Vietnamese Traditional Games

Vietnamese folk games are a very special cultural feature. The folk games below have accompanied Vietnamese people for generations, along with cultural and traditional values. They have a positive and necessary influence on people’s spiritual lives over time.

1. The game of the dragon snake (Rồng rắn lên mây)

The dragon snake game is one of the children’s games that can be played by large groups. One person sits on a small hill or somewhere above the other participants and represents the doctor. One plays the head of the dragon and stands at the beginning of the row. The others stand in a row behind the head of the dragon and hold the shirt of the forward person to form the body of the dragon snake.

Dragon snake – one of the children’s games (Source: photocontest.vietnamheritage.com.vn)

The dragon snake walks around reading a popular verse: “Rồng rắn lên mây có cái cây lúc lắc, có cái nhà điểm binh, có ông chủ ở nhà không?”. The house-owner then answers: “Yes!”.

They then approach the house-owner and have a conversation with him. During the conversation, the house owner will tell the dragon which part(s) of it that he wants to take.

The house-owner then hunts to catch the child that represents the tail, the body or the head of the dragon snake, while the other parts of the dragon spreads its arms to block the house-owner. If the doctor can catch a person, that person becomes the loser. If the line is broken or fallen, the dragon snake also loses.  

Through this game, the children can therefore practice speed and flexibility.

2. Tò He – the Vietnamese artistic traditional toy

The traditional toy “Tò He” is for Vietnamese children, made from dyed glutinous rice flour and formed into edible figures. In the past, the artistic traditional toy “Tò He” was only produced and sold in Vietnam during the festivals, especially the Tet Festival and the Moon Festival.

To create a figure, a craftsman needs a mixture of sticky and ordinary glutinous flour, which can easily be kneaded into edible shapes, and bamboo sticks for graphics.

“Tò He” is often shaped like animals, flowers and characters in folktales. The seven basic colors are green, sea blue, red, purple, yellow, white and black and are now made from food colors instead of using colors from trees or ashes.

The Vietnamese artistic traditional toy “Tò He” (Source: goasiadaytrip.wordpress.com)

Many generations of Vietnamese children were overjoyed when their mothers returned from the market with a “Tò He”. Children can even eat “Tò He” after playing with them.

3. Human chess

This traditional game is a popular game at the village and temple festival in Vietnam.

Human chess is a chess variant that is often played by people who assume the roles of the various chess pieces (king, knight, bishop, etc.). Human chess events are often organized at larger village festivals. This is typically done on a field in the festival, with the squares of the board marked on the grass. 

In human chess, however, the figures are all people: a total of 32 participants. One side consists of 16 boys and the other of 16 girls. Each team has a different color.

The atmosphere is often popular because of the live chess competition. In the early morning, many people gather and wait for the competition. There are often three drum beats indicating the beginning of the game. The opponents sit on raised platforms behind the playing field, while the team members have the opportunity to demonstrate their martial arts techniques during the moves and especially when hitting opposing stones. The spectators cheer whenever there is a beautiful performance. Team members always try to show their skills at their best.

Human chess at the spring festival in Vietnam. (Source: vietnammoi.vn)

4. Throwing the ball through the circle (Ném còn)

The game “Ném còn” – throwing the ball through the circle is often played in the Tet festival by ethnic minorities in the Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn province such as Thái, Tày, Mường, H’Mong,… With the importance of removing sadness and torment, bringing new happiness and prosperity, this game is always an important part of any ethnic festival. 

According to a legend of the Tày minority, Pia was a poor and lonely orphan. He was dissatisfied with his life. Then he went into the forest and collected pieces of fruit to throw around. Once he threw a fruit so hard that it flew straight into the sky where a fairy had caught it. The fairy flew to earth to play with Pia. They soon fell in love and became married.

The people of the mountain village believed that the fruit had brought luck to Pia. To celebrate this story, young men and women throw balls every year from the third day of the Tet festival until the end of the first lunar month.

The Tày people throw the ball through the circle in the Spring Festival (Source: wiki.youvivu.com)

The participants gather on a flat field where the villagers have planted a large bamboo tree. A bamboo ring with a diameter of 30-40 cm hangs from the tree. The balls will have been stuffed with rice grains (representing food) and cotton seeds (clothing) along with their hidden wishes. 

Before the game, the Tày first prepare a tray with the food that they bring to the field and offer to heaven and earth. Two balls and a bamboo ring on the tray stand for vitality and virtue. The festival director, who must have a high status, prays to heaven and earth. The meaning of this ritual is: “The village will have a good harvest”. After this ceremony, the leader throws the two balls high into the air. Everyone competes to catch them. This action signals the beginning of the festival.

At this point, each family can throw their own household ball through the bamboo ring for good luck. Of course, some balls won’t get through the first try. The owners can try again and again until they are successful.

The festival director closes with a prayer for a good planting season, then opens the ball and distributes seeds to all. These seeds bring good luck and will grow quickly because they combine the powers of Yin and Yang in the warmth of women’s and men’s hands. Everyone receives the sacred seeds of heaven, earth and humanity with the faith and hope that their harvest will increase and the whole village will have enough food, clothing and happiness. For this reason, this game is a key feature of the Tay tradition. 

Tags: Traditional Games, Vietnamese Traditional Games, Children’s Games, Traditional Toy, Human Chess, Spring Festival