I created a Vietnamese legend based on a story from my 6th grade textbook.

For Duy Tung, writing and creativity have always been an endless source of inspiration flowing through his very breath. Since high school, Duy Tung has been exposed to fantasy stories. He loves the fantastical world of director Guillermo del Toro and has absorbed the storytelling style of Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series. Travellive had the opportunity to interview Tran Nguyen Duy Tung about his aspiration to become the architect of his own story in his work "Dragon and Fairy Bloodline".

The journey of pursuing a passion for writing.

Hello Tran Nguyen Duy Tung, could you please introduce yourself to Travellive readers?

Hello Travellive, my name is Tran Nguyen Duy Tung, I'm 24 years old. I was born and raised in Vung Tau, studied at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and graduated at the end of last year. I am someone who is always ready to give my all for my passion for art, ready to sacrifice everything to tell a story that will last a lifetime.

When did Duy Tung begin his writing career? Before writing this book, had you embarked on any other writing endeavors?

I started writing in 11th grade, after participating in a school magazine writing competition for Teachers' Day (November 20th). Instead of choosing the argumentative writing style taught in school, I decided to write a story in which I found myself lost in a dream and saw my school. Then I embarked on three journeys representing happy memories, sad memories, and predictions about my future at school. My essay was praised by my Literature teacher as very impressive and received the highest grade in the class. It was the call of destiny, telling me that this was what I needed to pursue. And so, I began my storytelling journey.

Previously, all my works were short stories, written just for fun and never published anywhere. This novel, "Dragon and Fairy Bloodline," is my first full-length story, and also my first published work.

When did Tran Nguyen Duy Tung begin composing "Dragon and Fairy Bloodline"? Why did you choose this theme?

I started writing this story three years ago. At that time, I was nurturing the idea of ​​writing a long fantasy story. For fans of fantasy, the highest standard of this genre relates to world-building. Unfortunately, there are already so many fantasy stories with so many different world types, so it's almost impossible to create a world of my own without being copied or considered "too generic." Because of that, my plan remained just an idea in my head, never being written down.

One day, I went into a bookstore, just like I'd always done for the past twenty-something years. That day, I stopped by the textbook section because I wanted to review some old essays. I stopped at the sixth-grade section and picked up the first volume of the Vietnamese Language and Literature textbook. The essay in it was the story of "The Dragon and the Immortal." I read through the story that every Vietnamese person knows. Suddenly, a question popped into my head. At the end of the story, Lac Long Quan and Au Co parted ways, going to the mountains and then to the sea. I wondered if they would ever meet again?

The world from the stories in textbooks.

So, did Duy Tung's idea for his own fantasy story originate from a story in a textbook? How did he incorporate his own elements without duplicating the original?

That's right, an idea popped into my head. If the two of them met again, what would be the reason? Maybe Lac Long Quan, after spending some time at sea, returned to land to visit his wife because he missed her. But I quickly dismissed that idea, because it sounded too much like a sentimental story, not to mention it was too simple to be turned into a good narrative. So I stood there trying to imagine, but couldn't come up with any plausible scenario. Suddenly, I came across an interesting detail in the original story itself.

Before parting ways, Lac Long Quan said: "...whenever there is a need, help each other, and don't forget our promise."

"Helping each other"—for that to happen, a difficult situation is necessary. A lightning bolt of an idea flashed through my mind, because this was the most logical scenario. One of the two sides would find themselves in a difficult situation, the other would come to their aid, leading to their reunion. But what exactly would this difficult situation be?

I continued rereading the story and learned that when Lac Long Quan first set foot in Vietnam, he defeated three demons: the Fox Spirit, the Fish Spirit, and the Tree Spirit. The idea continued to burn in my mind: difficult circumstances would cause demons to rise up and wreak havoc. Thus, this would be a story of evil versus good.

Every piece of the puzzle was in place, and the idea for the story gradually took shape. A story exploring themes related to my own past, national history, bloodline inheritance, environmental pollution, capitalism, royal lineage, the division among gods, and the meaning of being a hero. I realized this was the fantasy story I needed to write. The world I would build had been all around me all along without me noticing. Now it was time to show others its fascinating aspects, just as I had seen them. The story of the Dragon and Fairy Bloodline was officially born from that moment.

How many books does Duy Tung plan to release? What role will the first book, "Dragon and Fairy Bloodline," play?

My plan for this story is to have five volumes. The first volume, "The Child of the Land and the Sea," serves to introduce readers to a seemingly familiar world, yet one that holds incredibly fascinating secrets: the world of Vietnamese mythology. After reading the first volume, readers will have a very different perspective on the familiar story of "The Dragon and the Immortal," a story that almost everyone in Vietnam knows, or thinks they know.

What role did world-building play in the writing of this novel? What were Tung's expectations for the world he created?

This is what makes this story interesting: the world is already established. My story will be set in modern times, drawing inspiration from Vietnamese mythology and legends, so I won't have to spend time building the foundation of the world. What I will create here relates to the history of the characters, specifically, their unrecorded histories.

For example, 50 children followed Âu Cơ. The original legend states that these people remained on earth and became the ancestors of the Vietnamese people. I will create a different detail, suggesting that in reality only 25 children remained on earth. The remaining 25 actually followed their mother Âu Cơ to Mount Tản Viên, becoming the ancestors of the Immortal race. This Immortal race possessed magical powers, enabling them to exterminate demons and protect the people, and they have done so from ancient times to the present day.

My expectation when developing the world in this direction is that it will make it easier to reach young readers, because the story is set in modern times, the era in which they live. The historical details in my stories will not simply be events that happened in the past, but will have a strong influence on contemporary issues. The reality is that today's youth are not interested in history because they believe it belongs to the past. Therefore, if we can show them that history can still influence the present, it will certainly pique their interest and encourage them to explore its origins.

In "Dragon and Fairy Bloodline," what details contribute to the purely Vietnamese elements?

Everything, from the characters and setting to the history, is 100% Vietnamese. Therefore, it's certainly not an exaggeration to call this one of the most authentically Vietnamese stories you'll ever read.

What does Duy Tung expect his first book, and the entire series in general, to offer readers?

I want to show everyone that materials related to Vietnamese culture are not as simple as people think, because they can be used to create many interesting stories. With the mythology of Western countries like Greece, or Chinese mythology, being extremely popular with many readers in Vietnam, there is a need for authors to write about our own culture so that it doesn't fall behind. Therefore, I hope that my stories will inspire a widespread movement related to researching Vietnamese history, mythology, legends, and fairy tales.

Anh Thi