Skip to main content

The Tale of Catfish

Once upon a time, a young monk had led a religious life for 3 years he knew all Buddhist scriptures and was good preacher but he had never become a Buddha. Therefore, he decided go to “Tay Truc” where Buddhas lived to ask them how to become a Buddha.
The way from where he lived to where Buddhas lived was very dangerous, distant and each more step as more dangerous but he did give up, still went up to Tay Truc. The journey had taken 50 day, he had been lost may times, been fevered few times but he had been always given help. He went up whenever he had been cured.
One day, when he had just landed his feet in forest, the sun had set. He tried to find a place to rest. Fortunately, he found out a home in middle of forest. Knock on the door, he saw an old woman appear. He planned to request for rest but she waved her hand and said: “Go away! Go away! If my son come, you will be killed.”
cá he

“I have been exhausted and can move any more. If you don’t let me come in, I only can lie at front of your home” he said
“God, my son is half-evil. He will eat you if he saw you so you have to move, moving” she said
The monk threw his luggage on the ground and lay. The woman did know what to do but pulling him into a tunnel inside the house and requested to keep silent then she covered him by wood. Hours later, her half evil son came home with a deer on a hand and a knife on the other. He snorted and said “I smell meat”
“It is on your hand, yet” she said
“Not it, I smell human-meat” he said
He threw the deer and found around. Minutes later, he found out the monk. He pulled the monk out of the tunnel.He roared at the monk “Where do you go”
The monk replied”I am going to Tay Truc to meet Buddha”, replied the monk
“What for” said the half-evil.
The monk said them about his journey; how long and how far had he gone; how many difficult things he had passed and showed you how much he want to meet Buddhas. When they had heard, they were completely moving. They cried and felt sorry to what they had done. The monk added that they would become better if they changed. His knife dropped on ground, and his venomous face had relived.
The next morning, before the monk left, they gave him many food and water, went with him cross a mountain. At last the half-evil said:”What should I dedicate to Buddha?”
“Your heart is enough” said the monk
Misunderstand, the half-evil grabbed his knife, cut his stomach and took out his heart, gave to the monk and said: “please, give it to Buddhas”
The monk was confused but he couldn’t refuse. At last, he received the heart, bowed his head then he walked up. Few days later, the monk went out the forest cross a large swamp. Although the swamp very beautiful but he felt unhappy because of the spoiled heart’s smell. He thought if he brought the heart, no restaurant let him get in so he threw the spoiled down the swamp on the next day. 
At last, he had arrived Tay Truc, he kneeled front entrance of chancel and asked to Buddhas who was sitting upon the chancel. From chancel, a voice echoed down that he lacked one gift for becoming a Buddha. He looked up and saw two people as the half-evil and his mother. He realized that he had lacked of honesty, thoroughness so he couldn’t be a Buddha. Feeling ashamed, he came to where he had thrown the heart and tried to find it in the water. Only found out it and gift to Buddha he must not feel ashamed front the mother of half-evil. He had been swimming until he became a catfish. Do you realise its head like the bald head of the monk?
THE END
"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

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

Read more:
-----

BÀI ĐĂNG ĐƯỢC XEM NHIỀU

List of Vietnamese fairy tales

Vietnamese  fairy tales includes many stories as Tam and Cam; So Dua; Hundred – knot- bamboo tree... which were spread in folk. Each stories has  its own meaning. I think I can not translate exactly each word into english but I will try my best to convey its meaning to you. Hope you like them!

Bài 14: Danh từ đếm được số ít và số nhiều và quy tắc thêm chuyển từ danh từ đếm được số ít sang số nhiều.

      Như chúng ta đã biết danh từ thường phân thành nhiều loại nhưng về mặt ngữ pháp bạn chỉ cần biết danh từ gồm hai loại: danh từ đếm được và danh từ không đếm được. Về cơ bản mình sẽ nói qua một chút về danh từ đếm được và danh từ không đếm được vì bài này chủ yếu xoay quanh danh từ đếm được. Về bản chất danh từ đếm được là những từ bạn có thể kiểm soát nó bằng mặt số lượng tức là bạn có thể đếm 1, 2, 3 cái gì đó và nó có sự phân biệt giữa số ít (một) và số nhiều (hơn một) của loại từ này trong ngữ pháp của câu. Ví dụ: I have  bananas và  I have  a banana  có sự khác biệt rõ ràng, bạn có nhận thất mạo từ  “a”  ở trước banana không? Thêm nữa Bananas  are  yellow và a banana  is  yellow bạn có nhận thấy động từ đi kèm có sự khác biệt không; danh từ số nhiều sẽ tương đương vói ư chỉ ngữ they và danh từ số ít sẽ tương đương vói it. Cơ bản là thế. Còn về danh không đếm được thì bạn phải cân, đo, đong như những...

Truyện 9. Sự tích Con Dã Tràng

Có  hai vợ chồng một ông già tên là Dã Tràng. Trong vườn họ có một hang rắn. Thường ngày làm cỏ gần đấy, ông già vẫn thấy có một cặp vợ chồng rắn hổ  mang ra vào trong   hang. Một hôm, con rắn chồng bò ra khỏi hang một mình. Ông nhìn thấy rắn vợ nằm cuộn ở trong. Vì mới lột nên mình mẩy nó yếu ớt không cựa quậy được. Một lúc lâu, rắn chồng bò trở về, miệng tha một con nhái đút cho vợ ăn. Ít lâu sau, Dã Tràng lại thấy rắn vợ bò ra khỏi hang một mình. Lần này rắn chồng đến kỳ lột nằm im thim thíp, lốt da cũ còn bỏ lại bên hang. Hồi lâu, rắn vợ trở về, theo sau có một con rắn đực khác khá lớn. Dã Tràng thấy hai con bò đến cửa hang thì dừng lại rồi quấn lấy nhau như bện dây thừng. Một lát sau, con rắn đực một mình bò vào hang.

Thanh Giong

Once  upon a time, a woman was old but she had not given birth a child. One day, when she went to her field, she saw a stranger footsore on the ground. The big footsore made her surprise and said: “omg, this footsore is so big” the she put her foot into the footsore. More 9 months later, she gave birth to a little boy named Giong. The boy was extraordinary that he was over three years old but had not spoken. He only knew lying and smiling. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com That year, the enemies they were known An planed to attack the country of the boy. They were merciless. Wherever they had gone, houses were ruined, fields were fired, people were killed. The sight behind them is mess of corpse and blood and ashes.The King was worry he forced his servants to look for person who could fight against the enemies.  One day, a servent went to Giong’s village while the woman was holding the boy in her arms, she said sadly that: “Giong, I wonder that when you hav...

The Tale of the Hundred - knot Bamboo tree

Once upon a time, there had a boy who was poor, had no field. Therefore, he found the way to work for a landlord. He was healthy, worked hard and great in working so the landlord wanted him to work for him long time without any pay. One day, he called the boy to come. "You are honest and healthy. If you agree to work for me in three years without pay, I will let you marry with my only daughter after that." The boy agreed. He believed completely. He worked very hard, help the landlord turn richer that he could build more houses, buy more fields and cattles. Then, time passed. Three years nearly crossed, the boy always remembered his master's promise while his master, the landlord didn't want to do his promise. He in secret had found another boy for his daughter, a son of another landlord in that area. Therefore, what he need was a reason to refuse the boy. One day, he called the boy to come. "You have worked very hard for three years, waken early, slept late....

Thuong Luong

Thuong Luong was common name of creatures which are in people’s imagines. They are distant relatives of dragons. While dragons are worshiped as gods, the gods ruled rivers and sea and the gods can make rains, Thuong Luong is not respected as dragons that the creatures are too amorous, combative, wild, and have bad behaviors. All most of them like to harm people.

Story 2. Vạn Hạnh, a monk and an adviser of kings

Along  history we have people who didn’t have important positions but they affected deeply to historical stream. One of them is the monk, Van Han who had affected to dynasties Dinh, Le and Ly. Buddhism went in Vietnam in the 2nd century but till Nam De Ly reigned the country Buddhism started to spread to people then it existed along with dynasties. Sometime Buddhism had a position as the national religion. Monks were people who had high education so they had reputation and people’s trust. Co Phap (now Dinh Bang village, Thuan thanh district, Bac ninh province) was where Buddhism was born. A family followed Buddhism had given birth to a son in 932 who none knew his real name. Whole his life went with his nick name Dao Hanh. When he was a child he had show people his intelligent that he read many book and knew many things. When he was 21 years olds he followed Buddhism and was led by a monk having nick name Thien Ong, a high position-monk in Luc To temple. Dao Hanh chose the way ...

Tam and Cam

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 t...

The tale of "Banh Chung" and "Banh Day"

Once  upon a time, that had a king who was so old so he wanted to abdicate. He had had few wives who had given bird twelve sons. All of his sons had grown up and also were great people. The King was confused about choosing. “All of them are talent people. It is so difficult that I can choose a person and nobody can be jealous” said the King. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com “My Lord the king, we can have a contest” said a servant. “Oh, it is a good idea but what is subject of the contest?” said the king  “Meaning dishes, which we can put on ancestral altar” said the servant. “Great, let’s doing” said the king. The king called his son to come on and said:  “My sons, I don’t have many time and I want one of you to become the king. Now, anybody who can find dishes which not only are delicious but still have great meaning to put on ancestral altar will become the king.”