This work is among the most important written representations of the folklore of the Thai, or Tay, people in Vietnam, an ethnic group that once lived in southwest China, northeast Thailand, and Burma. Thai people migrated south about 1,000 years ago to escape from the Chinese, and in the present day constitute one of the largest minorities in Vietnam. The written language of Vietnamese Thai people has passed from use, although the spoken form is a dialect understandable by other Thai speakers. This book is a novel written in verse, an epic tale that is widely admired in Vietnam and a source of pride to the Thai. Its theme is the power of love to overcome all, even in spite of prejudice.