Vietnamese Fairytales and Folktales

A long time ago, there was a good-for-nothing husband who mooched off his wife, his neighbors, and anyone else he could find. Fed up, one day his wife said to him, "I've worked my hands to the bone, and I have had enough! Go learn a trade and support yourself because I won't do it anymore!"He may have been lazy, but the loafer was also clever. He tricked his wife and neighbors into believing that he was a master sniffersomeone who could find anything using only his sense of smell. His fame spread far and wide, but when a theft occurred at the palace and the king summoned him to find the missing treasures, the loafer risked exposure as a fraudwhich could cost him more than just his pride.Will the loafer be able to solve this mystery, or will he face punishment for his lies this time? Find out in this classic folk tale of the infamous Master Sniffer!

Le Loi's exploits to repel China's Ming forces from Dai Viet (a territory that is part of present-day Vietnam) is well known throughout history. However, history often overlooks that his fiery will for freedom from oppression was also backed by the Will of Heaven. Le Loi and his rebels did not fight the Mings alone. The magic sword called Thuan Thien-a loan from the Dragon King, Long Vuong-played no small part in that victory.Those in later dynasties would come to see this as fiction, but those who fought alongside Le Loi knew the truth. The sword of conquest was ultimately returned, since a weapon that powerful could not remain in the realm of humans. The remnant of that act resides in modern-day Vietnam at Ho Hoan Kiem, or the Lake of the Returned Sword.