The Story of Saint Giong: Inspiration for PhuDong Toy’s Products
During the reign of the Hung Kings, there was an elderly woman who lived alone and had no children. One morning, while visiting her fields, she stumbled upon a giant footprint that had crushed several rows of eggplants. She exclaimed:
“Oh, whose enormous footprint is this!”
Curious, she placed her own foot inside the print. Instantly, she felt a shiver run through her body. Not long after, she found herself pregnant. In due time, she gave birth to a chubby baby boy, whom she named Giong.
However, even at the age of three, Giong could only lie down and ask for food; he couldn't sit, crawl, talk, or even laugh.
At that time, the An invaders were threatening Vietnam. The An army, led by a ferocious general named An Vuong, would burn houses, destroy villages, and kill and loot wherever they went. The Hung King tried multiple times to fight them off but could not defeat them. Worried, he sent out messengers throughout the kingdom to find a talented warrior to protect the country.
One day, a royal messenger arrived in Giong’s village. Hearing about the King’s search for a hero to defend the land, Giong’s mother joked as she rocked him:
“My son! As slow as you are to walk and talk, when will you ever be able to fight the enemy and protect our homeland?”
Surprisingly, Giong looked at his mother and spoke for the first time:
“Mother, please call the messenger here for me!”
Amazed, his mother shared the news with the neighbors, who were equally astonished. Eventually, one of them suggested:
“We should summon the messenger and see what the child has to say.”
When the royal envoy arrived and saw Giong, he said, “You’re just a little three-year-old who’s only now learning to talk. Why did you call me here?”
Giong confidently replied, “Go back and tell the King to forge me an iron horse, an iron sword, an iron armor, and an iron helmet. I will drive out the invaders and protect our land.”
Everyone was astounded, believing that a divine spirit had appeared. The messenger immediately rode back to inform the King. Thrilled, the Hung King ordered blacksmiths to gather all the iron they could find and forge the horse, sword, armor, and helmet exactly as Giong had requested. The completed items were incredibly heavy. Dozens of men could barely lift the sword. Hundreds of soldiers had to carry these items to Giong’s village.
When his mother heard the soldiers approaching, she nervously rushed to Giong and said:
“My son, the King’s soldiers are coming. This isn’t a game. What are we going to do?”
Giong stood up and replied, “Don’t worry, mother. But you must give me plenty of food!”
His mother started cooking pot after pot of rice, but Giong devoured each one as soon as it was ready. With each pot, Giong grew larger and stronger, constantly asking for more food. The villagers, seeing the situation, brought rice, yams, water buffalo, wine, fruits, and cakes, filling the yard. But no matter how much food they brought, Giong ate it all and kept asking for more.
Then, Giong told his mother, “I need clothes to wear.”
The villagers quickly brought silk to sew clothes for him, but Giong’s body grew at an astonishing rate. The clothes became too tight the moment they were sewn, requiring more silk for extensions. Soon, his head reached the roof. Just as the villagers were marveling, the soldiers finally arrived with the iron horse, sword, armor, and helmet. Giong stepped out of the house, stretched his arms, and suddenly grew to an enormous height, towering over everyone.
He put on the iron armor, helmet, and wielded the sword, then mounted the iron horse. The horse reared up, spewing a brilliant flame. Giong urged it forward, and it galloped as fast as lightning, covering vast distances with each step. Within moments, Giong and his horse reached the An invaders’ camp, spread throughout the forest. His sword flashed like lightning, cutting down enemy after enemy. His horse breathed fire, burning down rows of camps and even the forest itself.
The An general, An Vuong, continued to shout orders to his soldiers, urging them to attack. But the more they fought, the stronger Giong became, and bodies piled up. Suddenly, Giong’s sword broke, but he remained calm, pulling up bamboo groves by the roadside and using them to strike down the remaining enemy troops. The An soldiers fled in panic, while An Vuong was crushed and killed. The defeated soldiers surrendered. The King’s army and villagers only had to tie up the captives. Within a few hours, Giong had freed the kingdom from its peril.
By then, Giong’s horse had carried him to the foot of Soc Son Mountain. There, Giong removed his armor and helmet, and both he and the horse ascended to the heavens.
After the battle, in gratitude for the hero’s courage, the Hung King ordered a temple built in Giong’s village to honor him as Saint Giong.
The image of Saint Giong represents the patriotic spirit and resilience of the Vietnamese people against foreign invaders.