CC BY
41CULTUROLOGy
BELIEF IN WORSHIPING HUNG KINGS IN THE NATIONAL CULTURAL INDENTITY OF
VIETNAM
Nguyen Tran Tan Hiep
Student,
Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Tyumen
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6882245
Abstract
Belief in worshiping the Hung Kings is a unique spiritual culture of the Vietnamese people recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. In the cultural and historical flow of Vietnam, the worship of Hung Kings has been formed and developed for a long time, with the center being the Hung Temple festival in the cultural and spiritual space of Hung Temple, Hy Cuong Commune, Viet Tri City, Phu Tho Province, Vietnam. The author gave an overview of Hung King worshiping beliefs in all aspects such as: research area, origin, history of formation and development, rituals....Not only a cultural feature, the worship of Hung Kings is also a factor to form, preserve and develop the national cultural identity.
Keywords: Belief in worshiping Hung King, Hung Temple, strength of unity, cultural identity.
I. Overview of the belief in worshiping the Hung Kings
1. Research area
The Hung King worshiping ceremony is held annually on the 10th day of the third lunar month at the historical site of Hung Temple, Hy Cuong commune, Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province. This is a historical land containing tangible and intangible cultural vestiges of the Vietnamese nation. It is the place where typical ar-cheological relics of the Hung Kings period appear such as Phung Nguyen, Dong Dau, Go Mun, Lang Ca... Indeed, this is a majestic and spiritual land, worthy of the first capital of the ancient state of Vietnam.
Nghia Linh mountain where the historical site of Hung Temple is located is 175m high, surrounded by a vast area near the Viet Tri junction. On the right is Khang Phu hill that looks like a winding dragon. Behind Nghia Linh mountain, there are large hills close to each other, up to 10km long like a herd of elephants adoring to "origin land", in front is Bach Hac junction with the confluence of three largest rivers in the North: Red River, Lo River and Da rivers create an immense water area. In the far east is the overlapping Tam Dao range (mother mountain), far to the south is the towering Ba Vi range (father mountain). The scenery is spectacular and majestic, the land is full of sacred air, rivers and mountains. Standing on top of Nghia Linh mountain, we can cover a large area with beautiful scenery of charming mountains. Legend has it that King Hung went everywhere, coming here to choose to build the capital.
2. The origin of Vietnamese people's belief in worshiping Hung Kings
The origin of the belief in worshiping the Hung King is from the ancestor worship of the Vietnamese people. From worshiping grandparents, parents, and dead people, Vietnamese people raise their ancestral beliefs by worshiping people who have contributed to the country with the concept: those who have deaded away despite living in a different world but always watch over and protect their children and grandchildren, protect the country of Vietnam. King Hung is the "Father" of the Vietnamese people, the one who gave
birth to the country of Vietnam, the worship of King Hung is in accordance with the thousand-year-old morality of the Vietnamese people, which is " When you drink water, remember the source".
The sense of belief in worshiping the Hung King has permeated the thoughts and actions of the Vietnamese community and has been handed down from generation to generation. The image of King Hung has been closely associated with the sacred soul of Vietnamese rivers and mountains. Thousands of years ago, the Hung Kings chose Nghia Linh mountain, the highest mountain in the ancient Van Lang capital area, to perform rituals according to the beliefs of the agricultural residents at that time. Later, to remember the merits of the Hung Kings, their descendants built temples to worship them with the desire to express gratitude. From the center of worshiping the first kings on Nghia Linh mountain, the belief of worshiping Hung Vuong gradually spread throughout the provinces of Vietnam and countries with Vietnamese living in the world. On the 10th day of the third lunar month, Vietnamese people eagerly make a big pilgrimage, the pilgrimage to the " origin land", to the core values of the nation. Especially with the attention of the Vietnamese Party and State at present, the Hung King worshiping ritual is increasingly expanded and developed, becoming a national holiday of the Vietnamese people, a unique cultural feature that Vietnam enjoys always preserves and promotes.
3. Worshiping ceremony of Hung Kings
The ritual of worshiping the Hung Kings is most prominently expressed through the Hung Temple Festival or the Hung Kings's Death Anniversary. This great spiritual activity of the Vietnamese is performed on the 10th day of the third lunar month at the historical site of Hung Temple (Phu Tho). Every year, the Hung Kings's Death Anniversary is held in a traditional form to protect the heritage of Vietnamese culture.
In 1995, the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam issued a document on the organization of major festivals in the year, including the Hung Temple Festival. In Decree No.
82/2001/ND-CP dated November 6, 2001 of the Government on State ceremonies and welcoming foreign guests. In the Decree, there are regulations but main activities to celebrate major holidays, in which Article 6 stipulates that Hung King's death anniversary is celebrated in odd, round, and even years according to the solar calendar.
Odd years: The People's Committee of Phu Tho province organizes a festival, invites leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to attend the incense offering ceremony and organize activities on the Hung Kings's Death Anniversary.
Round year: The People's Committee of Phu Tho province organizes a festival and invites representatives of the leaders of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the State, the Government and the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to attend the incense offering ceremony.
Even years: The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism cooperates with the People's Committee of Phu Tho province to organize the festival, inviting representatives of leaders of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the State, the Government and the National Assembly of the Republic of Vietnam Socialist Vietnam attended the incense offering ceremony. For these years, the worshiping ceremony of Hung Vuong was held as a national ceremony. The highest representative of the Party is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam or the highest representative of the State is the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam who will preside over the incense offering ceremony.
The organization of Hung King's death anniversary is very strict, including two parts: ceremony and festival.
3.1 Ceremonial part
The ceremonial part of worshipers worshiping the Hung King in the Hung Temple Festival is represented by two main rituals: the palanquin procession and the incense offering ceremony.
3.1.1 Palanquin procession
Includes many colorful flags, parasols, flowers, and traditional costumes Each procession of palanquins starts at the foot of the mountain, then passes through the temples to the Upper Temple.
Along with the development of the economy and society of the country, the Party and Government of Phu Tho province and the local people have paid attention to the formation of the procession of offerings in the celebration of the Hung King's Ancestral Anniversary. form with the motto: Being both national and modern, preserving traditional rites and absorbing contemporary rites, but in line with Hung King worshiping beliefs, still ensuring dignified and successful glasses.
3.1.2 Incense offering ceremony
The ceremony of offering incense and flowers by delegations of the Party, Government and localities nationwide was solemnly held at Thuong Temple. From the afternoon of the 9th, every village that was allowed by the Festival Organizing Committee to process the
palanquin to offer the ceremony gathered at the museum at the foot of the mountain, on the palanquin to place the offerings. Early in the morning of the 10th, the delegations gathered at a place in Viet Tri city, led by a military car carrying a wreath, marching to the foot of Hung Mountain. The delegations lined up neatly behind the ceremony palanquin, in turn went to the temple. Arriving in front of the "Dien Kinh Thien", the group stopped and respectfully offered offerings to the upper palace of the Thuong temple. A comrade who leads the province (in even-numbered years is the head of state or the representative of the Ministry of Culture), on behalf of the province and the people of the country, reads the worship of the ancestors. People offer offerings in temples and pagodas on the mountain, everyone has the heart to pray for their ancestors to witness and protect their children and grandchildren.
The offerings to worship the same Hung King include products associated with the Hung King era and bearing the characteristics of Vietnamese culture.
Vegetarian Feast: 18 "Banh Chung", 18 "Banh Day"1. The number 18 represents the 18 Hung Kings. In addition, there are fruits and specialties of each locality such as honey cake, gai cake, and fragrant flowers, sweet fruit, betel nut, clean water... for offerings.
In addition to the vegetarian ceremony, according to tradition and according to "the theory of three births", the offerings to worship Hung King are prepared including: Pork, beef, and goat meat. However, to suit the situation of each locality, to avoid waste, the present offering is usually a pig's head with white sticky rice or a rooster with white sticky rice and white wine.
Incense and flowers: According to folk beliefs, incense symbolizes " nothingness", fresh flowers represent "nature", clear water symbolizes "pure", candle lights represent "change in the right direction". That is, the above four items speak to the basic concept of traditional beliefs: purity, unconditioned, natural, change in the right direction.
3.2 Festival part
This is also the part that people love very much, especially for those of the younger generation. Opening every year is almost always the palanquin competition of the surrounding villages. The enthusiastic participation makes the atmosphere of the festive season seem to be greatly enhanced. Because everyone will consider and judge which village's palanquin is the most beautiful, next year, that village's palanquin will be lucky for the rest of the villages to be carried to the Thuong temple for the ceremony. It is a great honor for the village that won the first prize because according to the custom, the village with the chosen palanquin will have a lot of luck in the year of business, and be blessed by the gods. Thereby, we can clearly see the characteristics of the spiritual life of the villages around the foot of Hung mountain in particular and the Vietnamese people in general.
During the festival, we will easily see the Xoan singing ceremony. This is a very unique ceremony that only exists here because according to history, this is a singing dance loved by Mrs. Lan Xuan - the wife of
1 These are two types of cakes, according to Vietnamese legend, created under the Hung Kings, often used as sacrifices.
King Ly Than Tong and has many contributions to the song2. This became the worship song at the temples of King Hung. Not only Xoan singing, but also in Ha temple, there is also Ca Tru singing. This is the same type of traditional singing of our Vietnamese people. With a wide variety of games, visitors to the festival can enjoy whatever they like. Folklore games are selectively preserved, such as ferris wheel, wrestling, cock fighting, crossbow shooting, palanquin procession, fire pulling, cooking contest, and chess (human chess). Next to it is the stage of professional art troupes: cheo singing, drama, quan ho singing. Festival is the place for cultural exchanges between regions. For example, young people often choose to swing on swings made of sturdy bamboo. In the evening, those who love to sing can join together in songs of opposites, love songs, cheo singing, right at the courtyard of Ha temple or Gieng temple. With so many useful activities, every year the number of visitors to Hung Temple is extremely large. Everyone wants to go to the place of worship of the ancestors of the country once to show their respect.
Belief in worshiping Hung Kings is a type of social customary heritage which is registered by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Belief in worshiping Hung Vuong plays an important role in the development of the Vietnamese nation.
II. Belief in worshiping Hung Kings in the formation, preservation and promotion of Vietnamese cultural identity
1. The role of worshiping beliefs of Hung Kings in the formation of Vietnamese national cultural identity
1.1 The role of worshiping beliefs of Hung Kings in the formation of customs and practices of the Vietnamese people
First, the belief in worshiping the Hung King is the source of the formation of Vietnamese customs and habits. We can see a lot of customs and habits formed under the reign of Hung Vuong but persisted strongly to this day, typical among them are: betel nut eating custom, tooth dyeing custom, tattooing custom .... and some important customs in New Year celebrations, weddings...
Eating betel nut is a popular custom in East Asian, South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, but in Vietnam this custom was formed when the first state of Vietnam was established, over thousands of years and was hold up to this day. The custom of eating betel nut in Vietnam is also different from other parts of the world, it has been elevated as a traditional culture of Vietnamese residents with a deep human meaning inside. Betel nut appears a lot in the daily life of Vietnamese people. As the ancients said "Betel nut is the beginning of the story", betel nut is used to invite guests to the house. he tray of offerings to the ancestors is also indispensable for a piece of betel nut. The wedding party has a plate of betel nut to share the joy. The betel
2 Online newspaper of Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, Phu Tho Xoan singing: representative intangible
cultural heritage of mankind, 27/02/2019. [URL: http://www.vufo.org.vn/Hat-xoan-Phu-Tho-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-dai-dien-cua-nhan-loai-43-4195.html?lang=vn]
nut is also a symbol of the couple's love; Betel nut is at the forefront of cooperation for couples and is the link that ties a boy and girl into a husband and wife relationship. To bring the ceremony to the bride's family, the groom's family cannot lack betel leaves and areca berries.
According to the custom of eating betel nut, when guests come to the house, the host must first bring a bowl of water with a spoon for the guest to rinse their mouth. Then, the host brought a tray of betel nut to the guest. On the tray there are betel leaves, areca berries,
lime jars, small knives.....At the foot is always a large
spittoon for guests to spit betel nut, betel nut water. If the guest is a middle-aged person, they can chew the betel nut directly and enjoy the spicy and aromatic flavor of the betel nut, while the elderly must crush the betel nut to make it easier to eat. Betel nut utensils are usually made of materials such as copper, silver.... Decorative patterns of betel nut eating utensils are usually patterns and carvings of the country's landscape, flowers, or animals.3
Not only a custom, but betel-eating of Vietnamese people has been elevated to become an art: the art of making betel nut with phoenix wings.
To make a beautiful piece of betel nut requires the betel nut maker to be skillful, fold the betel nut square. Talking about betel nut shaped with phoenix wings is referring to the piece of betel nut in Kinh Bac region. The same ingredients, but the way of beauty and style, has shown the ingenuity of the daughters of Kinh Bac. Therefore, the betel nut has a special appeal and leaves a deep impression on anyone, even once invited. Seeing how the betel nut does, one can judge the personality and temperament of the betel nut maker. When making betel nut with phoenix wings, people still use the ingredients of betel leaf, areca and lime, but these dishes are arranged with sophisticated and stylish shapes. This shows both the luxury of betel nut during the holidays, as well as the ingenuity of Kinh Bac women. These pieces of betel nut are attractive at first sight and leave a deep impression on the invitees.
To this day, although the custom of eating betel nut and inviting betel nut is less common than in the past, betel leaf still carries a certain profound meaning in many fields such as medicine, social psychology, traditional national identity, etc. The betel nut is just dish although simple, it is still an indispensable thing in filial piety, friendship, sacrifice, and wedding, because the betel nut has imprinted with Vietnamese culture.
In addition to the custom of eating betel nut which is still quite popular today, this period also formed a number of other customs such as dyeing teeth, tattooing....
The custom of dying teeth black of the Vietnamese was formed during the Hung King period with the aesthetic view of this period towards women. Not only that, it is the national consciousness in distinguishing the two cultures of the South (Vietnam) and the North
3 Binh Nguyen, The custom of eating betel nut - Traditional cultural beauty, Online newspaper of Ha Nam province, 30/09/2017 [URL: https://baohanam.com.vn/van-hoa/di-san/phong-tuc-an-trau-net-dep-van-hoa-truyen-thong-4759.html]
(China)4 As an old Vietnamese, whether male or female from 16 to 17 years old, they had to dye their teeth black. The dyeing of teeth black has become a law, popular among the people, except for young children who must not also dye their teeth black, no one can resist the above rule. If you break the law, you will be ostracized by the community. If it is only based on an aesthetic point of view, it is personal, but when it becomes law, it has a different meaning, nationalistic. In this context, wars are always taking place between our country and the feudal government of the North, so there is only one correct way to understand it, which is the sense of cultural distinction between the North and the South and against assimilation. Of course, in this day and age, teeth dyeing only exists in some ethnic minorities or some rural areas in Vietnam or can only be seen in some elderly women.
As for the custom of tattooing, it can be said that this is an ancient Vietnamese custom that is completely different from the current tattoo art. This custom was previously a well-defined law, but since the reign of King Tran Anh Tong, it has been removed in the laws, existing only in the form of custom. Vietnamese people get tattoos because of their origins as a community of residents living near big rivers and seas with the main occupation being fishermen. Therefore, the ancient Vietnamese people often tattooed images of sea monsters, or river and sea gods in the hope of protecting themselves from fishing trips. Today, tattooing is an art of young people, but the Vietnamese custom of tattooing is still preserved in fishing villages, fishermen....
1.2 The role of worshiping Hung Kings in the formation of Vietnamese cuisine
For a country's cultural identity, cuisine is always an important factor, and Vietnam is no exception to that trend. With a strong cultural interference, combining Eastern and Western cuisines, Vietnamese cuisine still has its own identity that is nowhere to be found. That was formed from the period of building the first country of the Vietnamese people with dishes handed down for thousands of years.
Typical among them, definitely must have Banh Chung and Banh Day. These are two dishes formed from the Hung Kings period with a story full of humanity about the country and people of Vietnam. These two dishes are often used in the traditional New Year holidays of the Vietnamese people, which are indispensable on every Vietnamese table.
Banh Chung, Banh Day preserved by Vietnamese people for 4000 years to this day is not only a traditional dish, but it also contains a deep inner meaning of life that the Vietnamese ancestors left behind.
As an agricultural country, so Banh Chung and Banh Day packed an entire agricultural civilization at that time inside. The outside of the Danh Chung is a large leaf available in nature, the inside is made from glutinous rice, green beans, onions, pork,... are all traditional cooking ingredients of the nation. The square cake, packed with the quintessence of heaven and earth, appears on New Year's Day as to express gratitude to
heaven and earth for favorable rain and wind, for a bountiful harvest to bring a prosperous life to people.
Not only that, Banh Chung also has a deep human meaning. According to the concept of the ancient Vietnamese, the land is square and the sky is round, so Banh Chung is made in a square shape to represent the mother earth. The main ingredient of Banh Chung is made from rice, which is the main product of the wet rice civilization. That reminds me of the preciousness of the rice grain to the lives of Vietnamese people. Green beans and pork represent plants, flowers, and animals that multiply and develop on the motherland. All are surrounded by a large leaf that represents the unity of the Vietnamese people, no matter how difficult and difficult it is, the Vietnamese people are still united and help each other to overcome difficulties challenges.
As for Banh Day with its round shape, white color, and an arc on the top like the sky, the ancient Vietnamese believed that the sky was the residence of the gods, so banh day was often used to sacrifice to heaven and to the gods hope the weather is favorable, for a warm and prosperous year.
Today, they are indispensable dishes in every Vietnamese New Year. In particular, these traditional dishes have been preserved and preserved by the overseas Vietnamese community. Even though they are far from the country, the materials are difficult, but on the traditional New Year day of the nation, any family, Every Vietnamese community in the world tries to make this traditional dish as a way to remember their cultural identity.
2. The role of worshipers of Hung Kings in preserving and developing Vietnamese national culture
Over thousands of years of history, the worship of Hung Kings has always played an important role in the development of the Vietnamese nation. It can be said that the belief of worshiping Hung Kings is not like any other religion, there is no doctrine or dogma, but all people with Vietnamese blood worship it.
2.1 Belief in worshiping Hung Kings is the glue that binds the community together, creating the strength of national unity
There are many beliefs that coexist in an agricultural country like Vietnam. But it can be said that no religion has the ability to unite the community beyond space and time like the worship of Hung Vuong. Originating from the land of Phu Tho, the belief of worshiping Hung Vuong follows in the footsteps of the people who went to reclaim land in the Central and Southern regions. Up to now, there have been about 1417 Hung Vuong worshiping establishments throughout the mountains and the plains. Not stopping there, this belief is also carried by Vietnamese people when they reside abroad. In particular, the state of California in the US is one of the major Hung Kings worship centers of the overseas Vietnamese community. With such a pervasive power, it is rare for a religion to be able to unite a large community in space like the worship of Hung Kings. In 1470 with the establishment of the Hung King's genealogy, the Hung king dynasties were officially honored, the Hung kings were considered as the
4 Vietravel tourism newsletter, The Vietnamese custom of dyeing teeth black, 2006 [URL:
https://www.vietravel.com/vn/van-hoa-phong-tuc/tuc-nhuom-rang-den-cua-nguoi-viet-v243. aspx]
ancestors of the nation. Through the Le - Trinh, Tay Son, and Nguyen dynasties, up to this day and in the future, this belief is still persistent and is the unifying thread of the Vietnamese community. Hung Vuong has become a symbol of the cohesive roots of the ethnic community.
The question is: why did King Hung become a symbol of the source of national unity? Why not another spiritual symbol but Hung King? We know that, in the early days of the founding of the country, the Vietnamese have built for themselves fundamental ideologies that are oriented to the spiritual life of the whole nation. These ideologies are embedded in spiritual symbols by the Vietnamese: A Saint Giong symbolizing passionate patriotism and a strong spirit against foreign invaders; a Son Tinh represents the courage to fight and improve nature. All these spiritual symbols are valuable in uniting the community, but none of them is capable of uniting the entire nation including ethnic groups, classes, across space and time as the symbol of King Hung. The building of a symbol of national cohesion stems from the fact that in history, Vietnam often had to fight against foreign invaders, and feudal dynasties always emphasized the need to build a common ideology and belief to serve as the foundation for the nation the foundation of national unity. And any dynasty in the history of Vietnam must preserve and uphold the worship of Hung Kings as the top priority. The fact that King Hung became a symbol of the origin of national unity and not another spiritual symbol was for two reasons:
First of all, there is a blood relationship between Hung Vuong and the Vietnamese people. From the legends of Lac Long Quan and Au Co, it is shown that all Vietnamese people share the same origin with the Hung Kings, born from the hundred eggs of Au Co's mother and father Lac Long Quan. From worshiping Hung Vuong, we get the meaning of "dong bao". When standing in front of the altar of the Hung Kings, all Vietnamese people, whether in the country or abroad, feel close and close. Because they are the descendants of the Hung kings and in them are flowing the same Lac Hong blood. Using the blood relationship as a symbol of community cohesion is the smart behavior of the feudal dynasties because it is very reasonable and ethical for the Vietnamese people. For Vietnamese people, there is nothing that is both sacred and closely linked like family. Here, with the worship of Hung Kings, it is clear that the national community has become a "big family". Because it is a "big family", the solidarity will be extremely stable.
Second, the Hung Kings were the ones who laid the first bricks in the cause of nation building, establishing the first state in Vietnamese history. The Hung Kings represent the historical and cultural roots of the nation.
Community cohesion has created the strength of national unity. The strength of national unity gained
from community cohesion is the strength from the worship of Hung Kings. The strength of this solidarity is of great significance in the cause of struggle against foreign invaders. A country that is not large, people are not many, and its economic potential is much weaker than that of its opponents, Vietnam cannot defeat the enemy with military strength. Vietnamese people must make the most of the soft power of culture, diplomacy, and value system, including the strength of solidarity. It can be said that, in the early days of history, when our people only knew how to uses bamboo as a weapon to fight the enemy, the spirit of solidarity created an extremely effective strength that made the enemy lose their will. Even according to historian Duong Trung Quoc: "The belief in worshiping the Hung King is also associated with all patriotic movements in the twentieth century. Specifically, on the eve of the August revolution, patriotic intellectual organizations such as the General Association of Vietnamese Students, the Association for the Propagation of the Quoc Ngu script, and the Vietnamese Scout Movement. . . also gather forces with a ceremony"5. Belief in worshiping Hung Kings became the spiritual support for the gathering of revolutionary forces. It can be said that it is the strength created from this belief, combined with the strength of the military, that has created a synergy that leads to victory over enemy invasions, especially victories in wars against France and the United States. Today, when the enemy is using "peaceful evolution" to destroy our state, we cannot use military force to deal with it, but we must use the cultural and diplomatic strength of a nation brave to respond. And each Vietnamese when remembering the Hung Kings seems to be energized by the blood of Lac Hong, more united with the determination to preserve the achievements that the Hung Kings have built since the early days of history.
2.2 Belief in worshiping Hung Vuong is a sharp weapon in the defense of national cultural identity.
Not only is it an important factor leading to the strong community solidarity of the nation, the worship of Hung Vuong is also a sharp weapon in the persistent struggle of the Vietnamese people to protect their culture and national identity.
It can be said that the protection of cultural identity is vital for each nation and nation. By losing independence, a nation still exists, but losing its cultural identity will completely perish. The enemy invaded Vietnam not only for the purpose of occupying land and natural resources, but also for a malicious conspiracy to assimilate the entire nation. Therefore, thousands of years of efforts to fight for national independence are also thousands of years of Vietnamese people's efforts to protect their cultural identity as a proof of their sustainable existence in the wider world. And one of the measures to combat the assimilation conspiracy is nothing more effective than using the strength and bravery of the national cultural identity, in which the worship of Hung Vuong is one of the most important factors the source of that power. Professor Luu Tran Tieu said: "There are
5 Minh Chau, 2012, Hung Kings Worship: a chance to become a World Heritage Site [ URL: https://thethao-vanhoa.vn/van-hoa/tin-nguong-tho-hung-vuong-co-hoi-tro-thanh-di-san-the-gioi-n20120331095352405.htm]
few places in the world where there is a unique form of ancestor worship like in Vietnam, which makes us see it as a social phenomenon with its own identity, contributing to the value system spiritual values and cultural bravery in Vietnam"6 Because after all, the belief of worshiping Hung Kings is the crystallization of the form of worshiping ancestors, worshiping parents, worshiping people with meritorious services with the mind of people " when drinking water, remember the source, when eating fruit, remember who planted the tree". Worshiping parents, worshiping people who have made meritorious services to the people and the country is the identity of Vietnamese beliefs, as well as the identity of Vietnamese culture. This identity creates the strength and bravery of Vietnamese culture, resisting all attempts to assimilate.
The role of worshiping the Hung Kings in the struggle to protect the national culture has been shown very clearly and has been further strengthened by the history of the nation. Professor Tran Van Giau pointed out that the worship of Hung Kings is one of the five factors that saved the ancient Van Lang inhabitants from being assimilated after more than a thousand years of Northern domination: "people's affection for each other; founding a nation by union; for the country but willing to sacrifice himself; destroy the evil for the peace of the people; ancestor and hero worship. Those are the spiritual weapons, the most basic cultural weapons created by the Van Lang people, the weapons that have contributed to saving Van Lang after more than a thousand years of Northern domination have not been assimilated, but have been revived with stronger national identity, with stronger national vitality"7 . Specifically, after more than a thousand years of Northern domination, through the Dinh, Ly, and Tran dynasties, especially under Le Thanh Tong, the worship of Hung Vuong was nationalized and became a symbol of the cultural revival nationalization. It can be said that the nationalization of this beliefs meets the needs of a country that is asserting its independence and autonomy in a position of counterbalance to a larger country that has just escaped the yoke of occupation.
Today, in the trend of globalization, many countries have come up with strategies to strengthen their cultural strength. In the whirlwind of globalization, the risk of cultural assimilation is great. It will be very dangerous if at some point Vietnamese people only know how to eat, dress, stay, travel and even have a spiritual life. . . just like the Chinese, Koreans or any other country. Promoting the very strength of the national culture is a way for us not to be dissolved and discolored in the whirlwind of globalization, and also a way to Vietnam-eseize imported cultural values. In that context, the worship of Hung Kings continues to spread throughout the country, to many countries and territories, and especially becomes an intangible cultural heritage of mankind, which has proved the enduring vitality of it and it is also the eternal vitality of Vietnamese culture.
The existence and strong influence of Hung Kings worshiping beliefs become a sharp weapon in affirming the national cultural identity, as a testament to the intense vitality of the spiritual life of Vietnam, becoming a dyke to prevent the assimilation trend as well as strengthen the strength of Vietnamese culture in the international arena.
Conclusion
Belief in worshiping Hung King is a unique feature in the spiritual culture of the Vietnamese community. Every year, on the 10th day of the third lunar month, the Vietnamese community makes a big pilgrimage to return to its roots. The spiritual space of worshiping Hung Kings is most prominently expressed through the Hung Temple festival.
The Vietnamese people are agricultural inhabitants, so there are many different religions and beliefs in Vietnam, but the worship of Hung Kings has a profound value. Not only does it have a spiritual element, but it also has historical significance and deep humanitarian value. It is the belief of worshiping the Hung King that is one of the factors that bind the Vietnamese ethnic community together, creating a great source of strength so that the Vietnamese can do great things in history. A small people in Asia with limited potential has triumphed over the great empires of the world. A small nation can confidently confront its larger neighbors to protect the sacred sovereignty of its nation. And a small people, able to conquer the plague, is one of the safe addresses of the world. That is the unity of the Vietnamese people. At the same time, the worship of Hung Kings also creates a cultural source that helps Vietnam avoid the assimilation plots of foreign cultural sources and maintain the Vietnamese national identity.
References
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6 Many authors, 2012, Hung Vuong and Hung Vuong worshiping beliefs (research works), volume 1, Culture and In-
formation Publishing House, page 739
7 Many authors, 2012, Hung Vuong and Hung Vuong worshiping beliefs (research works), volume 1, Culture and Information Publishing House, page 556
