Skip to main content

Clever Boy

Once upon a time, at a country where was reigned by a king who was looking for people who had talent to help him develop the country. He forced his servants went arround, gave all people who lived where they had gone hard riddles but they had never found.
vietnamese fairy tales
vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com
One day, a servant went to a village. He saw a man and his son was ploughing. He stopped to ask them:“How many fields does your buffalo plough a day, man ?”, he said
While the man who had heard still didn’t how to answer this question, the son who was about 7 or 8 years old had replied the servant quickly: “Dear Sir, if you can tell me how far your horse could go a day, I will let you know how many fields our buffalo can plough.”

The servant was surprised as he heard the boy asked against and he himself now didn’t know how to answer boy’s question. He thought that the person he was looking for was nobody but that boy. He asked them their name and address the rode quickly toward the castle.
The king was happy as heard that the servant had found a person who was enough quality he needed but he wanted to to check for sure that is a talent boy. Therefore, he forced the servant to bring 3 male buffaloes and 3 crates of rice to the village then  commaned them took care for buffaloes that how to make them born 9 other buffaloes. Next year, if they couldn’t submited 11 buffaloes they would be punished. 
As people heard the request they fell in worry. They have so many meeting but all of them couldn’t find out how a male buffalo can bear. The worry became deeper that made them thought that is a disaster.
As the news came to the boy he said his father immediately: “Father, you go and talk to everyone that they don’t need to be worried, talk them that they can use 2 buffaloes and 4 crates of rice to make a meal, and about the other buffalo and crate of rice, we will sell and take the money to come the castle.”
“My son, you don’t to be stupid. If we eat buffaloes we will lost our heads” said the man sadly
But the boy didn’t seem to stop. He said assuredly:”You and everybody don’t worry. I will solve everything”
The man followed boy’s words, talked people all of whole words his so had said but almost of them didn’t believe. They made them sign in a commitment.
Few days later, they two led themselves toward the castle. After arriving the castle, the boy said his father waited in a inn for his win. About him, while soldiers were not noticing he sneaked in the castle-yard then cried loudly.
The king who heard the cry forced his to bring the boy came in. He asked: “Boy, why do you cry?”
“Dear Sir. My mother has died for 5 years and I have no brothers or sisters to play with. It makes me so sad, so my King you can make my father bear a little child, please.” 
After hearing boy said, the king and his servant brust into loud laugh.
“If you want to have a bother or sister, you have to ask your father marry with a woman. Don’t you think that a male can bear” said the king still laughing
The boy stopped crying and said happily:”Sir, you are right a male can not bear but why did you force we made the male buffaloes bear. It is a joking, isn’t it.”
“I only wanted to challenge you. You don’t know to use them for a party, do you?” said the king.
“Dear Sir, we knew that was the gift you gave us so we had splitted buffaloes and cooked the rice to make a party.”said the boy
The king had to agree that the boy was clever but he still wanted to challenge another time. Next day, when the boy and his father was having lunch, a servant appeared, gave them a small bird and talked the king asked you had to make dishes for dozen of people from this bird.
The boy said his father brought a needle, gave to the servant then talked: “You take this needle to the king and ask him that if he can make a knife from this needle I will make a meal from the bird.”
After hearing the servant said the king agreed completely that the boy was a talent person. He gift them very much treasures. 
Meanwhile, a neighbor country which wanted to attack the country but they wanted to make sure that the country didn’t have any talent people. Therefore, they gave the king a hard riddle that how to lead a clew through a spiral conch.

The king and his servant had tried so many ways. Some one used their mouth to inhale the clew from a side, some one waxed the clew to make it hard but all things were not effective. At last, they gave up. The king, another time, had to ask the clever boy. A servant rode toward boy’s house immediately. After hearing the servant talked, the boy who was playing with his friends didn’t answer, he sang a song ( that had mean that you had to catch a ant, tied the clew around its body then covered the spiral conch by a paper. One side you put the ant and the other side greased. The ant would went through with the clew from the side to the other)
The servant was happy. He rode immediately toward the castle to report the king. Of course the clew was through the conch front the surprised eyes of the messenger. So the neighbor country didn't dare to attack the country. People were so happy. To thanks the boy, the king let him become a nobles and built him a building near the castle that he could ask the boy everything if people around him didn't know the answers. 
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 24. The tale of a doctor
Tale 25. The tale of watermelon
Tale 26. The War of The Duke and The God of water
Tale 21. Thach Sanh andLy Thong Chapter 2
Tale 22. Thanh Giong
Vietnamese fairy tales
-----
Truyện cổ tích Việt nam (For people who can read Vietnamese) 
Vietnamese historical stories (For people who love history)
Nhãn:

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!
1 comment
Read more

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.
3 comments
Read more

The liar Cuội

A boy named Cuoi had lost his parent when he was child he lived with his uncle and aunt. He was co clever but used to lie and he always had his fun whenever people had been cheated. A landlord had heard about him but he didn’t think that he could lie him so he called him came and asked. “I hear you are very well in cheat. Now I sit at here, if you can make me go to the door I will give you this pocket of coins. People here will be witnesses for my words.”, said the landlord. Cuoi expressed as if he was feeling embarrassed. “You have prepared before you sit here so I can not make you go to the door. Now if you stand at the door I can make you come in.”, said Cuoi. The landlord thought what Cuoi had said was true so he stood up and sprinted to the door. But when he came to the door he saw Cuoi was laughing and clapping his hand. “I’ve cheated you.”, said Cuoi. The landlord lost for words and was forced to give him the pocket of coins. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.co...
Read more

Crow and Peacock

Once  upon a time, both Crow and Peacock were best friends and had same feather colors, gray. They knew themselves were ugly so they didn’t appear front of other birds. Peacock in Crow’s eyes was uglier than him because Peacock had a small head and a long neck that they didn’t connect to his body. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com One day, Crow talked Peacock: “A painter was painting nearly so we should come and steal some colors to paint on our feathers and make it beautiful” said Crow Peacock bowed his head. That day, the painter hadn’t finished his picture so he left his jar of colors on ground and took a nap. The first time, they stole a paintbrush and some jars then hid them on mound middle lake nearly. The second, they planned to go and steal again but the panter had woken up and came his home so they only took a jar of ink and a pocket of purl he had left. “Right, we start painting, yet” said Crow Crow made Peacock lie down and began painting. Crow painted v...
Read more

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....
Read more

Idiot

Once  upon a time, there was an idiot whose name was Ngoc. Ngoc had a wife who didn’t like him to stay home and do nothing. One day, when they were sitting by the other, his wife told: “Husband you can’t continue doing nothing. You must find a job to do if you want to live with me in long time” “Do what?” said Ngoc, “I don’t know write or read and besides, not smart as others so what can I do?” “Do business”, said his wife. “Business? What?” said Ngoc. “All things which bring to you benefit”, said his wife, “Firstly, you can buy and sell chickens and ducks. Later, you can buy and sell wood”. Few days later, Ngoc brought money and set off. He remembered his wife’s saying so that he found the way to trade ducks. He didn’t need long time to find what he need. He saw ducks they were about dozen of ducks swimming in the lake which was by his way but they were wild ducks and he didn’t know that so he walked to find the owner of the ducks. He saw some children near that....
Post a Comment
Read more

Wishing pearl

De was a young boy. His parent was servants of a landlord. Every morning, De led landlord’s cattle to meadow and brought them back at nightfall. De used to be excited in playing with his fellows and when he was in his game he didn’t care anything. Many times the cattle he herded ate rice on field and the owners used to beat him pained but he still left cattle and joined in his fellows. One normal day, he and his fellows had a swimming competition. An award was given to the winner that he couldn’t refuse. Therefore, he participated in the competition and left his cattle on a wild hill. They swam and dived in water until noon and when they walked on ground, a cow had disappeared. The cow belonged to no one but his master. Children separated to find the cow but the cow seemed to vanish they couldn’t find it. Sun was going to down, children made their ways to home they left De staying at there. Day stayed at there alone crying. After that, he fell in sleep. Latter, he was woken up b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Story 12: General Thuong Kiet Ly

His birth name is Tuan Ngo, an offspring of Quyen Ngo. He was borned in 1019 at Thai Hoa ward, Thang Long (now Hanoi). When he was child, he early showed brave and martial spirit what were inherited from his family who had been generals, dedicating to Ly dynasty. His father, An Ngu Ngo was also one of them he was a great general. When he was 13 years old, he lost his father and was taken care by his aunt and her husband. Tuan Ngo was taught by Cong An Ly, a royal great teacher at that time. His teacher complimented that he had talent but he headed to be a general instead of a mandarin. Therefore, he studied literature in daytime and research art of warfare in night time. When he was enough 18 years old, he opened a martial class. People coming and studying were crowded. The news came to the recent king who summoned him to castle and conferred him to be a low martial mandarin. Two years later, he became the king’s guard staying by the king entire day. That time, the king realize...
Post a Comment
Read more

Yet Kieu

Once  upon a time, in Ha-bi village lived a man named Yet Kieu who worked as a fisher. One night, while he was strolling along the seaside he saw two large buffaloes fighting on the beach. He sprinted to poke them apart. Buffalos were beaten painful they ran toward to the sea then disappeared. “Those creatures aren’t normal”, he thought then he turned back where buffaloes had been fighting and picked up some fur they had left. He gazed them then suddenly swallowed them down. From that he had the strength that nobody could fight against. Especially, he could stay in the water longer than any people in the world. He spent six or seven days fishing whenever he dived in water. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com That moment, their enemies had an invasion. A hundred ships approached and covered seaside of Van  ninh. They caught all fishing boats and fired them. They robbed assets and took lives from people living around the beach. Warships following king of the countr...
Read more