over: “Sell it at once, if someone offers eight dong or four dong now with four dong owed. If not, bring the dog home.”

Shoot at The Moon

A long time ago, three were no stars or moon; only the sun. When the sun went down, everything would sink into darkness. Once night, a glowing moon suddenly appeared. The moon was so hot, it set everything on fire. In the evening, the hot moon made the weather misty and muggy. Nobody could sleep.
“My God!” muttered the people, their breath panting. “We don’t need such a fatally hot moon like this! Let’s shoot it down!”

How The Odd Couple Came To Love Each Other

Once upon a time, at a small village in today’s Bac Ninh province, there was a beautiful and diligent girl born from a poor family. No matter how hard her parents worked, they could not get out of debt. The beleaguered parents had no choice but to give their daughter’s hand in marriage to a landlord’s son so as to clear their debts.

The Hundred-Knot Bamboo

There was a rich devious landowner who used all kind of tricks to exploit his servants and laborers. He had a beautiful nubile daughter. Khoai lived as a servant in this household from the time he was a young boy.

He had to work very hard. He is now in his late teens. The landowner was afraid that Khoai will leave the household and thus he would lose a very hard working helper. So, one day he called Khoai and told him:
"If you stayed in the household and work hard day and night, I will give you my daughter in marriage."