Fairy
Carps
On December 23, Vietnamese people sends the Táo Quân, or "kitchen gods", back to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about their family's business, behavior and cooking. Ont hat day, housewives all over Vietnam go out to the market to buy offerings for Táo Quân. The one offering that they can't forget is live carps. Carps were believed to originally live in heaven. Because of violating some rule, the Jade Emperor forced them to go down to earth to think about their faults. If they do this with care, then they will turn into dragons and go back to heaven. When the kitchen gods want to go back to heaven, they have to have the carps fly them up. That is why in your offerings you need to have carps so the kitchen gods can go back to heaven.
Vietnamese Mythical Creatures/Animals
Dragon
Vietnamese people believe that they are descendants of a dragon. This story was the story of Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ. Lạc Long Quân was king of the dragons and lived in the sea, and Âu Cơ was a fairy from the bird kingdom. She gave birth to 100 sons and the first son became the first King Hùng Vương of Lạc Việt, one of the first dynasties in Vietnam. To the Vietnamese, the dragon represents power, nobility, and immortality. Since it represents power, a lot of Vietnamese kings wear robes that have pictures of dragons on them. The famous Ha long Bay in Nothern Vietnam is believed to be the works a dragon. One of the many stories about emperor Lý Thái Tổ was about his encounter with a dragon. One day while visiting Đại La, a golden dragon appeared next Lý Thái Tổ boat. After the encounter, the Emporer changed the name Đại La into Thăng Long, which means "rising from a dragon".
Phoenix
If the dragon represents the emperor, then the phoenix represents the empress. In Vietnamese folk tales, they describe the phoenix as having the neck of a snake, the breast of a swallow, the back of a tortoise, and the tail of a fish. This bird symbolizes grace, nobility, virtue and pride. According to myths, the phoenix burnt its nest. Days later it rose again from the ashes, therefore symbolizes rebirth, regeneration, and survival. According to stories, the phoenix hides when trouble comes and go out only in calm safe times, therefore phoenix's also symbolized peace.
Turtle
The turtle is a very special animal in Vietnamese culture. It represents longevity, strength, and intelligence. One of the most famous stories about the turtle is a story connected to emperor Lê Lợi. In the 15th century, the Chinese tried to invade Vietnam. In order to win, Lê Lợi borrowed a sword from the dragon king. After successfully pushing the Chinese back, Lê Lợi returned the sword to the king through on of his disciples, a turtle who lived in a jade water lake. The lake is located in Ha Nội and is now called Hoàn Kiếm Lake, which means "Returned Sword Lake". There was an actual old soft-shelled turtle who lived in the lake. It was named by the local people as Cụ Rùa (Grandfather Turtle). Cụ Rùa was actually a female and is one of the four turtles of this breed known to survive in the world and was believed to be over 100 years old.
In Vietnamese mythology, the unicorn symbolizes peace, mercy and good fortune. Others also believe unicorns also represents intelligence and goodness, and it shows up only on special occasions. The unicorn is made out of lots of animals; the horse, buffalo and dragon. Vietnamese people believe that the unicorn is very strong and faithful, perfect for guarding temples and places of worship.
Unicorn
