Skip to main content

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: 
-----

Essential Reads: Engaging Books You Can't Miss!

Comments

BÀI ĐĂNG ĐƯỢC XEM NHIỀU

Truyện 166. Vợ chàng Trương

Ngày xưa, ở làng Nam-xương có cô gái tên là Vũ Thị Thiết, người đã xinh đẹp lại thùy mị nết na. Nàng lấy chồng là Trương sinh vốn là người cùng làng. Trương sinh có tính cả ghen, hay để tâm xét nét vợ, nhưng vợ chàng thường giữ gìn khuôn phép nên không có chuyện gì xảy ra. Vợ chồng hương đượm lửa nồng chưa được bao lâu thì bỗng nghe tin chốn biên thùy có giặc, chồng vâng lệnh quan phải từ giã mẹ và vợ đi lính thú. Bấy giờ vợ đang có thai. Buổi chia tay thật là bịn rịn, mẹ chúc cho con chân cứng đá mềm, chồng khuyên vợ gắng phụng dưỡng mẹ già và nuôi con khôn lớn. Sau khi chồng trẩy được mươi ngày thì Vũ Thị Thiết sinh được một đứa con trai, đặt tên là thằng Đản. Thằng bé sởn sơ mạnh khỏe, còn bà nội của nó vì nhớ con sinh ra đau ốm. Vợ chàng Trương hết lòng mời thầy chạy thuốc, nhưng bệnh của mẹ chồng mỗi ngày một nặng, chẳng bao lâu thì mất. Nhờ có bà con xóm giềng, mọi việc tống táng đều lo liệu chu toàn. Đã mấy thu qua không thấy chồng...

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.

Tam and Cam

Once upon a time, there had a little girl named Tam. Her mother died early so her father decided to remarry on purpose the stepmother would take care of his little daughter. The stepmother gave birth to a girl, named Cam after that. Then, her father died after few years. Tam had to live with her stepmother and her sister, Cam. Since the time, she was forced to work hard, all housework, while Cam had to do nothing. One day, the stepmother gave Tam and Cam each one a corf to caught fish. She promised that who caught full her corf would receive a piece of red silk. Tam and Cam went to field together. She was hard to catch fish while Cam only wondered around till afternoon and had nothing in her coft. Cam pointed at Tam’s coft and realised it is full, thinking seconds, she said gently: “sister Tam, your head is mud, you should wash it or mother will punish you” Belive Cam, Tam went to river nearly. She left her corf on the shore,  waded into water to wash. Cam, meanwhile, stayed on t...

The heir

Once  upon a time, there had a sixty-year-old man, Le. Le was wealthy but he didn’t have son he had only a daughter. Besides, his wife had died so the girl was his only relative. When his daughter grew up, she married with a man in that area. Bui was his son-in-law and he married with his daughter because of his wealth. Le also thought that he would give them his assets when he died. “Now, I am over sixty years old, too old to give birth to any child. Son or daughter is also my child so that he or she also can be the heir”, thought him. And his intent turned more certain as his daughter had a son. One day, he went to his Bui’s house to meet his grandchild he now was three years old. While he was talking with Bui’s father, the grandchild approached the father of Bui and said: “Grandpa! Com-- in eat”. “Oh my sweet grandchild”, said the father of his son-in-law, joking “What about him? Do you want to invite him?”  The child shook his head and ran toward his gran...

God of blacksmiths and blacksmith

Khong Lo, the god of blacksmiths, was the god who had taught people casting and also the go who governed blacksmiths. Khong Lo early realized that not all blacksmiths were good guy so he used to appear on ground and challenge blacksmiths. A street blacksmith who used to shoulder tools wander on street and helped people remold metal things. “Mold pots, mold jars, mold tray, remold metal things”, he cried to let others know he was a blacksmith. The blacksmith was great so he could mold and remold all things people needed in short time. In the time he worked he stayed in house of people who needed him to mold things. When things were molded, he got his money and set off. That was his work. One day, the blacksmith made his way to a fair. He went cross a forest and met a boy who was shouldering tools as he was. As he saw the blacksmith, the stood and bowed his head politely. “Do you see anybody go cross the direction you have passed, sir?”, said the boy. “Who do you find?”...

Cat and mouse

Ngoc  Hoang was king who ruled in heaven. As other kings, he had stores which storied all treasures belonging to him. The stores needed a person to manage them. Thu was one of gods living in heaven, clear and hard work. Therefore, Ngoc Hoang entrusted the job, taking care of the   stores, to Thu. Ngoc Hoang gave him keys and said: “Though all things in heaven are unlimited, we shouldn’t waste them. Therefore, I need a person to manage them. That is you. You don’t need to report to me daily. Twice a year are enough”, said Ngoc Hoang. “Follow your words, my king”, said Thu. Thu happily received his new position. Few years later, Thu did his duty well he set things at their places, didn’t wasted anything. Ngoc Hoang was very satisfied but nothing could keep its initial state pass time. Because things which belonged to Ngoc Hoang were very great none could count or measure, Thu thought about stealing. “Only a little could be enough for my family to live till the...

Two Tran princesses.

The  recent king, a king of Tran dynasty, had given birth to five princesses. Two of them were beautiful  princesses whose names Bao Nuong and Ngoc Nuong and both of them were old enough to marry. The king planned to find husbands for them but they refused. They like traveling. One day, they came and asked the king: “Dad, My king, I and my sister are people who love our country. So, we want to travel and enjoy scenery before we marry with others”. The king couldn’t prevent them and he had to agree. The princesses disguised as two men and brought with them some servants. They set off and came to places in the country. They had landed on many places which were known as beautiful places. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com Meanwhile, the country was fighting with enemies, a country in the north of the country, Nguyen. The enemies were cruel. Wherever they had crossed, all remaining things were ruins though those were temples or houses. The recent king had many time or...

Mage save his disciple

Dang was place where a famous mage lived. He was knows as a person who was expert at magics especially foreknowledge. A student wanted to study his magics so he left his wife at home then found the way to Dang. He had found the mage and had studied for three years. One day, he came and asked his master, the mage, to come home to meet his wife because he had left his house for long time and missed her. “Show me your palm”, said the mage. He showed his master his palm. The mage considered his palm a while. “Had better stay here. You only stuck in dangerous things if you come home”, said his master. He obeyed but he didn’t feel happy and his master also realized that thing. Few days later, his master called him to him and said: “I can’t keep here while your heart was away from here but you know I can see dangerous things which are waiting for you in future. Remember my words”, said his mage, “See village hall, don’t walk in. Get fragrant water, don’t shampoo. See chickens, don’t expel. T...