Once upon a time, there had a little girl named Tam. Her mother died early so her father decided to remarry on purpose the stepmother would take care of his little daughter. The stepmother gave birth to a girl, named Cam after that. Then, her father died after few years. Tam had to live with her stepmother and her sister, Cam. Since the time, she was forced to work hard, all housework, while Cam had to do nothing.
One day, the stepmother gave Tam and Cam each one a corf to caught fish. She promised that who caught full her corf would receive a piece of red silk. Tam and Cam went to field together. She was hard to catch fish while Cam only wondered around till afternoon and had nothing in her coft. Cam pointed at Tam’s coft and realised it is full, thinking seconds, she said gently: “sister Tam, your head is mud, you should wash it or mother will punish you”
Belive Cam, Tam went to river nearly. She left her corf on the shore, waded into water to wash. Cam, meanwhile, stayed on the shore, poured all Tam’s fish into her corf and run to home. After washing, Tam went to the shore and realizes her fish had vanished. She broke in sob. Tear dropped from her eyes, wetted her shirt. Suddenly, an oldman appeared with a pop and white smoke surrounding him which scattered after that. He had kind face with white long hair and beard.
“Why do you cry?” oldman said softly.
Tam stopped crying. She told him about her fish corf. He listened carefully and then he said:
"Do you have any thing in your corf?"
Tam looked into her corf and discovered a little goby.
"I have a little goby." she said."
"Bring it to home and put into your well. Every day, after meals, you have feed it a bow of rice. But it will not appear if it isn't you. Therefore, you have to call. Goby! Goby! Swim up to eat my silver rice, my golden rice. Don't eat spoiled rice of others, you will die."
The old man disappeared after the saying, left white smoke scattering on the place he stood.
Tam brought the goby to home, put it in her well. Day by day, after meals, she always brought a bow of rice back to her house and fed the goby. Whenever the goby heard Tam’s voice, it emerged and ate. The goby grew up very fast. It made Tam happy after every time, she fed. Unfortunately, stepmother started noticing Tam‘s suspect behavior and she asked Cam to go after her. Cam followed her sister, hid herself behind a tree near the well. she saw Tam feed her goby and also heard how she called it. Things, after that, were talked to her mother who planed to catch and cooked the poor goby. One day, stepmother called Tam and requested her to herd.
"Daughter! you have go far, away our village's feild. Don't let cows eat rice, people will catch them." said the stepmother.
Tam obeyed. She led cows away while her stepmother and sister stayed at home. They brought a bow of rice, went to the well and called the goby by the way Tam had done. The goby was caught as it appeared. It was kill and became their great meal after that.
Tam went back home in afternoon. She took rice to feed her goby as usual. It didn't appear though she called it thousand times. Painfully, she broke into crying. The oldman appeared again.
“Why do you cry?” he said.
“My fish disappeared, I don’t know what happened with it” she said in sobbing
“Don't cry girl. It has been killed." said the oldman, "You have to find its bone and put into four glass jars, then bury them under you bed's feet. Good things will come to you girl”. He disappeared.
Tam looked for the bone but she didn't find it.
“Give me a little rice, I will find it for you”, a rooster suddenly said.
Tam gave it some rice, and after minutes, the chicken went into the kitchen and took out bones of fish. Tam received the bones and put into glass jars and put them underneath her bed.
One day, young king of their country held a party for everyone to join. All people went to shops managed to have spendid clothes. Cam and her mother also went shopping. They had their dresses and were ready to participate in the party. As like them Tam wanted to go to the party and was not difficult to realized it but Cam and her mother didn't want it. They didn't want Tam to have any happiness. Therefore, the stepmother took out a two pannier. One was rice and the other was bean and mixed them up madly front Tam.
"My daughter" she sneered, "Before you go to party, you have to sort them."
Tam’s heart sunk into bad mood. She sat down and started sorting. An hour passed but she only sorted a little. Sadly, she bursted into tears. The oldman appeared front her face.
“Why do you cry?” he asked.
“My stepmother forced me to sort. I only may participate in party after I finish it” she said.
“Don’t worry, you left a pannier in mid-yard, I will call birds to help you” the Oldman said.
“They will eat my rice” said Tam
“Oh, don’t worry, I give you a spell. That is: Birds! birds! sorting! sorting! if you eat, you will
be punished, punished!” the oldman sang.
Seconds later, dozens of birds flew down the yard and began sorting. Few minutes passed, it had done. But, Tam bursted into tears again. The oldman appeared one more time.
“Why do you cry girl?” he said
“I don’t have any dress. My clothes are too old. I am so ugly” she said
“Do you remember glass jars." said the old man, "Now is the time you need them, take them out. You'll be surprised” he said, disappeared.
Tam found the way to take out glass jars. A jar had a beautiful dress in it. The other had a pair of shoes, a horse and a nice saddle. She opened each by each glass jars. They poured white smoke. After white smoke scattered, a white horse had stood font of her face white the shoes, dress and saddle laid neatly on ground. Tam went to bath, then putted on desses and shoes. She mounted her horse, rode toward the party. She rode cross a muskeg on the way and dropped at shoe at there, but she is in hurry so she kept going without the shoe.
Later, the young king also went pass the muskeg. His elephant yelled and didn’t want to move pass. He force it but it didn't move. He ordered soldiers to find out what's in the musked. After minutes, a soldier took Tam’s shoe to him. He gazed at the beautiful shoe. It pointed that the owner had to be a beautiful girl.
Immediately, an announcement was spread out. Whoever who could wear the shoe would became king's wife. Every girl in the party, including Cam, tried but nobody could wear. It's too small for them. The last girl trying was a very beautiful girl. The shoe was perfect on her foot and she was no one but Tam. Everyone, but Cam and her mother, exploded in clap and yell. They were happy because Tam was really worthy with their king.
Tam was brought to castle. A royal wedding was held after that. Tam became king's wife, the queen.
She lived in castle every day till her father’s dead day came. She left the castle, came back home. Her home where Cam and the stepmother lived. They were people who felt jealous most with her fate. They had planed to kill her when she was at home. The stepmother made her climb areca tree and took some fruit for her father's altar. She obeyed, climbed to top of the tree while stepmother stayed under the root, took a axe and started chopping the tree. The tree shook after strange noises.
“What are you doing?” she asked, looked her stepmother.
“I am chasing ants. They will bite you if I don't do that.” she said.
The tree fell down. Tam dead.
Cam putted on Tam’s clothes and went to the castle. She replaced Tam.
After dead, Tam's body transformed into a little bird with yellow feathers and flew toward the castle. When it arrived to the castle, it landed on the king’ windows and sang. The young king was sinking in sadness because of Tam’s dead, turned happy. He put the bird into a gold cage. Day by day, he sat next to the cage and heard the bird sing. Cam, on other hand, didn’t like the bird. He found the way to ask her mother's advice. One day, when the king had to go out. Cam stayed at castle, killed the bird and cooked a meal. She threw its feathers on the garden behind the castle. When the king came back, his golden cage was empty.
"Do you see my bird?" he asked Cam.
"I ate it." Cam said, "It's because of our child. I'm pregnant.
The king was speechless. He went to his bedroom and stayed in it alone.
Two trees grew up from bird's feathers which grew quickly. A short time later, they became two big trees with thick branches and leaves which laid large shadows on ground. The king loved to take naps in hammock between the trees. When he slept, winds blew through leaves and spread out nice noises as though a girl was singing.
Cam realised the king didn’t notice at her, so she cut them down. She cut them in a storm day. When the king asked she where the trees were, she said that the storm made them down, so she made a loom from them. Whenever Cam sat front the loom to weave, it made a creak and a muttering voice. Being scared, Cam fired it and took ashes away from the castle.
From the ashes rosed a tree bearing a single, big fruit. A poor old woman walked by one day and saw it, begging it to fall to her pocket and promising that she wouldn’t eat it. Indeed it fell down. The next day, when the woman came home from her work, she found out that all housework was done. The next day, things happened as the day before. That thing interested her and she planed to find out what was going on. One day, she pretended to leave but she went back to spy. She looked through a hole in the window. An amazing sight appeared front her eyes, stepping out the fruit was a tiny little girl, few seconds later, little girl change in to real girl. The woman could see a beautiful girl with nice skin, red lip and bright eyes. A idea appeared suddently in her head, the woman bursted in to the room and grabbed the peel, tore it in pieces. Therefore, Tam could no longer turn back. Tam and the woman lived together as a mother and a daughter.
One day, the king lost his way, stopped by the hut where Tam and the woman lived. The old woman offered him betel. The king saw it and he realised it was same the betel Tam had ever given him. He asked the woman who had prepared the betel. The old woman told him her daughter had done it, and the king made her produce the daughter. When Tam appeared, they realised the other at once. No word could explain their happiness. They hugged and kissed the other. Later, Tam said goodbye the woman who was very kind treating her as her daughter. She and her husband went back the castle together.
Cam and her mother had their deserved end. But I should not talk to you.
The end. 🎭🎭🎭
"Translated by Hung Nguyen"
Belive Cam, Tam went to river nearly. She left her corf on the shore, waded into water to wash. Cam, meanwhile, stayed on the shore, poured all Tam’s fish into her corf and run to home. After washing, Tam went to the shore and realizes her fish had vanished. She broke in sob. Tear dropped from her eyes, wetted her shirt. Suddenly, an oldman appeared with a pop and white smoke surrounding him which scattered after that. He had kind face with white long hair and beard.
“Why do you cry?” oldman said softly.
Tam stopped crying. She told him about her fish corf. He listened carefully and then he said:
"Do you have any thing in your corf?"
Tam looked into her corf and discovered a little goby.
"I have a little goby." she said."
"Bring it to home and put into your well. Every day, after meals, you have feed it a bow of rice. But it will not appear if it isn't you. Therefore, you have to call. Goby! Goby! Swim up to eat my silver rice, my golden rice. Don't eat spoiled rice of others, you will die."
The old man disappeared after the saying, left white smoke scattering on the place he stood.
 |
| Vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com |
"Daughter! you have go far, away our village's feild. Don't let cows eat rice, people will catch them." said the stepmother.
Tam obeyed. She led cows away while her stepmother and sister stayed at home. They brought a bow of rice, went to the well and called the goby by the way Tam had done. The goby was caught as it appeared. It was kill and became their great meal after that.
Tam went back home in afternoon. She took rice to feed her goby as usual. It didn't appear though she called it thousand times. Painfully, she broke into crying. The oldman appeared again.
“Why do you cry?” he said.
“My fish disappeared, I don’t know what happened with it” she said in sobbing
“Don't cry girl. It has been killed." said the oldman, "You have to find its bone and put into four glass jars, then bury them under you bed's feet. Good things will come to you girl”. He disappeared.
Tam looked for the bone but she didn't find it.
“Give me a little rice, I will find it for you”, a rooster suddenly said.
Tam gave it some rice, and after minutes, the chicken went into the kitchen and took out bones of fish. Tam received the bones and put into glass jars and put them underneath her bed.
One day, young king of their country held a party for everyone to join. All people went to shops managed to have spendid clothes. Cam and her mother also went shopping. They had their dresses and were ready to participate in the party. As like them Tam wanted to go to the party and was not difficult to realized it but Cam and her mother didn't want it. They didn't want Tam to have any happiness. Therefore, the stepmother took out a two pannier. One was rice and the other was bean and mixed them up madly front Tam.
"My daughter" she sneered, "Before you go to party, you have to sort them."
Tam’s heart sunk into bad mood. She sat down and started sorting. An hour passed but she only sorted a little. Sadly, she bursted into tears. The oldman appeared front her face.
“Why do you cry?” he asked.
“My stepmother forced me to sort. I only may participate in party after I finish it” she said.
“Don’t worry, you left a pannier in mid-yard, I will call birds to help you” the Oldman said.
“They will eat my rice” said Tam
“Oh, don’t worry, I give you a spell. That is: Birds! birds! sorting! sorting! if you eat, you will
be punished, punished!” the oldman sang.
Seconds later, dozens of birds flew down the yard and began sorting. Few minutes passed, it had done. But, Tam bursted into tears again. The oldman appeared one more time.
“Why do you cry girl?” he said
“I don’t have any dress. My clothes are too old. I am so ugly” she said
 |
| Vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com |
Tam found the way to take out glass jars. A jar had a beautiful dress in it. The other had a pair of shoes, a horse and a nice saddle. She opened each by each glass jars. They poured white smoke. After white smoke scattered, a white horse had stood font of her face white the shoes, dress and saddle laid neatly on ground. Tam went to bath, then putted on desses and shoes. She mounted her horse, rode toward the party. She rode cross a muskeg on the way and dropped at shoe at there, but she is in hurry so she kept going without the shoe.
Later, the young king also went pass the muskeg. His elephant yelled and didn’t want to move pass. He force it but it didn't move. He ordered soldiers to find out what's in the musked. After minutes, a soldier took Tam’s shoe to him. He gazed at the beautiful shoe. It pointed that the owner had to be a beautiful girl.
Immediately, an announcement was spread out. Whoever who could wear the shoe would became king's wife. Every girl in the party, including Cam, tried but nobody could wear. It's too small for them. The last girl trying was a very beautiful girl. The shoe was perfect on her foot and she was no one but Tam. Everyone, but Cam and her mother, exploded in clap and yell. They were happy because Tam was really worthy with their king.
Tam was brought to castle. A royal wedding was held after that. Tam became king's wife, the queen.
She lived in castle every day till her father’s dead day came. She left the castle, came back home. Her home where Cam and the stepmother lived. They were people who felt jealous most with her fate. They had planed to kill her when she was at home. The stepmother made her climb areca tree and took some fruit for her father's altar. She obeyed, climbed to top of the tree while stepmother stayed under the root, took a axe and started chopping the tree. The tree shook after strange noises.
“What are you doing?” she asked, looked her stepmother.
“I am chasing ants. They will bite you if I don't do that.” she said.
The tree fell down. Tam dead.
Cam putted on Tam’s clothes and went to the castle. She replaced Tam.
After dead, Tam's body transformed into a little bird with yellow feathers and flew toward the castle. When it arrived to the castle, it landed on the king’ windows and sang. The young king was sinking in sadness because of Tam’s dead, turned happy. He put the bird into a gold cage. Day by day, he sat next to the cage and heard the bird sing. Cam, on other hand, didn’t like the bird. He found the way to ask her mother's advice. One day, when the king had to go out. Cam stayed at castle, killed the bird and cooked a meal. She threw its feathers on the garden behind the castle. When the king came back, his golden cage was empty.
"Do you see my bird?" he asked Cam.
"I ate it." Cam said, "It's because of our child. I'm pregnant.
The king was speechless. He went to his bedroom and stayed in it alone.
Two trees grew up from bird's feathers which grew quickly. A short time later, they became two big trees with thick branches and leaves which laid large shadows on ground. The king loved to take naps in hammock between the trees. When he slept, winds blew through leaves and spread out nice noises as though a girl was singing.
Cam realised the king didn’t notice at her, so she cut them down. She cut them in a storm day. When the king asked she where the trees were, she said that the storm made them down, so she made a loom from them. Whenever Cam sat front the loom to weave, it made a creak and a muttering voice. Being scared, Cam fired it and took ashes away from the castle.
From the ashes rosed a tree bearing a single, big fruit. A poor old woman walked by one day and saw it, begging it to fall to her pocket and promising that she wouldn’t eat it. Indeed it fell down. The next day, when the woman came home from her work, she found out that all housework was done. The next day, things happened as the day before. That thing interested her and she planed to find out what was going on. One day, she pretended to leave but she went back to spy. She looked through a hole in the window. An amazing sight appeared front her eyes, stepping out the fruit was a tiny little girl, few seconds later, little girl change in to real girl. The woman could see a beautiful girl with nice skin, red lip and bright eyes. A idea appeared suddently in her head, the woman bursted in to the room and grabbed the peel, tore it in pieces. Therefore, Tam could no longer turn back. Tam and the woman lived together as a mother and a daughter.
One day, the king lost his way, stopped by the hut where Tam and the woman lived. The old woman offered him betel. The king saw it and he realised it was same the betel Tam had ever given him. He asked the woman who had prepared the betel. The old woman told him her daughter had done it, and the king made her produce the daughter. When Tam appeared, they realised the other at once. No word could explain their happiness. They hugged and kissed the other. Later, Tam said goodbye the woman who was very kind treating her as her daughter. She and her husband went back the castle together.
Cam and her mother had their deserved end. But I should not talk to you.
The end. 🎭🎭🎭
"Translated by Hung Nguyen"
📚 EBOOK
Complete Collection of Vietnamese Fairy Tales
Fables and Fairy tales
📚 EBOOK
Vietnamese Fairy Tales
Mythic Relics SeriesFables and Fairy tales
📚 EBOOK
The Treasury of Fables
Fables and Fairy tales
Book Introductions
1. Complete Collection of Vietnamese Fairy Tales - A Treasury of Legends and Folklore
Discover over 240 enchanting Vietnamese fairy tales, translated into English and beautifully illustrated. This collection is a treasure trove of legends and folklore that reflect Vietnam's rich cultural heritage. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books
2. Vietnamese Fairy Tales - Stories in English and Vietnamese
This bilingual collection features 162 Vietnamese fairy tales in both English and Vietnamese, with stunning illustrations. Ideal for language learners and cultural enthusiasts. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books
3. The Treasury of Fables
An enchanting collection of timeless fables, written in English and beautifully illustrated. Perfect for all ages, these stories offer valuable moral lessons. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books
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List of Vietnamese fairy tales
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