SUVANNABHUMI (수완나부미)

Korea Institute for ASEAN Studies (부산외대 아세안연구원)
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The Symbol of Hùng Kings: From a Founding Myth to Modern National Belief

  • Received : 2022.07.20
  • Accepted : 2023.01.12
  • Published : 2023.01.31
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Abstract

Using sociohistorical approaches, the paper shows that before the 15th century, myths of Hùng Kings, considered to be the descendants of the Dragon race and ancestors of the Vietnamese people, may have existed locally. Vietnamese rulers and people strongly supported the integration of these myths into indigenous culture to form a new belief: the worship of Hùng Kings. By way of discovering the transformation process from the founding myths to the modern national beliefs of the Vietnamese, this paper attempts to demonstrate that both myths and worship of Hùng Kings were politically created and encouraged. The article also focuses on the reasons why these myths and worship reached a broad public as these were integrated into Vietnamese culture.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research was funded by Hue University under grant number DHH2022- 03-168. This paper is also based on the author's thesis that is planned to be submitted to Hue University.

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