[2] Its reaffirmation of Vietnam's traditional moral virtues, at a time when Vietnamese society was facing the French invasion, had great popular appeal.

"[3] Here is his summary: As the story opens, Lục Vân Tiên, the main character, says goodbye to his teacher at the Confucian school and sets off for the capital to take the examinations to become a mandarin.

Wandering blind and unprotected around the countryside, he becomes an easy victim for deceitful fortune tellers, medicine men, and sorcerers who trick him out of his money.

She is saved by the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin, Phật Bà Quan Âm), who removes her from the water and places her in a garden of flowers.

The aging caretaker of the garden befriends her, but when his son (Bùi Kiệm) makes advances, she flees, finally finding refuge in the home of a kind old woman.

This summary in English proves the maxim "To translate is to betray," not only because the rich elaborating detail and the music of verse are lost but also because it fails to evoke in Western listeners certain prior texts a knowledge of which is essential to proper appreciation.

The first six lines of the poem are: 𠓀Trước炳đèn䀡xem傳truyện西Tây銘Minh𠓀 炳 䀡 傳 西 銘Trước đèn xem truyện Tây Minh唫Gẫm唭cười𠄩hai𡨸chữ人nhân情tình𢰳éo囄le唫 唭 𠄩 𡨸 人 情 𢰳 囄Gẫm cười hai chữ nhân tình éo le𪠠Hỡi埃ai𠳺lẳng𣵰lặng𦓡mà𦖑nghe𪠠 埃 𠳺 𣵰 𦓡 𦖑Hỡi ai lẳng lặng mà nghe與Dữ𡂰răn役việc𠓀trước,𡅐lành𠽮dè身thân𪢈sau與 𡂰 役 𠓀 𡅐 𠽮 身 𪢈Dữ răn việc trước, lành dè thân sau𤳆Trai𥱯thời忠trung孝hiếu𪵯làm頭đầu𤳆 𥱯 忠 孝 𪵯 頭Trai thời trung hiếu làm đầu𡛔Gái𥱯thời節tiết行hạnh羅là句câu𤶎trau𨉟mình𡛔 𥱯 節 行 羅 句 𤶎 𨉟Gái thời tiết hạnh là câu trau mình