The tale of Betel, Areca and Limestone

Once upon a time, those were two men named Tan and Lang who were near and dear brothers. Especially, they look very like the other that even their parents also didn’t recognize. Their father who was a tall, burly man and great in art of fighting was the King gifted a last name which was Cao. Cao families had been famous since they had the last name.

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When Tan and Lang had grown up their parents died. They still lived together they always went with together.

The father had entrusted Tan to a great teacher who named Luu before he died but when Tan went to study, Lang also wanted to go with he didn’t want be at home alone. Therefore, they went together.

Teacher Luu had a daughter who was a beautiful, clever girl. She was curious to know how to distinguish them. One day, she gave them little porridge that was only enough for a person. She hid herself behind a corner and observed. She saw a man (who was Tan) gave up the bowl of porridge to the other. She mumbled:

“Oh, the man, who was happy man, was you”.

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Tan and the girl had made few dates since that time. Then they fell in love with the other. The teacher realized their love and agreed them to marry.

After marrying, they came to a new house with Lang to live. Although Tam still loved his bother as previous time, he now spent lest time for him.

To Lang, he felt that Tan was keeping away him. He thought: “Maybe, he leaves me because of his wife”. Therefore, he felt so sad.

One day, Tan and Lang went to field together but Lang came back early. When he had just landed his feet into the house, the wife from the kitchen ran out and hugged him.

“Sister, It’s me, Lang”, he said loudly.

While they was feeling confused, Tan came in.

Lang realized Tan was jealous. He also knew that Tan had not loved him as previous time so he planned to go away. He followed a road until he saw a river which flowed so strong. He couldn’t go cross the river. He looked around, didn’t see any house and any animal but he didn’t want to come back. He sat on riverside; his head was down on the pillow and started crying. He cried and cried until the next day he died. Exactly, he was petrified.

Tan had not seen Lang came back for few days. He felt very sorry so he came to all people they knew to take a look. But, he couldn’t find Lang. He was frightened, ran to find Lang. He followed the road Lang had passed, arrived the river. He couldn’t get pass the river so he went along the riverside. At last, he saw Lang who had been petrified. He stood by the limestone and cried until he died. He transformed into an areca tree which stood by the limestone.

The wife had waited his husband for few days but she didn’t see he came back. She was so worry, and went to find him. The river, another time, prevented from crossing. The poor woman sat by the areca tree and cried until tears were dried. Then she died, transformed into a betel tree which twined around the areca tree.

The teacher and his wife had waited for them but they had not come back for a long time. They and other people went to find them but they only found out strange trees and a strange stone. They built a temple on the riverside for them.

One year, it wasn’t rain all trees were dried but two trees near the stone front the temple were still green. One day, when the King passed the temple he was surprised because of strange trees. He asked his servant.

“What are the trees? Why was the temple built?

Servants didn’t know the answer so they found old people to ask.

The King felt moving as he heard the whole story about three of them. He forced servants to climb up the areca tree, took down its fruit and tasted it. It had acrid flavor but when he ate it with a leaf of the betel tree, they had sweet and spice taste.

“Bloooood!” said a noble loudly.

He spitted immediately on the stone. The place where the stone had saliva was changed to red color. The King felt curious, he took three things and chewed them. A felling that made people who chewed fell warm as though they drunk, their lips and their cheeks became ruddy.

“That is so marvelous as though their love, so warm” said the King.

He made a rule that people who want to marry had to collect enough three things: betel, areca and limestone for people ate in order to remember the love of Tan, Lang and the wife.

Now day, betel, areca and limestone still are important things in the vietnamese wedding

THE END

"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

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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

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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 Vietnamesefairy tales

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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!

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.

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...

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 watermelon

Once upon a time, a young man whose name was Mai An Tiem was a slave. He was sold to a King named Hung Vuong . Mai An Tiem was clever, he learned vietnamese language very fast. Futher , he knew so many stories, places and could do everything so good so he was liked by Hung Vuong very much that wherever Hung Vuong had come he also came with him. Three years later, he was Hung Vuong let to become a noble and was stayed in a building near the castle. Besides, Hung Vuong made his daughter become his wife. Mai An Tiem now had wife, a five-year-old son, servants and assets. He seemed to lack nothing. Although he had never been arrogant people still were jealous with his his luck. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com One day, people who were participating in a party complimented as much as they could but he only said: “That because of ...

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...

My Chau and Trong Thuy

Once upon a time, there had a king, named An Duong Vuong. After many years fighting, he get a large area. The king planed to build a castle but whenever it had been built as tall as a men’s height then it was ruined. The king was unhappy. Therefore, the king had made an altar to pray God for few days until an early morning, a old man from seaside went to talk him God Turtle was going come to help him. The king was very happy and forced soldiers to wait on the seaside. The next day, in the water appeared a big gold turles toward seaside. The soldiers invited God Turtle to set sat on a big gold platter and brought to the king. The God Turtle told the king that the castle couldn’t have finished because of demons. God Turtle helped the king to kill the demons so all demons was killed. Besides, the God Turtle help the king design a castle look like a seashell with many gate levels. Half a month later, the castle had been finished. The king was very pleased but a little worry. He a...

So dua - Coconut boy

Once upon a time, there in a village had a couple who worked as servants for a landlord. Although they were over fifty years old, they had ever not had a child. They were sad about that, but they had never given up to dream about a child. One day, it's a very hot day, when the wife was working in the field and felt very thirsty. She seeked for water, but she didn't see any but a little water in a skull which was in a hole beside an ancient tree. She had no choice but to drink it. Right the moment she drank, the feeling of cold water running from her throat to her stomach made her felt very comfortable. As a magic, she was pregnant after that short time. Then, the husband died before he got the happiness looking his child be born. After nine months and ten days, the wife gave birth a son but he didn't look like any child on the world. He had no feet, no leg, and even no body. He just had a head with full of eyes, nose, ear, hair and mouth on it. He didn't ugly but was ...

The love story of Chuc and Nguu

Deeply in forest where rarely people stepped on there had a pond which were filled by cool clear water. The pond had never dried so that was where fairies used to gather. They often took water from the pond and sometime they waded in it to bath. And while they were bathing they always left their clothes on shore. Though, they had never been discovered by anyone who lived on ground. He, a woodcutter, lived alone in a hut standing by edge of forest. His name was Nguu. Everyday, he went in forest, cut down tree then brought it to market to sell. One day, he went in forest to deeply that he didn’t remember the way to get out the forest. It’s random he headed to the pond at the middle of forest. That time, three fairies were romping in the pond. And of course they were the most beautiful girls Nguu had ever seen so he immediately was enchanted their beauty. Then, he caught a plan that he wanted a fairy to be his wife. He saw sets of white clothes which were left on grass n...

Vietnamese fairy tales

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