Bedtime Story: The Legend of Lac Long Quan and Au Co
By Dreaming Engine | 27 May, 2026

The Vietnamese race was created when a mighty sea dragon lord fell in love with a high mountain fairy.

Come here, my little fledglings, hop into bed and pull the covers up to your chins. There we go. Tonight, I am going to tell you a very grand story. It’s the story of where we come from, and it features a dragon, a fairy, and a rather large grocery order of eggs.

Long, long ago—long before this house was built, and even before the mountains had names—there lived a magnificent Lord named Lac Long Quan. Now, he wasn't just any lord; he belonged to the Dragon clan of the sea. He was incredibly strong, could swim like a fish, and spent his days helping the village folk defeat sea monsters and bad spirits. He was a hero, but between you and me, his palace at the bottom of the ocean was probably a bit damp and lonely.

One day, he decided to take a stroll on land. At the exact same time, a beautiful high-born lady named Au Co was visiting from the high mountains. She was a fairy of the bird clan, so graceful she practically floated, and she knew everything there was to know about healing herbs and plants.

When they met, the world seemed to stop. He looked at her and thought, “Wow, she is as lovely as a mountain flower.”She looked at his dragon strength and thought, “Well, he’s certainly a catch!” They fell deeply in love and were married in a beautiful ceremony.

Now, this is where the story gets truly magical—and a little strange, so listen closely!

Most mothers have one baby at a time, or maybe two if they are very lucky. But Au Co? After some time, she gave birth to a giant, glowing sac. Not a baby, but a sac! Lac Long Quan just stared at it, probably wondering if he needed to call a royal doctor. But a few days later, the sac split open, and out popped... one hundred beautiful, perfect eggs. And when those eggs hatched? Out came one hundred strong, handsome sons.

Imagine that! One hundred brothers all running around at once. Think of the laundry! Think of how much rice they had to cook every single night! But they were a happy family, and the boys grew up incredibly fast.

However, as time went on, a little problem arose. Lac Long Quan was a dragon of the sea; he missed the cool waves, the salty air, and the deep ocean trenches. Au Co was a fairy of the mountains; she missed the high peaks, the mist, and the forest trees. Even though they loved each other very much, they realized they couldn't live in the same place forever. Dragons can’t breathe well on mountaintops, and fairies don’t do very well underwater—their wings get soggy!

So, they sat down and had a very grown-up, sensible chat. Lac Long Quan said, "My love, we must divide our family so everyone can thrive. I will take fifty of our sons with me down to the plains and the coast. You will take fifty of our sons with you up into the high mountains."

Au Co agreed. But before they parted, they made a sacred promise: "Even though we are separating, we are still one family. If the mountains are ever in trouble, the sea will come to help. If the sea is ever in trouble, the mountains will rush down."

The fifty sons who went to the mountains became the masters of the highlands, and the fifty who went to the sea became the rulers of the lowlands. The oldest brother of the lowland group became the very first Hung King of Vietnam.

So, whenever you look at the beautiful green mountains or visit the crashing waves of the blue sea, you are looking at the two halves of our very first home. And that is why, to this very day, Vietnamese people call themselves “Con Rong, Chau Tien”—the children of the Dragon and the grandchildren of the Fairy.

And it's also why you children argue sometimes, but always make up in the end. 

Now, close those bright eyes of yours. Dream of flying like a fairy and swimming like a dragon. Goodnight, my sweet little eggs.