V My Name Is Viet

                                  Xin Chào Các Bạn

V my name is Viet

I live in Vinh, Veitnam

My friend’s name is Van

We like to play Rong Ran Len May

We speak Vietnamese

And now we’ll say “Tạm biệt“

Rong Ran Len May (Dragon and Snake)

One child is chosen to be the “doctor”. The other children form the dragon with a long tail. They hold onto each others’ waist or belts in an attached line. There is a chant whereby at the end the “doctor” attempt to catch the child at the end of teh dragon tail. The head of the dragon stretches his arms to avoid the doctor finding his tail while the tail tries to hide and make a circle. If the dragon succeeds in rolling into a circle before the doctor could chase, it wins. 

Dragon and Snake Chant    The dragon-snake approaches the doctor. The following dialogue occurs between the doctor and the head of the line:

– Where are you going, dragon-snake?
– I’m searching for medicine for my son.
– How old is he, your son?
– He is one year old. – The doctor is not well.
– He is (two, three, four, five… repeated each time) years old. – The doctor is not well.

The dialogue continues until the dragon-snake says:

– He is ten years old.

Then the doctor answers:
– All right, the doctor is well.

With this, the doctor stands up and says:
– Give me your head
– Nothing but the bones

Responds the dragon-snake
– Give me the body.
– Nothing but the blood.
– Give me the tail.
– Pursue at will!

 

References

Indochina Voyages

Viet Travel

 

 

 

Welcome to my 2019 Blogging A-Z Challenge. Each day in the the month of April (except Sundays), I will bring you a memory of games and a jump rope song. It is similar to the classic A My Name Is…  Do you recognize the chant? A world of children will greet their friends and skip through the alphabet alliterating their name, a friend’s name, and their home city. They will also state their country, the language they speak, and their favorite game. Descriptions of the games are included. I chose games that are played on playgrounds or streets where children negotiate their teams and terms. You may recognize your favorite games that differ only in name.  As the alphabet progresses, it becomes apparent that the pursuit of laughter and fun are universal.

 

 

Antoinette Truglio Martin is the author of Hug Everyone You Know: A Year of Community, Courage, and Cancer. The memoir is a wimpy patient’s journey through her first year of breast cancer treatment.

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