COMPLETION REPORT

Comparative study on Vietnamese and Japanese Dragon
Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Tho （+1）
HeadFaculty of Cultural Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities,Vietnam National University of Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam, a member of ASEAN community, and Japan have been sharing Han-Chinese cultural ideology(Confucianism, Mahayana Buddhism etc.) and pre-modern history; therefore, a great number of common values
could be found among the diverse differences. As a paddy-rice agricultural state of Southeast Asia, Vietnam has
localized the Confucianism and absorbed into Southeast Asian culture. Beside the local uniqueness of Shintoism,
Japan has shared the Confucianism, the Indian-originated Mahayana Buddhism and other East Asian philosophies;
therefore, both Confucian and Buddhist philosophies should share many with other East Asian countries.
The semiotic research Comparative study on Vietnamese and Japanese dragons is to investigate andgeneralize the symbol of dragons in Vietnam and Japan, their Confucian and Buddhist absorption and separate
impacts in each culture, from which the common and different values through the symbolic significances of thedragons are obviously generalized.
Applied fine arts are seen as the crystallization of the folk consciousness, they convey the full lively meaningof the state people and carry a part of historical and cultural legacies which produces the core orientation of future
development. Regardless the origin of the birth, both Vietnamese and Japanese dragons have passed the similar
historical periods since both nations share the same social destiny: formation, centralization and decentralization.
During this long procedure, Vietnamese and Japanese dragons have absorbed into Buddhist philosophies,
presenting to be the sacred guardian of Buddhist dharma and survivor/protector of human beings. This trend of
dragon’s liberation in contemporary East Asia has pushed the dragon nearer to the Southeast Asian holy nagasnake.
Because of the specific historical background, Vietnamese Confucian hierarchical dragon, once stronglyprotected, has been weakened and abolished, the dragon has absorbed into many spiritual religions (Buddhism andBuddhism-based religions) and religious movements as well as shifted/transformed into many variants. TheVietnamese dragon has been feminized and decomposed its feudal hierarchy because of the local refraction. As amatter of fact, the Vietnamese dragon is still under the process of forming and has not ended yet, it has shown animportant essence of Vietnamese ideology and cultural identities: open-mindedness and well-adapted and welladjusted mechanism.
Japanese dragon was once solidly attached with the Confucian hierarchy and Buddhist sacred powers;
therefore, the abolishment of feudal structure at pre-modern period gives ways to the prevailing Buddhist dragonand its implication. At pre-modern and modern ages, Japanese dragon has slightly drawn back to become a part oflegacies or to transform into post-modernist icon in popular culture (tattooing, manga books, video games,J’fashion etc.). At a certain level, Japanese people have enjoyed flexibility and autonomy in adjusting the dragon’sexpression and significance as well as in shaping cultural identities.
After the process of decentralization, Vietnamese and Japanese dragons are strongly similar to the otherclassic imaginary figures such as vermilion bird, turtle, kirin/unicorn, tiger, fish etc, all are understood as symbolsof luck, mysterious powers, Buddha and god’s ambassadors, dharma/faith guardians and incarnation of human
universal values (truth, goodness and beauty).

Publication of the Results of Research Project:
Verbal Presentation (Date, Venue, Name of Conference, Title of Presentation, Presenter, etc.)“Vietnamese and Japanese dragons”, Conference on Vietnam-Japan relation: the economic, cultural and social
issues, USSH-VNU-HCM, 2016
Thesis (Name of Journal and its Date, Title and Author of Thesis, etc.)
1. Journal of International Relations and Diplomacy, 2016
“Vietnamese and Japanese dragon under East Asian perspective”,
Author Nguyen Ngoc Tho
2. Journal of Science and Technology Development, VNU-HCM, 2016
“The dragon in Vietnamese and Japanese cultures”
Author: Nguyen Ngoc Tho

Book (Publisher and Date of the Book, Title and Author of the Book, etc.)
Van Hoa Publishing House, 2016
Author Nguyen Ngoc Tho
The book: The Dragons in East Asian cultures