In Vietnamese folklore, an ancient legend has been passed down through generations to explain the yearly floods that sweep across the country’s lowlands. This is the powerful and poetic tale of Sơn Tinh and Thủy Tinh, the Mountain God and the Water God, and their fierce rivalry for the love of a princess. Long ago, during the reign of the 18th King Hùng, a beautiful princess named Mị Nương captured the hearts of many. Two extraordinary suitors came forward to ask for her hand: Sơn Tinh, the God of the Mountains, with the power to raise mountains, command animals, and shape the earth itself, and Thủy Tinh, the God of Water, who controlled rivers, summoned rainstorms, and ruled the vast aquatic realms.
Faced with these two powerful contenders, the king devised a challenge to decide who would marry his daughter. He demanded that the suitor who brought the wedding gifts he requested by sunrise the next day would win Mị Nương’s hand. The list of gifts was rare and symbolic, including 100 trays of sticky rice, 200 square glutinous rice cakes called bánh chưng, nine ivory-tusked elephants, nine spurred roosters, and nine red-maned horses. Sơn Tinh, master of the land, arrived first with all the offerings, earning the king’s approval and the princess’s hand in marriage.
However, when Thủy Tinh arrived shortly after and found he had lost, his fury ignited. Determined to reclaim the princess, he summoned torrential rains and rising rivers that flooded the kingdom. Sơn Tinh stood firm, raising the mountains higher each time the waters rose to protect his people and his bride. This fierce battle between the Mountain God and the Water God raged for days, with rain lashing the earth, rivers overflowing, and wind howling through valleys. Eventually, Thủy Tinh was forced to retreat, but his anger never faded.
The legend explains that Thủy Tinh returns every year, sending floods to the lowlands in his eternal grudge against Sơn Tinh. This myth beautifully accounts for the seasonal monsoons and flooding that Vietnam experiences annually, portraying the natural forces as a continuous struggle between earth and water. Beyond its fantastical elements, the story carries deeper messages: it reflects nature’s cycles, with mountains symbolizing strength and rivers representing unpredictable forces; it honors human resilience, as Sơn Tinh’s determination mirrors the Vietnamese people's fight against natural disasters; and it teaches lessons about patience, rivalry, and perseverance, reminding us that even great power can be challenged by time and emotion.
The legend of Sơn Tinh and Thủy Tinh is more than just a myth. It is a cultural treasure blending romance, rivalry, and the untamed forces of nature into a story that remains relevant today. For those exploring Vietnamese folklore, this tale stands tall like the mountains and flows deep like the rivers it describes.