1. Symbols Of Vietnam Brief discussion of the four animals represented in Vietnam's coat of arms dragon, unicorn, tortoise Category Regional Asia Vietnam Society and Culture History...... The Dragon ( Long ) is a fabulous beast which the vietnamese mythology representswith the head of a camel, horns of a deer, eyes of a fish, ears of a buffalo http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLPages/VietPages/coatarms.html

WWWVL VN Home Traditional Symbols of Vietnam The traditional Coat of Arms consisted of a shield or banner or varied forms, having the stylistic representation of a dragon Ñ a legendary and totemic animal of multiple symbolic significance. Also included on the Coat of Arms were the unicorn, tortoise and phoenix. Together, they make up the quartet of the traditional motifs and emblems of Viet Nam. The Dragon. The Dragon ("Long") is a fabulous beast which the Vietnamese mythology represents with the head of a camel, horns of a deer, eyes of a fish, ears of a buffalo, body and neck of a snake, scales of a carp, claws of an eagle, and feet of a tiger. A long barb hangs on each side of its mouth, and a precious stone shines brilliantly on its tongue. The summit of its head is decorated with a protuberance which is a sign of great intelligence. Finally, it has a crest of 81 scales running the entire length of its backbone. A dragon is said to breathe a kind of smoke which can be transformed at will into fire or water. It lives with equal ease in the sky, in the water, or underground. It is immortal and does not reproduce, because the number of dragons always increases with the metamorphosis of the ."Giao Long", which are fabulous reptilesÑhalf lizard and half snake Ñ that automatically become dragons after ten centuries of existence. Despite its awesome appearance, the dragon does not incarnate the spirit of evil, and the Vietnamese have always considered the dragon as a symbol of power and nobility. That is why the dragon was chosen as the special symbol of the emperors. The emperor was considered to be the son of Heaven. The dragon having five claws was found on the official dress of the emperor, and the dragon having four claws decorated the official dress of high dignitaries of the Royal Court.

2. A Tiger, A Worm, A Snail - Vietnamese Folktales A lengthy yet fascinating article on vietnamese mythology. Peter Kohler is a writer and researcher based in Portland, http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bltiger.htm

zfp=-1 About Urban Legends and Folklore Search in this topic on About on the Web in Products Web Hosting Urban Legends and Folklore with David Emery Your Guide to one of hundreds of sites Home Articles Forums ... Help zmhp('style="color:#fff"') Subjects ESSENTIALS Current Netlore Top 25 Urban Legends All About Urban Legends ... All articles on this topic Stay up-to-date! Subscribe to our newsletter. Advertising Free Credit Report Free Psychics Advertisement A Tiger, a Worm, a Snail A Pocket Tale by Peter Kohler T he various peoples of Vietnam value faithfulness, virtue and intelligence, and this is reflected in the folktales of the land. Family loyalty and duty take precedence over individual concerns, ideally. We'll take a look at two tales from different parts of the country that illustrate these values in quite different ways. In one of the better-known folktales it is told about a fisherman who cared for his aging mother. Every evening he would cast his nets into the river, and every morning he would collect the fish that had been caught in them, and this is how they lived. One morning he discovered that one of his nets had been torn open and was empty of fish. That day he repaired the net and in the evening cast his several nets into the river as usual. The next morning he was alarmed to discover that

3. Vietnamese Poetry, Vietnam Literature The first systematic recording of vietnamese mythology occurs at this time; thefirst Vietnamese history (by Le Van Huu) is written; the Vietnamese chu nom http://www.loveofasiavietnam.com/vietnam_poetry.htm

4. The Louisville Scene - Visual Arts a local artist, designed the sculpture, incorporating the sevenheaded dragon asan expression of visions in the Book of Revelation and vietnamese mythology. http://www.louisvillescene.com/arts/visual/2001/v20010821statue.html

Back to Visual Arts Performing Arts ... Calendar Visual Arts Revelation on Southside Vietnamese priest fulfills vision of shrine to Our Lady of La-Vang If you go . . . Aug. 21, 2001 The 10-ton marble statue depicts Our Lady of La-Vang, who appeared to Vietnamese Christians more than two centuries ago. Photo by PAM SPAULDING A s Second Street angles into Southside Drive, everything opens up physically. And metaphysically. There, in blinding-white marble, in front of St. John Vianney Catholic Church, stands a 10-ton statue, linking a 2,000-year-old birth in Israel and a 200-year-old vision in Vietnam. The statue depicts Our Lady of La-Vang, who appeared to Vietnamese Christians more than two centuries ago. Sunday morning, a blessing to celebrate the completion of the shrine will be held. There'll be prayers, singing, dancing children in colorful costumes, a few words from the archbishop, 8,000 tiny firecrackers popping, and a feast for 1,000, featuring roast pig. Why is a 7-foot-tall Virgin Mary standing in triumph over a 13-foot-long, seven-headed dragon in Kentucky? Peter Tran, a 27-year-old Vietnam native who came to Louisville 11 years ago, points to a priest, Father Anthony Chinh, and says, "He is the one. Without him, we cannot do it."

5. THE DRAGON blessings. This winged, powerful and fire spitting animal is also regardedas a key element of the vietnamese mythology. All Vietnamese http://www.limsi.fr/Recherche/CIG/edragon.htm

T here are neither Vietnamese tales nor legends without this fabulous and mythical animal that is commonly called Con Rồng or more literary Con Long (or the Dragon in English). It makes part of the four animals with supernatural power ( Tứ Linh ) and occupies the top place. It is frequently used in Vietnamese art. It is not only seen in pagodas, but also on the ridges of roofs, the beams of frames, furnitures, the pieces of dishes and fabrics. It is also the emblematic animal traditionally chosen by the emperor for his clothes. Properly speaking, the Vietnamese people do not adore it but they see in it a supernatural power and blessings. This winged, powerful and fire spitting animal is also regarded as a key element of the Vietnamese mythology. All Vietnamese firmly believe they are descendents of the Dragon king Lạc Long Qu¢n coming from the Waters and of the fairy ‚u CÆ¡ of terrestrial origins. From this union, the fairy laid one hundred eggs that gave birth to one hundred robust sons. Later, at the separation of the couple, fifty of them followed their father Dragon toward the lower coastal regions and founded the first Vietnamese nation named Văn Lang while the other fifty followed their terrestrial mother toward the high plains to give birth later to an ethnic microcosm the most complex in the world ( about fifty groups ). Although this version of the Seven Tribes of Israel is unbridled and poetic, it nevertheless allows the Vietnamese and other minority groups to live together somewhat peacefully in this country of the form of the dragon, and to unite as a sole person to overcome foreign aggressors in difficult moments of their history.

6. Ôîëüêëîð è ïîñòôîëüêëîð: ñòðóêòóðà, òèïîëîã Alisher Sharipov (St. Petersburg). Female Deities and Some Particularitiesof Mythological Symbolism An Example of vietnamese mythology. http://www.ruthenia.ru/folklore/sharipov1.htm

New! Online! Online! Online! Online! Online! Äèçàéí è HTML-âåðñòêà: Alisher Sharipov (St. Petersburg) Female Deities and Some Particularities of Mythological Symbolism: An Example of Vietnamese Mythology The pantheon of Vietnamese folk religion incorporates many female deities that perform all the most important divine functions (cosmogony, control over natural processes, protective, cultural functions, healing and some others). This situation is rather uncommon for the pantheons of other world mythologies. Notable is the fact that in Vietnam not only local deities have a female identity, but also male deities of some borrowed religions are often interpreted there as women-deities. It seems that the Vietnamese have an obvious confidence in the female sacred power. One of the reasons of the supremacy of female sacredness can probably result from the specific features of social role women and men in ancient Vietnamese society. Religious concepts are likely to have been associated with matrilineal and matrilocal kinship organization. On the other hand, such factors as flood rice growing and sea/river fishing provoked a special attitude to the water, which is a symbol of feminine. Moreover, these factors influenced the formation of basic sacred symbols, particularly a totemic idea of the Vietnamese descent from a dragon-ancestor that is wide spread in the myths about ethnic origin. Symbolical interrelation within positively marked images of the dragon, water and feminine, and the distinctive kinship organization became the reasons that determined the gender identity of deities. As a result, most of them have a womanly appearance that is regarded as a guaranty of their superior power.

7. Vietnamese Celebrate Their First Rose Parade Float The design incorporated a giant golden bird, lac viet, a creature prominent in vietnamese mythology. http://www.bridgecreek.com/articles/Vietnamese%20celebrate%20their%20first%20Ros

Tuesday, March 5, 2002 Vietnamese celebrate their first Rose Parade float Tears and cheers greet the tribute to immigrant heritage, eight years in the making. January 2, 2002 By KATHERINE NGUYEN The Orange County Register PASADENA Amid bursts of applause and oohs and ahhs from the crowd, Madalenna Lai watched her eight-year dream glide by in Tuesday's 113th annual Tournament of Roses Parade. It was exactly as she hoped: A majestic float carrying symbols of her Vietnamese heritage and, more importantly, a heartfelt message of thanks to America. "I was shaking with happiness, so full of pride at that moment," said Lai, who, along with others, spent eight years standing outside markets in Little Saigon asking for donations for the $120,000 float. "I couldn't help but start to cry." She and other float organizers clapped and cheered from the stands.

8. The Vietnamese - Module B 2. In vietnamese mythology, what exotic creatures do the Vietnamese trace theirorigins? 3. Which country conquered and claimed Vietnam for a thousand years? http://www.rcmp-learning.org/vietnam/module_b.htm

CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS SERIES: THE VIETNAMESE Module B - Vietnamese Origins Table of Contents: Introduction Objectives Resources Mystical Beginnings ... Criterion Test Introduction In this module, YOU will be introduced to the history, mythology, and origins of the Vietnamese people. We will examine what factors have influenced the Vietnamese, and how they continue to affect Vietnamese thinking and lifestyles to this day. Objectives AT THE END OF THIS MODULE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO: (A) In your own words, describe how the three main invading cultural influences have impacted upon Vietnamese development. (B) Explain in your own words, how Vietnamese Nationalism and resistance has shaped and influenced Vietnam and the Vietnamese to this day. (C) Explain in your own words, how communism, the American War in Vietnam, and Vietnamese immigration has impacted upon Vietnamese development. Resources i. Vietnam; The Land We Never Knew ii. In the Presence of Mine Enemies iii. U.S. State Department Papers on Vietnam

9. Vietnamese Celebrate Their First Rose Parade Float refugees fled Vietnam in 1975. The design incorporated a giant goldenbird, lac viet, a creature prominent in vietnamese mythology. http://www.bridgecreek.com/articles/Vietnamese celebrate their first Rose Parade

Tuesday, March 5, 2002 Vietnamese celebrate their first Rose Parade float Tears and cheers greet the tribute to immigrant heritage, eight years in the making. January 2, 2002 By KATHERINE NGUYEN The Orange County Register PASADENA Amid bursts of applause and oohs and ahhs from the crowd, Madalenna Lai watched her eight-year dream glide by in Tuesday's 113th annual Tournament of Roses Parade. It was exactly as she hoped: A majestic float carrying symbols of her Vietnamese heritage and, more importantly, a heartfelt message of thanks to America. "I was shaking with happiness, so full of pride at that moment," said Lai, who, along with others, spent eight years standing outside markets in Little Saigon asking for donations for the $120,000 float. "I couldn't help but start to cry." She and other float organizers clapped and cheered from the stands.

10. SECTION "Water Kingdom" is an important netherworld in vietnamese mythology associated with fertility, death and the female http://www.lewismicropublishing.com/Publications/BoatPeople/BoatPeople2ii.htm

SECTION: 2:ii RIVERS OF LIFE STREAMS OF CULTURE Beginning with the small rafts of bamboo or logs of the upriver people in the shallow or the gorges, we find lower down river hollowed out or plank rowboats, then sailboats, motor boats and finally steamers docked at the wharves of the bustling port cities. Technology, agriculture and socio-legal organization also become increasingly complex as we voyage downstream . (Tweddel and Kimball 1985: 279) In the dry season its level drops to low to be utilizable for irrigation, leading to drought and famine. In the wet season its level rises way over the elevation of the entire plain, threatening to wash away the entire plain if the Vietnamese had not long ago constructed a truly monumental system of dikes and canals and dams with which to harness and temper its violent powers for wet rice cultivation. Vast inundations often recurred, sometimes several times a season, in spite of this elaborate network of flood control, rapidly and without notice, the cause of "perennial death and destruction through severe and sudden floods." After each flood, the relief map of the entire delta would need to be redrawn, the major course altering, "with cones of alluvium indicating the place of rupture of the old river bed. Such cones around Hanoi rise to 7 meters above sea level." (Holmgren 1980: 25) What better "prime mover" for corporate solidarity than the "Promethean struggle against the elemental forces of life and death of the "Great River." The singularly noteworthy achievement of the Vietnamese in their early collective efforts of rising from the earth itself an elaborate and massive network of ramparts against ruthless and relentless forces of Mother Nature was born from a collective need for survival in the face of natural adversity and calamity.

11. Vietnamese Myths But be it man, woman or an androgynous person, the moon in vietnamese mythologyis credited for being the source of the calendar, and f or providing much http://www.askasia.org/frclasrm/readings/r000061.htm

The Power and Relevance of Vietnamese Myths Article written by Nguyen Ngoc Binh for the Asia Society's Vietnam: Essays on History, Culture, and Society, 1985, pp. 61-77. Ask any Vietnamese about the origin of his people, and most likely he will tell you that they were born of a dragon and a fairy ("con rong chau tien"). Certainly this is an unscientific explanation, and one that can hardly be sustained or demonstrated hi storically, yet the power of that myth is such that no Vietnamese, no matter how much scientific training he has received, would ever deny believing in it at least to a certain extent. The Vietnamese myth of origin then, is a matter of belief, of faith, that mountains of evidence to the contrary cannot change. Historically, Vietnam has served as a fertile ground for all kinds of beliefs and religions. Yet regardless of religious belief, whether Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Taoism, or animism, Vietnamese share the conviction that they came from the sam e source, originating from the same womb hence, they call one another dong-bao ("born of the same womb"). It is this power of myths that sustains the Vietnamese throughout their history, that keeps them together despite their other differences. Let us then travel backwards in time to when these myths originated, a time predating recorded history by centuries if not millennia, when the Vietnamese all shared a common set of beliefs, later on taken down as "the mythology" of Vietnam.

12. Vietnam EARLY HISTORY - Flags, Maps, Economy, Geography, Climate, Natural Resour Hung Vuong, in vietnamese mythology, was the oldest son of Lac Long Quan (Lac DragonLord), who came to the Red River Delta from his home in the sea, and Au Co http://www.workmall.com/wfb2001/vietnam/vietnam_history_early_history.html

HISTORY INDEX Country Ranks Introduction History ... [TOP] Vietnam EARLY HISTORY http://workmall.com/wfb2001/vietnam/vietnam_history_early_history.html Source: The Library of Congress Country Studies < BACK TO HISTORY CONTENTS Unavailable Figure 2. Location of Vietnam in Asia, 1987 Unavailable Figure 3. Nam Viet Before Conquest by China in 111 B.C. The Vietnamese people represent a fusion of races, languages, and cultures, the elements of which are still being sorted out by ethnologists, linguists, and archaeologists. As was true for most areas of Southeast Asia, the Indochina Peninsula was a crossroads for many migrations of peoples, including speakers of Austronesian, Mon-Khmer, and Tai languages (see fig. 2 ). The Vietnamese language provides some clues to the cultural mixture of the Vietnamese people. Although a separate and distinct language, Vietnamese borrows much of its basic vocabulary from Mon-Khmer, tonality from the Tai languages, and some grammatical features from both Mon-Khmer and Tai. Vietnamese also exhibits some influence from Austronesian languages, as well as large infusions of Chinese literary, political, and philosophical terminology of a later period. The area now known as Vietnam has been inhabited since Paleolithic times, with some archaeological sites in Thanh Hoa Province reportedly dating back several thousand years. Archaeologists link the beginnings of Vietnamese civilization to the late Neolithic, early Bronze Age, Phung-nguyen culture, which was centered in Vinh Phu Province of contemporary Vietnam from about 2000 to 1400 B.C. (see

13. Feature Articles - SPEAKING VOLUMES alphabetically on shelves according to specific categories, such as the historyof Vietnam, ethnology/enthography, linguistics and vietnamese mythology. http://www.gocvietnam.com/fa_speaking_volumes.html

Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm). Introduction Before you travel What to see Where to stay ... back SPEAKING VOLUMES (Vietnam Investment Review, Timeout, April 10-16, 2000). top Home Feature Articles Tourist Guides ... Keyword Search

14. VAS Hosts Tet Festival Approximately 150 revelers enjoyed diverse entertainment including ancient talesfrom vietnamese mythology as told by Dr. Bui, the songs of Kim Anh, Asian http://www.cognitrol.com/vas/Voices/v5n2/tetfest.htm

VAS Hosts Tet Festival Return to Front Page Watch Yourself! The Stare of the Tet Dragon On February 19th, VAS continued its Tet festival tradition by ushering in the Year of the Cat at George Washington University's Marvin Center. This year's event was co-sponsored by the Asia Society and GWU's Chinese American Student Association. Approximately 150 revelers enjoyed diverse entertainment including ancient tales from Vietnamese mythology as told by Dr. Bui, the songs of Kim Anh, Asian American LEAD dancers, Vietnamese food and costume (ao dais were everywhere), li xi or the giving of celebratory cash, and a climactic dragon dance. VAS Board Member Will Guterl emceed and VAS President Thanh-Thuy Nguyen wished a happy new year to all. After fighting modern traffic while dressed in traditional garb, Dr. Bui spoke of the mythic origins of Vietnam, of ancient customs, of the timelessness of human drama. AALEAD Dancers woo the crowd AALEAD dancers know how to woo a crowd. The colors, bells, sashes, and drums of the young dancers and the feminine grace of the white ao dai clad, parasol bearing teenagers each received approving roars from the crowd. Singer Kim Anh had everyone joining in as she sang of the homeland and of love. Kim Anh then called up the youngest members of the crowd to receive li xi. Before receiving their cash celebrating the New Year, each child had to address Kim Anh properly in Vietnamese. Then a dollar containing special envelope was slipped into the recipient's hand often eliciting an acknowledging squeal of delight.

15. Untitled To view a printable copy of this page, click here Note according tomy souces the Phoung of vietnamese mythology is the same bird. http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Labyrinth/8952/china.html

In China, the Phoenix is called either the "phuong" (male) or the "hoang" (female) but it is commonly called feng, and is represented by the feng-huang, symbolizing the union of Yin and Yang. Unlike other cultures, there can be two feng alive and they can live as a couple. This couple represents marital happiness and everlasting love. The Feng lives in the kingdom of the wise to the east of China . It's body is a composite of the five basic colors (green, red, yellow, white, black). It had a large bill, the neck of a snake, the back of a tortoise and the tail of a fish, and three legs. (Or in other versions, it has the crane's forehead, the fowl's bill, the neck of a snake, the shell of a tortoise, and the tigers stripes.) In it's bill it carried either the two scrolls or a box that contains the sacred books. The Feng is also sometimes pictured with a fireball. It's body is a composite of the six celestial bodies, the head symbolizes the sky, the eyes: the sun, the back: the moon, the wings: the wind, the feet: the earth , and the tail: the planets.

16. Darkfluidity He transplants the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet to present day New York City in “Findingthe Lost Children.” “Bui Doi” is immersed in vietnamese mythology. http://www.darkfluidity.com/reviewgerard3.htm

Garrett Peck Reviews Visions From A Shattered Lens originally published in Hellnotes Visions Through a Shattered Lens is the fourth and largest collection yet from one of horror’s most unique talents. Bursting at the seams with twenty largish tales, it is also the first Houarner collection to truly showcase the diversity of approach this author is capable of. Whereas Painfreak collected his hardcore tales, I Love You and There’s Nothing You Can Do About It concentrated on his psychological and philosophical terror tales and Black Orchids From Aum collected his dark fantasies concerning a cursed city, Visions Visions Through a Shattered Lens does indeed offer a skewed portrait of the realities, both seen and unseen, that encompass the mysteries of our existence. This is powerful, primal work by a far from ordinary writer. It taunts with concepts too large to fit on the screen of the mind’s eye, illuminating just enough of what can’t be clearly conceived to terrify and intrigue, while maintaining the essential mystery of enigma. This is the most definitive collection yet by an author who’s only begun his journey of morbid discovery. Visit Gerard Houarner

17. Tokyo Gets Physicist’s View Of Viet Nam’s White Knight Phu Dong Thien Vuong, the heavenly king of Phu Dong village, is acharacter from vietnamese mythology. Born into a peasant family http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/2002-10/24/Stories/25.htm

Population and Development Interview Stock Market Lifestyle ... October 24 in History Friday, October 25, 2002 National hero: Of the 800 artists presented, Dang is the only foreigner. His painting will be exhibited until October 31 alongside more than 2,000 others. Dang has held solo exhibitions twice in Japan: the first in Wako in 2001, and the second in Tokyo in February this year. The 130x162cm surrealist oil-on-canvas painting was designed by Dang in Japan while he was working at the Japanese Chemistry-Physics Institute. Dang has been awarded two doctorates in Nuclear Physics, and Mathematics and Physics, from Moscow University and spends most of his time on scientific research, but has also diligently followed an artistic path. Phu Dong Thien Vuong, the heavenly king of Phu Dong village, is a character from Vietnamese mythology. Born into a peasant family in northern Bac Ninh Province, he is believed to have lain in bed without saying a word for the first three years of his life. His first words came as he heard the news of a ravaging foreign invasion. VNS Back to Top

18. Economy News cake seems to wrap up all the quintessence of the rice grains, and possibly for thisreason, the marvellous cake has been in vietnamese mythology for thousands http://www.nhandan.org.vn/english/tet2002/bai-eco7.html

The pastoral fragrance of glutinous rice Pounding rice for making cakes. Glutinous rice represents a special variety of the rice strain of Vietnam. It made its presence felt all over the land of Vietnam as early as 4,000 years ago. Its fragrance has gone into mythology, since the Hung Kings, along with the round and square rice cakes and it has been closely connected with the fetes and festivals, and with the life and spirit of the Viet (the majority people of Vietnam) yesterday and today. According to recent studies, agronomists have found that the wild rice that the primitive Viet used as a food crop made its appearance in the country many thousands of years ago. However, it was not domesticated in the cultivation on the hillsides or in the flooded paddy fields until several millenniums later, about 6,000 years ago, during the Neolithic Age. In the Bronze Age, 4,000 years ago, the rice was classified into the glutinous and ordinary categories. Each variety is characterised by its adaptability to weather and cultivation conditions, hence the differences in its nutrition and processing. Among the varieties, the superior quality is concentrated in the glutinous rice, the best of all. Quite a few varieties have been discovered in the category of glutinous rice. According to the '

19. Akrydane's Journal all who enter. In vietnamese mythology, temples and monasterys andthe like were located in places like this. Remote, and far away http://www.livejournal.com/~twilight_aura

akrydane's journal Sunday, April 6th, 2003 8:54 pm MANY MANY POEMMSSSS!! (all from lit class) Okay, so as I mentioned before, I said that as soon as I was done with all of them, I would submit all of my poems from lit. here. After all, this place is a collection of all...er well MOST of my poetry. haha. Well here they are! My Poems! current mood: pleased 4 comments comment on this Thursday, April 3rd, 2003 8:32 pm Updating for the sake of...updating. ANNYWWAYYYY enough of speech and debate. to go onto my own life, NOTHING'S been happening. Oh yeah; I went to the doctor for my knees yesterday. He said that the pain was because I don't have enough thigh muscles above my knees, and so thus, my "knee caps aren't lifted high enough, and the friction between the joints and the knee caps is what causes the pain". So I have to do a bunch of leg lifts every day to build up muscles. Joy. Maybe I can just take advil every day; the doctor said it was virtually impossible to get addicted to it......hahaha. Moving on, I've been experimenting with making my own clothes (with the help of my MOM of course ^^). hahaha. I'm about 1/4 through with 2 um. articles of clothing. =OOOO do I hear my brother making coffee? uh back to the clothes topic, I've decided to do this because: 1. I can see how crap I am at all this

20. Customs & Culture Of Vietnam in Vietnam. The Vietnamese think he is a fabulous animal and representhim in Sinovietnamese mythology in the following manner. http://www.militaryliving.com/vietnam2/vietnamch10.htm

An Enduring Classic: Customs and Culture of Vietnam Chapter 10 FESTIVALS, HOLIDAYS, AND RECREATION IN THE countryside, away from the influence of the larger cities, there is no such thing as a five or six day work week. The peasants toil day in and day out, from dawn to dark, until the work is completed. Relief only comes with the advent of a national holiday or a special festival. The holidays and festivals are generally based on the lunar calendar. For this reason, their festivals may come on a different date each year by our Gregorian calendar. The Lunar Calendar As with the Chinese, the Vietnamese lunar calendar begins with the year 2637 B.C. It has 12 months of 29 or 30 days each, and the year totals 355 days. At approximately every third year, an extra month is included between the third and fourth months. This is to reconcile the lunar calendar with the solar one. The Vietnamese like the lunar calendar because they can be sure of a full moon on the 15 th day of each month. in their everyday life, however, they use the Gregorian calendar. Unlike our centuries of 100 years, the Vietnamese calendar is divided into 60-year periods called "Hoi."

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