Ô ăn quan

Background

The game is played on a rectangular board drawn on the floor or yard, divided into ten squares (5x2) with two semicircles at each end. The squares are called 'rice field squares' or 'citizen squares', and the semicircles are 'Mandarin squares'. Pieces can be stones, fruit seeds, or other small items. Two players or two teams sit on opposite sides, each controlling one side of the board.

The game's origin is unknown, but many believe Vietnamese ancestors were inspired by green rice fields. It became popular throughout the country, but over time children lost passion for it. The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology now exhibits the game with instructions to keep it alive. Researchers classify Ô ăn quan as part of the Mancala family, which originated from the word 'Naqala' (meaning movement) and spread through culture and religion.

Setup involves each player placing one big stone (or ten small stones) called the 'Mandarin piece' in the Mandarin square, and five small stones ('citizen pieces') in each rice field square. The game ends when all pieces are captured. If both Mandarin pieces are captured, remaining citizen pieces go to the player controlling that side. The player with more pieces wins, with a Mandarin piece counting as ten or five citizen pieces.