Skip to main content

A great king named Hai

Long time ago, a boy was born in village name Hoa-vien which now was under Ha tinh province. The boy’ name was Hai his father died when he was a child so he grew up without rules and course his mother couldn’t prevent him. He used to group with his friends in farm to jump and wrestle. His mother had a rampant male buffalo which used to have ill behaviors and break plow.
vietnamese fairy tales
vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com
One day, Hai came home after few days out.
“You only know to do useless things, waste your time in outside. Can you do some useful things?”, said his mother.
“I will plow tomorrow.”, he said.
The next morning he shouldered the plow and rode the buffalo toward field. He just plowed two lines the buffalo had accustomed to running away with plow. Hai ran after the buffalo and get over. He prevented, grabbed its horns but the buffalo raged and gored him. Hai punched the buffalo few hits then it fell down and died.
Saw the buffalo died Hai didn’t showed any worry he slaughtered the buffalo into four part. Then he asked someone to take two parts to his house gave his mother and he tied two parts to tops of a yoke then shouldered away. When his mother knew how he plowed she was very angry and asked a person to chase and teach him. Hai was on his way saw a person chasing and the person look very rampant as if he wanted to beat him. Hai put down his yoke and broke off a tree then he turned back and said with the person.
“If you want annoyed me, come on and get your gift with this tree.”, said Hai.
The person was frightened so he turned back and went away. Hai followed the north to go and as he felt hungry he cut meat and roasted to eat. as the last piece of meat had gone he had been in Nghe an. He wandered and at last he came to a mandarin’s mansion to pray for a job. Mandarin’s wife noticed he had strength and so she agreed. She gave him a barrel of steamed rice but it took no longer time to be eaten cleanly. Mandarin’s wife tremendously exclaimed:
“You eat too violently. Will you be useful for things you are served.”
Hai didn’t explain he asked:
“What do I have to do now?”
“Take water from river.”, replied the mandarin’s wife.
“Do you have something to contain.”, said Hai.
Mandarin’s wife led him to backyard which set many pitchers, she pointed at them and said.
“These are all things you need, chose two and take water come here.”, said mandarin’s wife.
“Too small, it will waste my strength.”, said Hai.
“I have two pitchers which were bigger than them but I am afraid you can not carry them.”, said mandarin’s wife then she led him go.
“Too small.”, said Hai as he saw the pitchers.
Mandarin’s wife had a little surprise and let him see two bigger pitchers.
“How about them?”, said mandarin’s wife.
“Small”, said Hai, “Could you go to market and buy two pitchers, the largest size, and a biggest size-yoke? Those maybe fit.”
One day, the region had a fair. Hai carried water pass the fair and saw a wrestling match. He stopped to see. A wrestler had won from morning to noon he had fallen down dozen of others and became arrogant. He gave all people a challenge but nobody dared. People noticed Hai had extraordinary power when carry two large pitchers of water so they insisted him to take the challenge. He refused but people insisted him so violently for he could continued refusing. But he made the wrestler sign his name on a paper that showed that they were exempted from crime as of them died in fighting.
The fighting just started few seconds the wrestler had been fallen down then he was hold on his ankles, thrown round and at last was thrown away. When people sprinted to in which he dropped down he had died. About Hai, he clapped on his thighs and had jumped up to a roof to celebrate.
Meanwhile, Lam river was abode of a python. Whenever boats crossed the river it always waved that made boats wreck all people, dropping into water, didn’t escape from its mouth. Therefore, the part of river became wild. Soldiers also couldn’t hurt it. At last, thing king notified anyone who could kill the python would be given award. Hai showed up and required to forge nine knifes. As things he need had made. He and some people came to the riverside. Asked some stay on the riverside and boiled a larg pot of water. He and some rowed to middle river then he used a rope tied around his body, the other side he gave others on the boat to take.
“If you felt the rope was pulled at other side, pulled me up immediately.”, said Hai.
Then he dived into the water. He wasted long time finding the python. At last, he found out it was lying coiling in a cave. Very fast the python felt his appearance. It opened it mouth and planed to swallow him down but he dodged and pricked a knife on his body. The python was angry because it had never been hurt before by someone so it waved his body so madly to make Hai injured but Hai climbed at its back and never let off his hand. People on the boat could see violent waves which made the part of rive be white by foams but they didn’t feel the other side of rope was pulled.
Until noon as Hai had pricked six knifes on python’s body. He pulled the rope then people pulled him up. His body, his clothes, now, was covered by python’s viscous liquid and blood. It smelled very horrible but he asked them to take more knifes. Then he dived one more time. That time the python was so weak because it was injured and he only needed pricked few knifes on it stomach to end its life. The python waved is body weakly then died.
 Hai cut off its head then take it up from water. People cheered. He immediately bathed. The pot of water had been boiled he asked people to clean all blood and viscous liquid from his body. But the viscous liquid, a deadly poison, had entered his nostrils and damaged his brain. Short time later, he died.
People who regret for his fate had built a temple to respect him and called him great king Hai.  
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

See 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!

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...

Cruel-second mother

A  man had two wives and each wife gave birth to a son, Linh and Lang. Linh was child of the first wife and Lang was child of the other. Linh’s mother died early left him staying with father, the second mother and Lang. Lang was older than Ling five years old and treated Linh as his same mother brother but his mother didn’t thought that she hated Linh. When Linh grew up, his father let him to study in school because he was son of the first wife while Lang followed his father, worked on their field. Unfortunately, his father died, left assets which were accumulated in three generations, vast field, red roof house with large gardens around, ponds will full of fish. Although the second wife still treated Linh normal as if he was her son but in fact she implicitly planned to harm him to usurp asset because the fate of women, not first wife, and their children just inherited very little. One day, the second wife requested Lang and Linh to go to market to buy fire-wood. Before th...

Bài 1.5: Cách sử dụng at, on, in cho thời gian, ngày, tháng, năm, mùa.

Chào các bạn! Bởi vì mình có hay dich truyện và một vài thứ linh tinh khác nên thường bắt gặp ngày, tháng năm. Thật ra khôngkhó để sử dụng đúng nhưng mỗi lần cần đến mình lại phải tra lại tra cứu. Điều đó rất mất thời gian nên hôm nay mình viết một bài liên quan đến at, on, in + thời gian để giúp bạn nào chưa biết và giúp chính mình nhớ được cách sử dụng của các giới từ at, on, in và dạng thời gian được theo sau giới từ đó.

Cam Ho Bui.

Long  time ago, that was in dynasty a poor boy lived near foot of a mountain named   Hong   Linh . His name was Ho. When he was child he had followed an old teacher to study but as his parents died he stopped. He also had no brother or sister so he lived alone from that time. He worked as a herd to live. All things he had were a knife, a conch and basket. Others because of felling sorry for him built for him a hut under the mountain. Front of the hut hanging an instrument which was made of bamboo. Every morning as he woke up he drummed on the instrument which would spread a noise and notified people living in the village brought their buffaloes to the crossroads then he would take care of them from that. Afternoon, he brought the buffaloes came back the crossroads and they could find the way to come their houses. Though his jobs had a little difficulty but he, in other side, felt delight. In addition to wage he usually was given serving whenever one of them had a fe...

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 ...

Thach Sanh and Ly Thong Chapter 1

Chap 1:  fight with huge snake  Once upon a time, a woodcutter and  his wife were over sixty years old but they had had not any children. Although they were sad, they still did good thing and hoped God would give them one child. At last, their kindness had come to King of heaven who requested his son to fly down and reincarnate to be the old couple’son. They had just enjoyed the happiness for a short time. Then, the old man died, before his son was born. Vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com After that, the woman gave birth to a beautiful, strength boy. She named him Thach Sach. The poor boy grew up with no father then his mother also left after few years living with him. They only left him an ax and a pair of shorts. Day by day, he went to forest, cut tree, split them then took to market to get money. When he was thirteen, king of heaven forced his servants down to teach him magic and martial arts. Then they was back heaven, Thach Sanh continued living alone in...

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...

Truyện 127. Người dì ghẻ ác nghiệt

Ngày xưa, có một người đàn ông hai vợ, người vợ cả chết sớm để lại một đứa con trai còn bé tên là Văn Linh. Người vợ lẽ cũng sinh được một đứa con trai khác tên là Văn Lang. Văn Lang hơn Văn Linh những năm tuổi, nhưng hai anh em chơi với nhau thân thiết hơn cả anh em cùng một mẹ. Những khi Văn Linh bị trẻ con lối xóm ăn hiếp, Văn Lang lập tức bênh vực. Nhưng Văn Lang không biết rằng mẹ chàng trai lại coi Văn Linh như kẻ thù. Văn Linh ngày một lớn khôn, người bố cho chàng theo nghiệp sách đèn. Còn Văn Lang thì từ lâu đã theo bố tập quen nghề trông coi cày cấy. Nhà họ vốn có của ăn của để. Cả một tư cơ đồ sộ chắt chiu đã vài ba đời được gần vài chục mẫu ruộng và một mẫu vườn, có nhà ngói cây mít, thuộc vào loại khá nhất trong vùng. Đột nhiên người bố ốm nặng rồi qua đời. Người dì ghẻ ngoài mặt thì đối đãi với Văn Linh ngọt ngào tử tế nhưng trong bụng muốn nhổ cái gai trước mắt. Là con đích, Văn Linh sẽ được gần như toàn bộ tài sản. Còn mẹ con Văn Lang thì nh...