(This is 4th, in the series of Haunted Trees in Vietnam.) Of all the trees I have covered thus far, The Kraik Protector Tree is the only one that is no longer alive. It is dead, not because of old age or disease––but because it was murdered. Why do I say 'murdered' instead of 'killed'... Continue Reading →
Taobabe Dictionary A note to my readers: Before I get into the next posting, I need to define a term for you that you may not be familiar with. It will be a quick post (I hope), so hang on for just a few... I'm sure you've noticed by now that I'm not one to... Continue Reading →
On the banks of the Thu Bồn River in Hội An, Vietnam is a hidden gem of a place called Nghê Prana Villa & Spa. I accidentally stumbled across it when I needed to stay a couple of nights during a trip to Bà Nà Hills a few months ago (more on this site in a... Continue Reading →
The Three-Boats Island is a rare jewel within a two-hour drive from the Pearl of the Orient. Located in the zone between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer, this area is a tropical paradise, mostly for the locals due to its close proximity to Sài Gòn. I've been wanting to write about this island... Continue Reading →
There is an ancient tale--more like a myth really--that has to do with two non-human entities called Sơn Tinh (the mountain god) and Thủy Tinh (the water god). My family told me of this tale (and other) myths and legends when I was a kid, so I knew the gist of this story which was quite... Continue Reading →
(Continued from Following the Ancient Scent of Trầm Hương 1) In one of my previous posts, Following the Ancient Scent of Trầm Hương 1, I touched upon the agarwood tree and how oud was processed. This post digs deeper into the dendrology (study of trees) of agarwood and the various types of agar resins. Ancient Origins... Continue Reading →
Every culture around the world has a Great Deluge or Great Flood tale. For the Europeans, it was Noah's Flood and for the Hindus, it was the manvantara-sandhya. The Mesopotamians have their own flood stories that are very similar to the Native Americans in North America's recounting of a Great Flood. There is also the... Continue Reading →
The Seven Necessities In ancient Viet culture, there is a very famous old saying: Quan môn thất kiện sự, sài, mễ, du, diêm, tương, thố, trà” When translated, it means, "The seven necessities to begin a day: firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea." It was very underwhelming to be honest. What in... Continue Reading →
I have a very ancient multi-millennial ancestral grandpa. His name is Khương Thạch Niên (姜石年). Most folks know him as the farmer god. Yes. THAT farmer god known as Thần Nông (aka Shennong), the same one who gave us tea (among other things). Now, I don't like people who falsely claim famous relatives just to... Continue Reading →
(Continued from Ancient Viet 2: Sunken Paradise) As a young Viet-American child growing up smack dab in the middle of the US (New Orleans no less), I quite often identified with the Vietnamese/Chinese community living in and around the south because there weren't really that many of us Asians in that part of the neighborhood... Continue Reading →
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