The value of the myth of ethnic origin in the consolidation of ethnic communities and national community in Vietnam

Abstract

Vietnam is a multi-ethnic nation with 54 ethnic groups in which Kinh (or Viet) is the major group. Each ethnic group has its own origin myth which reflects people’s perception of ethnic origin and the relations between the group with neighboring peoples in history. In this paper, the author will approach the origin myths of different ethnic groups of Vietnam to explore the role of myth’s in consolidating ethnic communities and national community of Vietnam. After acknowledging key terms and concepts, the author will explore the theoretical framework of studying the origin myths in the ethnic and national context and investigate how the origin myths are being spread in ethnic communities nowadays. At the end of the paper, the author comes up with some interpretations and conclusions of the issue