Thần đồng Đất Việt () is a Vietnamese comic series created by Lê Linh and published by the Phan Thị Publishing Company, in cooperation with the Tre Publishing House. The comic series chronicles the life of the Vietnamese people (along with their culture) during the Vietnamese imperial period."Thần Đồng Đất Việt Series by Lê Linh". www.goodreads.com (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-08-29. A quiz show - based on, and with the same name as the comic series itself, was broadcast on VTC1 in 2006.
Plot Even though this comic series is set in the late Lê dynasty, the actual events that happened within the individual comic strips were based on real-life stories & historical tales from Vietnam.
The comic series follows the life story of Lê Tí, a Vietnamese child prodigy, along with his friends named Sửu Ẹo, Dần Béo, and Cả Mẹo. His life was already unusual from the day he was born. In his previous life, he was a wizard who had descended from heaven, in order to be able to aid the country of Đại Việt. Tí's mother, Hai Hậu, gave birth to him while resting on a rock after working on the farm.
From a young age, Tí presented himself as a loyal and intelligent son. Which caught the attention of his teacher, Đồ Kiết, amazed at his intelligence. At his home village of Phan Thị, with his intellect, he helped his mother, friends, and townspeople in solving problems around the village.
Passing the Vietnamese Confucian examinations, he became the youngest Vietnamese principal graduate in the country. After this, he also managed to get recognised by the Chinese Ming dynasty (otherwise known in the comic series as "Bắc quốc") as a binational principal graduate.
With friends at his side, Tí made efforts in helping the king prevent the Chinese invasion from advancing; and dealing with the ambassadors that were sent in from China. In the kings' palace, he presented himself as an honest advisor, which attracted the love & attention of princess Phương Thìn. However, Phương Thìns' affections resulted in the jealousy Tào Hống, the grand chancellor. Hống (along with his family) made multiple attempts to embarrass Tí publicly, most of them ended up failing. Thanks to his extraordinary intellect, he was entrusted by the King to be the ambassador for Vietnam. While holding this position, Tí faced multiple assassination attempts and smear campaigns, nearly ending his life. Yet despite everything, Tí still continued to support and help the people of his village back home.
Characters There are 12 main characters in the series, with names that correspond to the Chinese zodiacs: Ti (Mouse), Suu (Ox), Dan (Tiger), Meo (Rabbit or Cat), Thin (Dragon), Ty (Snake), Ngo (Horse), Mui (Goat), Than (Monkey), Dau (Rooster), Tuat (Dog) and Hoi (Pig).
Of the 12 main characters of the series, Guard Duong Ba Tuat is the only adult.
Le Ti (also known as Ti or Ti Sún) was previously Van Tinh Quan, God from heaven, reincarnated, and the youngest Poinsettia of Vietnam. He's intellectual, quick to learn, clever, and has a bright face and good memory. The North empire admires his intelligence, and the Emperor of the North appoints him as Poinsettia of both Countries. He saves Dai Viet and Phan Thi Village from danger many times.
He serves as Dai Viet's chief ambassador to the North Empire, borderland inspection specialist lieutenant general, supreme commander, leads people against foreign enemies, the chief examiner, and briefly serves as chancellor. He is arranged to marry princess Phuong Thin, but refuses to, which causes his chancellor title to be revoked. After this he serves as one of the King's masterminds.
References