Was Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm really given the Thái Ất thần kinh book?
No version of the Thái Ất thần kinh has been verified as the copy handed down by Lương Đắc Bằng or inherited by Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm. That he studied with Lương Đắc Bằng and passed first in 1535 is historical record, while the story of the book being handed over belongs to the realm of legend. The subject of Thái Ất thần số itself, however, is real and has a long history.
Tam Thức covers Thái Ất, Lục Nhâm and Kỳ Môn. This piece traces how it reached Vietnam and asks what is history and what is legend around Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm.
Thái Ất Thần Số, one of the Tam Thức arts, read the fate of the state and natural disasters: the board, Host and Guest, and the accumulated-year count.
At shops and at home, Thần Tài shares a low shrine near the door with Ông Địa; shops make offerings every morning on opening. Origins and open debates.
Thần chủ, a jujube wood tablet with name, title and dates, sits on the altar; custom keeps four generations, then the cao tổ tablet is buried at the fifth.
Cung Thân is a special palace in Vietnamese Tử Vi astrology, placed by birth month and hour rather than fixed, reflecting inner tendencies and later life.
Strong Self (Thân Vượng) and Weak Self (Thân Nhược) in BaZi measure the Day Master's strength through its links with other elements in the Four Pillars.
Mường Lò Cultural and Tourism Festival 2026 runs 1 to 7 October in Lào Cai, opening 20:00 on 2 October and marking five years of UNESCO-listed Thai Xoe.
The Thai Sao in the Trường Sinh Cycle shows the ebb and flow of life. See its meaning across the 12 palaces of the Tử Vi chart, from Trường Sinh to Mộ.
Shen Sha in BaZi are auxiliary stars read from the day stem, year stem, year branch or day branch. They weigh less than the Ten Gods and the Useful God.
Thái Bạch is the most inauspicious star in Cửu Diệu, tied to loss and betrayal. A monthly ritual on the 15th lunar day, facing West with 8 lamps, may help.
Explore the Sun Star (Thái Dương) in the Nine Luminaries: why it is considered auspicious, its impact on career and wealth, and the proper ritual to honor it.
Monkey (Thân) in the Vietnamese zodiac: personality, Metal element, harmony with Rat and Dragon, clash with Tiger, Snake and Pig, and notable birth years.
Explore the origins of Eastern physiognomy, its facial and palm feature systems, and the place of face reading in Vietnamese culture through The Tale of Kieu.
456 prayers, orations, petitions and repentance verses in use, in print and online in Vietnam, one text per row with its rite type, part of the rite, region, tradition, text family, variants and fill-in slots. The wording is kept in Vietnamese as the source gives it; 348 texts carry the name and address of the source page, 108 are collected texts whose source is not named.