Betel nut is a symbol of Vietnamese morality.

Betel leaves and areca nuts are sold in rural markets. Photo: PHUONG THAO

"Lĩnh Nam Chích Quái" is one of the earliest works of Vietnamese folk literature, written in prose Chinese characters, and is a rare surviving work from the Lý and Trần dynasties. One of the ancient Vietnamese folk tales in "Lĩnh Nam Chích Quái" is the story of the betel nut tree (Tân Lang truyện).

Moral principles passed down through generations.

Perhaps there's no need to summarize the content; I believe everyone remembers and can recount it perfectly. During the time of King Hung Vuong, who founded the nation, there were two brothers, Tan and Lang, who looked exactly alike...

How could outsiders tell the difference? By what means? This detail makes us appreciate even more the significance of a family meal. “One day, a young girl invited two brothers to her house for a meal: “The girl served porridge and a pair of chopsticks, inviting them to eat so she could observe them. Seeing that the younger brother let the older brother eat first, the girl revealed the truth to her parents and asked to marry the older brother.”

This small detail reflects the customs and traditions of ancient Vietnamese people. It shows that, at family meals, members always waited for the elders to pick up their chopsticks before daring to follow suit.

The reason for mentioning this again is to show that the story of the betel nut tree originated in ancient Vietnam, not something fabricated later. So, why has betel nut been a tradition for so long, present on important occasions? According to "Lĩnh Nam Chích Quái," after death, the younger brother transformed into "a tree growing at the mouth of the stream," the older brother into "a slab of stone wrapped around the tree's roots," and the wife into "a vine coiled around the slab of stone, its leaves having a fragrant, spicy taste."

Clearly, all three are one. Venturing a little further, could this detail be a "prediction of the future of the three regions of North, Central, and South Vietnam"? That is, despite being three regions, they are a unified entity that no one and nothing can divide or separate.

With this thought in mind, we feel even more heartwarming and appreciate the tradition of betel nut chewing even more. This isn't just a recent phenomenon, but even during the time of King Hung: "At that time, those who passed by would light incense and bow in reverence, praising the harmonious brotherhood and the faithful marital relationship between them."

"The betel quid is the beginning of a conversation."

The betel quid – a familiar image that has entered literature. For example, the writer To Nguyet Dinh, from the South, described the act of Mrs. Phan chewing betel after praying to Buddha: “Mrs. Phan sat down on the armchair, opened her umbrella, took a yellow betel leaf, smeared it with lime, and put it in her mouth, chewing noisily. She then took a piece of fresh areca nut that her maid had prepared, a piece of paper wrapper, and put it in her mouth to chew as well…”

Offering betel nuts is a distinctive cultural tradition of the ethnic minorities in the highlands of Nam Tra My, demonstrating respect and hospitality. Photo: HO QUAN

Once we identify it from daily life, thereby proving that Vietnamese culture is a unified whole, similar in diversity, then chewing betel nut is not exclusive to any particular region.

When I was a child, I always saw betel nut containers in houses at ancestral commemorations, festivals, and Tet (Lunar New Year). Men chewed betel nut, and women chewed it too. They would chew betel nut while chatting happily, and when they needed to spit, a spittoon would be placed under the platform, bed, or couch they were sitting on—clearly just like Mrs. Phan.

So, let me explain a little more, from the above passage, to see that the way people chew betel in the South is similar to that of Quang Nam. When Mrs. Phan "opens the umbrella," the "umbrella" here refers to the betel box, a container for betel, which can also be kept in a betel container. That's why there's the folk verse: "Men are shallow like a well / Women are profound like a betel container." "Thoi" means "deeply profound."

"We often talk about deep wells" - the Vietnamese dictionary (1931) explains; while "coi" is the opposite, meaning shallow and cramped. This is a contradictory, ironic way of speaking, like: "As honest as a buffalo driver / Loving each other like a daughter-in-law and mother-in-law." That's the Vietnamese language, how strange it is to express "it seems one way but it's not!"

When Mrs. Phan took "a piece of betel nut bark and put it in her mouth to chew." This bark was from the chay tree, which had been pounded into fine strands, adding to the flavor and making it even tastier, because: "Chewing betel with chay bark / Even if the lime is bland, it will still make your mouth spicy" (folk verse)...

Once we understand the story of "harmonious brotherhood and faithful marital love," we truly appreciate why betel nuts and leaves are always present in offerings to ancestors, at weddings, engagements, and memorial services. From this, we see that the Vietnamese people cannot "lose their roots" if they preserve the beautiful customs and traditions passed down through generations.

The legend of betel and areca dates back to the time of King Hung, spanning over four thousand years, through wars, turmoil, and foreign invasions... yet the principles of marital fidelity and kinship remain. These Vietnamese values ​​endure through the ages. They will never be lost. As the scholar Vu Quynh said, "their connection to moral principles and the advancement of culture is immense."

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/trau-cau-dao-ly-cua-nguoi-viet-3148250.html