Stretching the truth

One day, four mandarins proposed to hold a competition to find out which of them was the most skilled in magnifying things beyond the limits of truth.

They had been drinking ruou (rice wisky) all afternoon and by evening their fibs became more and more grandiose.

The jar of gold

There once lived a poor farmer and his wife, who led a very quiet life in the countryside. Every morning at dawn, they would get up and toil in their fields until dusk. The farmer's father had done the same, but the farmer did not think of the past. For him, the important thing was to complete each day's task within the allotted time. So he lived one day at a time, unconcerned with the ambitions of other men.

A perfect friendship

Duong Le was a poor student who had to work hard as a common laborer in order to finance his studies. On the other hand, his friend, Luu Binh, had inherited a small fortune and seemed well-situated for life. When Luu Binh learned that Duong Le's studies were suffering because of the long hours of work he determined to invite him to live at his home until the triennial examination.

She lives in a lime pot

Once upon a time, there was a very beautiful, very rich, but very proud young girl. Women avoided her and young men more often than not hated her for she usually offended her suitors.

The golden buffalo

During the time of King Ly in the 11th century, there lived a huge man named Khong Lo. Khong Lo, which means "Giant", joined the monastery as a young boy. Wherever he traveled, he carried an iron bar and a magical bag, which, no matter how much was crammed inside it, never became full.

At that time, the king of Dai Viet wished to cast some bronze statues as offerings to the Buddha. Since there was no black bronze to be found in his kingdom, the king asked Khong Lo to travel to China to collect some. Carrying his magic bag, Khong Lo set off to the north.

The Lion and the leaves

Once upon a time, in a small landlocked region lived a greedy king and his three daughters, Ca, Hai and Ba.

On the King's 50th birthday, his daughters bought him a tree with gold leaves. The King loved the tree and the tree loved the King.

But after a week had passed, the King noticed that the tree was missing a few leaves.

The Gecko's tale

Everyone in Vietnam has heard the gecko's call but few remember how the tiny lizard got its voice.

Long ago, there lived a man named Gecko, who, together with his wife, survived by begging. They were a frugal pair and, despite their poverty, managed to put aside a tiny portion of the food or money they were given. Eventually, their savings added up and Gecko took great pleasure in courting his hidden nest-egg.