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The Tale of Geckos

Once upon a time, a poor couple who named Thach Sung lived in a hut next to a market. They begged others to live. Although their lives were difficult, they were people who had ambitions. They had saved a lot of money which was hidden under ground in their hut but they still acted as poor people and continued praying.
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One night, when Mr. Thach Sung was coming home he saw two buffaloes were fighting.
His experience told him that year the water would rise over ground very much and of course they couldn’t pick up so he dig his money and bought rice by all money he had. The August that year, a big flood occurred. Therefore, they earned a lot of money by selling rice for others. 
Then they stopped spaying and started lending others money to take interest. A short time later, they became rich people. Mr. Thach Sung had bought many buffaloes, farmland for next years but he wanted to be richer. He cooperated with bandits in the region, shared what they robbed, then sold them. Ten years later, Mr. Thach Sung now became the richest man in the region but his ambition was also binger than that he wanted to become nobles. He presented to King very much treasures. Of course, the King let him supervised a region. He left his home, came to the capital and built a building where could contain thousands of people. He and his wife now lived in luxury that none could reach. 
That time, in the capital a man, named Vuong, related to the Queen who also was known for his richness participated a party which Mr. Thach Sung was in. after talking few minutes the topic of conversation change into that who was richer than the other. 
“All my servants wore silk clothes. Whenever Tet came I had to bought tons of silk for them.” said Vuong 
“My servants must eat as much as all people who live in a districts” said Mr. Thach Sung 
“I use sugar instead of wood to cook” Vuong said
“I use millions of candle to heat my rooms in the winter” said Mr. Thach Sung
After hours, a man interupted their words: “If you two only say about what you have without proving we couldn’t decided who was richer than other. You must show up and I think person who is loser will have to give the other three case of gold.”
They agreed. The date came. First, Vuong made his servants hung silk above all bed in his house but Mr. Thach Sung made his servant hung silk on all ceiling in his house. Vuong used glass on his roof that made his home look like a jewel but Thach Sung forced his servants cut alabaster and paved them on the yard font of his house that made people admire.
The contest continued. Thach Sung asked Vuong: “Do you have coral?” 
Vuong showed people a big branch of coral and asked him: “Do you have Rhino horns?” 
Thach Sung showed people a teapot and teacups made by rhino horns. They showed people many other valuable things. Then they started showing people strange things. Thach Sung let them see a horse which could run a thousand miles a day but Vuong invited people came his garden to see a two-head deer. That time Thach Sung kept silent rather long. Everyone thought that he gave up but, for a while, he took out a gem and said: “I have a gem, if you bring it in the summer you will feel cool and in the winter you will feel warm. It is only one in the world”
Vuong was confused and was going to borrow Queen a gem but a nobless who sat next to him said in secret some words to him then he smiled and turned to Thach Sung and said: “I know you are a richest man I have ever seen but you also don’t have many things”
“What don’t I have? If you show me what I don’t have I will gift you all things a have and if you don’t you have to gift me all your assets” said Thach Sung. Then they signed their name on a commitment front all of people who was in the contest. For while Vuong said: “You don’t have “mẻ kho” (a traditional spices of Vietnam).” just hearing “mẻ kho”, Thach Sung startled he knew that thing when he was poor he had used it to cooked fish but when he became rich he had not ever used it again. He forced servants to find everywhere in his house but they didn’t find out.
Then winner was Vuong. Thach Sung had to give his assets to Vuong include his wife and his servants. He came back to the hut and regretted his assets he had lost. Then he died and transformed into a gecko which people nowday in Viet Nam call "Thach Sung". 
Today, people in Viet Nam say: Thach Sung lack "mẻ kho" to mean that none has enough all things 
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:
Tale 19. If Toad croaks, it will rain
Tale 20. Thach Sanh and Ly Thong Chapter 1
Tale 21. Thach Sanh and Ly Thong Chapter 2
Tale 16. The Tale of God of Kitchen
Tale 17. The Tale of Ba Bể Lake
List of Vietnamese fairy tales
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Truyện cổ tích Việt nam (For people who can read Vietnamese)
Vietnamese historical stories (For people who love history)
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