Thánh Gióng

Thánh Gióng (chữ Nôm: 聖揀),[1] also known as Phù Đổng Thiên Vương (chữ Hán: 扶董天王, Heavenly Prince of Phù Đổng), Sóc Thiên Vương (chữ Hán: 朔天王), Ông Gióng (翁揀, sir Gióng)[2][3] and Xung Thiên Thần Vương (冲天神王, Divine Prince of Heaven) is a mythical folk hero of Vietnam's history and one of The Four Immortals.

[5] The folk hero was a popular subject for poets, such as Cao Bá Quát who wrote an epic poem to Thánh Gióng in the 19th century.

In Việt Điện U Linh Tập, Thánh Gióng is known as Sóc Thiên Vương (chữ Hán: 朔天王).

The Heavenly King (Vietnamese: Thiên Vương, which is what Thánh Gióng is called in the story) was a baby at the time.

Once he defeated the enemy and restored peace in the country, he rode his horse to Vệ Linh mountain, climbed onto a banyan tree and fly away.

[8] Thiền uyển tập anh has a follow-up to the story: In the Early Lê dynasty, Buddhist monk Khuông Việt travelled to Vệ Linh mountain and wanted to build a house there.

The deity said: I am Vaiśravaṇa (chữ Hán: 毗沙門天王, Vietnamese: Tì Sa Môn Thiên Vương), my escorts are all Yaksa.

The Heavenly Emperor sent me to this country to help the people, you are blessed to be able to talk to me.The monk woke up and heard loud cries in the mountain.

The Song army at Tây Kết village suddenly retreat to Chi river, they then met with a large storm and withdrew back to China.

The old man predicted that the enemy will invade in three years, and to fight back, the king must "forge weapons, train soldiers, and find talents in the country.

When the king's emissary arrived to his village, his mom jokingly said that she "gave birth to this child who only knows how to eat" and that "he doesn't know how to fight the enemy to receive the reward and repay his parents."

[10] In the 6th generation of King Hùng, there was a rich man in Phù Đổng village, Vũ Ninh division, who gave birth to a son.

That day, the child suddenly spoke, told his mother to invite the emissary in and said he wanted "a sword and a horse, the king doesn’t need to worry."

A huge magnificent bronze statue of Thánh Gióng in full armor riding his horse jumping up towards the sky can be admired near Sóc Sơn 30 km north of Hanoi.

Superb panorama of the region from the hill top Usually celebrated at Phù Đổng village, Gia Lâm District, Hanoi on the 4th day of the Fourth month of Vietnamese calendar every year.