Story of prince bridges Korea, Vietnam
By Kim Se-jeong
A statue of Emperor Ly Thai To is in Hanoi. Ly’s sixth generation descendant Long Tuong arrived in the Korean Peninsula between 1226 and 1227. / Courtesy of Lee Soung Young
One of the useful tools of public diplomacy is a human story, and that is precisely what the story of a Vietnamese prince from the 13th century perfectly depicts.
Ly Long Tuong was a sixth-generation descendant of Ly Thai To, the founder of the Ly Dynasty (1009-1225) in Vietnam. In 1226, a ship carrying Long Tuong arrived in Hwasan, Hwanghae Province, located in modern-day North Korea.
There are several different theories on how he ended up in the Korean Peninsula, but the most widely accepted one is that his ship drifted off course.
Long Tuong was on the run from Tran Canh, the husband of Queen Ly Chieu Hoang, the ninth ruler of the Ly Dynasty. Cahn purged his wife’s family members to force her abdicate the throne in his favor.
According to Lee Soung Young, a descendant of Long Tuong who chairs the community of Ly descendants in Korea, upon his arrival the prince established contact with King Gojong of the Goryeo Dynasty.
Goryeo was by then being threatened by the Mongol Empire. The Vietnamese prince allied with the Goryo King in fighting the Mongolian aggression. That earned him the king’s respect and trust, making the rest of his life in Hwasan one of peace and goodwill with his neighbors.
Currently, nearly 1,000 descendants of Long Tuong are in South Korea.
Lee, who has extensively researched and traveled in search of traces of his royal ancestor, said that this number, if combined with those living in North Korea, will rise significantly.
Accounts of Long Tuong are recorded in two books, the most recent one was published last year by professor Park Soon-kyu in Youngnam University.
Vietnam is not the only country with such a story.
King Suro’s wife Hur Hwang-ok also has historical significance with India. Princess Sri Ranta of the Ayodhya Kingdom sailed across the ocean to marry King Suro of the Gaya Kingdom (43-532 A.D.).
The Persian epic called the Kushnameh tells the tale of Abtin, a prince, traveling to the Silla Kingdom and marrying a princess named Frarang. This epic kept in Iran is being translated into Korean by a team of experts led by a Hanyang University professor, and is often mentioned by Iranian diplomats.
The Netherlands has Hendrick Hamel (1630-1692). As a bookkeeper for the Dutch East India Company, he was shipwrecked on Jeju Island en route to Japan in 1653. Along with 35 of his crew members, he spent the next 13 years of his life there until escaping and returning to Europe. He authored “Hamel’s Journal and a Description of the Kingdom of Korea, 1653-1666.”
Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Tran Trong Toan
Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Tran Trong Toan stressed the significance of the historic encounter as the basis of the exponentially growing bilateral ties between Korea and Vietnam. “Prince Ly’s story shows the depth of the relations,” the ambassador said.
Lee said he sees himself as a symbol of Korea-Vietnam ties. Lee is present at every Korea-Vietnam event. He explained how he is warmly treated in Vietnam as a kinsman residing in the Diaspora each time he visits the country.
His business card, bearing his Vietnamese name Ly Thua Vinh speaks volumes about his attachment to the country.
As a young boy, he said, he was constantly reminded of his roots; and accompanied his father on numerous journeys, extensively researching his ancestor.
Lee was also invited to the Vietnamese Tourism Forum held in Seoul, July 3, and organized by Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as part of its annual tourism promotion event. This year, Daegu and Seoul were on its itinerary.
The ambassador said Vietnam is receiving a growing interest from Korean tourists.
The number of Korean tourists visiting Vietnam last year was more than 700,000, making it the third most-popular tourist destination in the ASEAN region. Thailand and the Philippines come before Vietnam.
Vietnam Airlines launched a flight between Busan and Danang on July 1, adding to the regular 80 weekly direct flights between the two countries.
In 1992 when the two countries re-established diplomatic ties, the bilateral trade volume was only $4 billion. Last year, it increased to $21.6 billion, a fivefold growth. Koreans topped the list of big foreign direct investors in Vietnam.
The number of Vietnamese-Korean households surged from 264 in 1992 to 37,000 last year. Currently, the number of Koreans residing in Vietnam exceeds 1 million.
Almost 5,000 Vietnamese students are currently enrolled in Korean higher education institutes; and 60,000 Vietnamese workers are employed in Korea.
Korea severed diplomatic ties with Vietnam in 1975 when the almost two-decade long Vietnam War ended with a victory for the communist side. The two restored ties in 1992, with the opening of embassies in their respective capitals a year later.