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Magical vial

Long time ago, a boy worked as a woodcutter lived in a small village. One day, he brought his ax went to forest and cut wood as normal. While he was cutting he saw a crow brought a sparrow cross his head and landed on a branch near him. He felt sorry for the sparrow as he saw it. Therefore, he took a rock and threw toward the crow. The crow dropped the sparrow flew up because of surprise but the crow didn’t give up it flew around on his head and cawed loudly. He bent down took some rocks and threw toward it.
“Go away, crow”, he shouted.
vietnamese fairy tales
The crow angrily flew away. It frightened him that it would come back to revenge. After it had gone, he ran toward the sparrow, picked it up and warmed it. Minutes later, the sparrow woke up and could fly. It thanked him and asked him to wait it few minutes it wanted to gift him something. It flew away and came back with a vial of liquid in its beak. It put the vial next to him and said:
“This is magical liquid which help people turn younger and more beautiful, things turned bigger”, then the sparrow flew away. The liquid spread a fragrant smell as he opened the vial.
“This thing was only suitable for wealthy ladies not people like me”, he thought then closed the vial. He shouldered wood and made his way to home. Time passed, he busied with his work and seemed to forget the magical vial which was put on his home.
Few years later, he married. His wife was born in farmer family who dedicated entire their lives to farm. Consequently, his wife wasn’t beautiful as other woman. Though, he and his wife still loved other very much.
One day, while he was working in farm, his wife was in home cleaning. She found a vial which spread fragrant smell as she opened it. Thought that was vial of essential oil using to shampoo, she boiled a pot of water poured the liquid in the vial into and bathed by the water.
She had never thought that she would turn beautiful after she bathed so she was very surprised as she realized she turned beautiful. After the water cleaned her, it flowed to onions grown up in garden and made them turn huge.
When the woodcutter came back home, he didn’t recognize his wife the woman front his face that moment looked like a fairy. And only if she spoke, he realized his wife’s voice. From that time, he used to stay by his wife observed her but they also knew that they would have nothing to eat if he only stayed home and observed the other. At last, he hired a painter to paint a picture that he brought to farm hung on a tree next to where he worked and watched it whenever he remembered his wife. One day, while he was plowing, the crow he had met before flew down and brought his picture away. He chased it but he couldn’t catch it the crow was very high and far. The crow brought the picture to capital and dropped it down the castle. Soldiers picked up the picture and brought to the king. Immediately, the king was attracted by the woman in the picture.
“Who are you?” asked the king when he saw the picture, “the crow must follow god’s words bringing this picture to me”.
Later, he ordered a mandarin to go and bring the woman in the picture to him. The mandarin brought soldiers with him, asked them to search everywhere. They also organized a festival to help their searching more easily. They showed people who joined in festival the picture and asked them about the owner of the picture.
One day, they went to the village where the woodcutter and his wife lived. Fastly, they found out the owner of the picture. The woodcutter immediately realized his picture as he joined in festival but soldiers caught him and requested him to lead them to his home. They brought his wife away as they saw him though he begged them not to do that.
The woman had turned melancholy since she was brought to the castle she didn’t wear clothes maids gave her, didn’t comb her hair and didn’t let anyone go near her. The king, though he had the beauty, felt unhappy because he couldn’t make her smile. Therefore, the king notified that anyone who could make her smile would have an award. Many people had made their way to castle and tried to make her smile but they couldn’t.
When the husband heard about the king’s notification, he planned to go to castle to meet his wife. He picked up his huge onions, shouldered the went toward the capital.
“Leaves are as big as branches, onions are as big as panniers. Anyone wants my onions?” he yelled on his way.
His voice spread in castle that made his wife turn happy. She asked maids to call him in castle and then she met he wife, she laughed happily. That is the first time the king saw she smiled, he thought that the huge onions made her felt happy. Therefore, he caught an idea to have smiles of the beauty.
“Put down you onions and take of your clothes”, said the king.
The king took off his clothes, threw to the husband and grabbed his clothes put on. He pretended as he was onion seller and yelled as the husband had that made the wife laughed loudly. The king felt happy so he continued pretending to be onion seller. Suddenly, dogs were unchained they chased the king and killed him because they thought he was stranger. The wife immediately told her husband who, that moment, was wearing the king’s clothes sat on the throne.
When he sat in the throne, mandarins and generals kneeled. He became the king and lived with his wife till they died.
THE END
"Translator: 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: 
List of Vietnamese fairy tales
Tale 124: Two girls and two tumors
Tale 125: Transformed into cricket
Tale 127: The poor and god
Tale 128: Fairy Lieu Hanh
Tale 129: Hunter and witch
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List of Vietnamese fairy tales

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