The Encounters with “King of Fire, King of Water” in the Central Highlands of Vietnam

Abstract

Drawing on the Vietnamese historical sources, mainly the Nguyen Annals such as Đai Nam thực lục (The Chronicle of Great Vietnam)- Volume 1 and Volume 2, Đai Nam liệt truyện (Great Vietnam historical stories- Volume 2, and the historical sources recorded during the French colonial period as well as in the modern period, the paper presents the direct contact between the Vietnamese people and Westerners with the residents of Hoa Xa and Thuy Xa and the direct encounter with the King of Fire and the King of Water. By describing these direct meetings, it is possible to imagine the living space (the area between Ban Don and Kontum), the material and religious life of the residents of Hoa Xa and Thuy Xa from Dai Viet period, since Le Thanh Tong reign, through the period of the Nguyen Lords, Nguyen Emperors, until the modern time.