The Vietnamese hồ tinh fox-spirit tradition

Record summary

Vietnamese legends about hồ tinh, or fox spirits, include beings that change shape, deceive travelers, attack or seduce humans, and sometimes become linked to the landscape around West Lake in Hanoi. The tradition overlaps with Chinese and broader Sinitic fox-spirit motifs but has distinct Vietnamese legendary and cultic settings. It is useful for examining transmission, localization, and the conversion of dangerous beings into heritage narratives. Researchers should verify which version they are using, since temple stories, historical legends, school texts, tourism accounts, and literary retellings differ substantially.