The oldest family mystery in Vietnam, dating back to the time of King Hung, everyone is afraid to hear the name

In Vietnam, when it comes to human surnames, most people will immediately remember popular surnames such as Nguyen, Tran, Le, Phan, Vu... However, besides those familiar surnames, there are still many strange, rare and less widely known surnames.

One of the families with the most special names and the oldest history in Vietnam is the "Ma" family. The name sounds strange, but it carries a long, deep history and is closely associated with the founding period of the Vietnamese nation.

In the treasure trove of legends and history of Vietnam, King Hung is considered the ancestor, the person who laid the foundation for the Van Lang nation - the first state of the ancient Vietnamese people. Among the hundreds of thousands of different families in Vietnam, the Ma family is the only family identified with a clear origin from the time of King Hung.

According to oral history and genealogy of the Ma family, the ancestor of the family is Ma Khe – a historical figure described as a perfect martial artist, who once held an important position during the reign of Hung Due Vuong - the 18th king out of the eighteen generations of King Hung. Mr. Ma Khe was loved, trusted and given a noble title by the king, becoming one of the effective arms in the work of preserving the borders of Van Lang against the invasion of foreign enemies.

The Ma surname is not popular but has a certain community and is most concentrated in Cam Khe, Phu Tho – a sacred land located along the Thao River, considered the cradle of Hung Vuong culture. The bearers of the Ma surname are mostly Tay people, living in the Doi mountains, where Ma Khe's ancestors used to build defensive works with the people, among which the prominent is Ma Thanh - an ancient citadel nearly 1km long that still has traces to this day.

During the next dozens of generations, Ma Khe's descendants lived in seclusion, specializing in farming, preserving a peaceful life and not participating in politics. It was not until the 43rd generation that another name helped the Ma family return to the mainstream of history: Ma Xuan Truong (930–966). He was revered by the people as the Demon God General, because of his military talent and merits in defending his homeland during the turbulent times. Currently, the temple of Mr. Ma Xuan Truong still exists in Tru Mi village (Phu Tho) and in Yen Bai, becoming a sacred place for many generations of descendants and people to worship.

In the long-term flow of history, there are many families with ancient origins, even mentioned since the time of the Hung King. However, what makes the Ma family more prominent is the fact that they have a genealogy – a genealogy that has been officially preserved and confirmed to have originated from the time of the Hung King.

Mr. Ma Ngoc Bao, who plays a major role in preserving the cultural heritage of the family, proudly shared: "By 2015, after many seminars and appraisals by prestigious historians in the country, the Ma family is the only family recognized as having an official genealogy from the time of King Hung. This is a great honor, not only for the Ma family but also for the common pride of the Vietnamese people."

With the fear that the jade genealogy may be lost over time, Mr. Ma Ngoc Bao carefully translated the entire content into the national language, then printed it into many copies to distribute to branches of the Ma family across the country. This is an act of showing respect for history, a sense of preserving the roots and continuing the precious traditions of the Vietnamese people.

Despite its heroic history and proud traditions, the Ma family often faces misunderstandings and unwarranted discrimination. In modern folklore, the word "Ghost" is often associated with unlucky, even unlucky meanings. Therefore, a part of people with the surname Ma have changed to other surnames such as Me or Mai, causing the family name to gradually disappear.

In some localities such as Me village, Me market, Me river, etc., the name "Me" is actually the result of the inflection of the word "Ma", stemming from the fear that many people with the surname Ma have to endure. Others choose to change to the surname Mai - similar in pronunciation but lighter and more popular in society.

Faced with that fact, Mr. Ma Ngoc Bao couldn't help but be sad. He hopes that the Ma family will not turn away from their roots, especially not to the great contributions and merits of their ancestors for many generations.

Historian Dao Duy Anh once emphasized that the stories about the Ma family and the ancestor Ma Khe are classified as historical legends – that is, oral stories that have not been fully recorded in ancient history. However, that does not reduce the spiritual value and importance of this family in the history of the nation.

Not merely a family, the Ma family is also a symbol of the longevity of Vietnamese culture, a bridge between legend and reality, between the era of the Hung kings and modern life today. The fact that a small family has still preserved the genealogy for thousands of years, overcoming many time fluctuations to affirm its position in history is very respectable.

In an era when the flow of modernization makes it easy for people to forget the past, the fact that a family like the Ma family retains its roots, genealogy and national spirit is a living testament to the tradition of "drinking water and remembering the source" of the Vietnamese people. The story of the Ma family is not just the story of a rare family. It is a journey to preserve memories, a connection between generations, a pride not only of the descendants of the Ma family but also a sacred part of history that every Vietnamese person needs to cherish and cherish.

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