Enter a magical place where aspects of modern day life in Vietnam interweave with centuries-old folktales. Created by the Children’s Museum of Houston, Dragons & Fairies: Exploring Viet Nam Through Folktales provides a profusion of hands-on, interactive experiences about the culture of people in Vietnam.

The exhibit debuts on October 10, 2009 during the Children's Museum of Houston’s Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival and runs through September 12, 2009.

Dragons & Fairies: Exploring Viet Nam Through Folktales uses five traditional Vietnamese folktales as vehicles to engage in conversations, activities and resources related to learning more about Vietnam, its people and its heritage. The idea is to deepen the connection between the folktale and the enduring values and traditions they represent. These values include: the belief that most beautiful results come from simple means, respect for family and teachers, and the need to elevate the group over the individual.

The exhibit plays a significant role in Houston, since according to the U.S. Census the city holds the second largest Vietnamese community in the country. In the Census American Community Survey, 2005-2007, Asians represent 5 percent of Houston’s population, with 28 percent (the majority) being of Vietnamese descent.

The key goals of the exhibit are to share with children the rich cultural heritage and practices of the Vietnamese people by increasing appreciation of the culture, encouraging curiosity and openness about people who are different from them, revealing that different cultures have strengths others might discover and want to emulate, and assisting in unmasking the rich culture of Vietnam.

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