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.

How monkeys reddened their rears

In ancient times, a young orphan girl lived in a small village. Her parents had died years before, saddling her with a huge debt to the village lord which she couldn't pay.

So, in lieu of cold cash, the lord forced the girl to become his maid servant. Time passed and the girl grew up to be a healthy but not particularly stunning woman. When she was 18, she found herself acquiring a strange black complexion. She was embarrassed by this and as such preferred staying in her thatched hut to going out and talking to people.

The story of Nam Xuong woman

Once upon a time, in the region of Nam Xuong, lived a woman whose husband had been sent with the army to a border post on the northern frontier. At that time, means of communication were difficult, so news came rarely from her husband or his command.

The woman resigned herself to her fate and stayed at home to do housework, tend the fields and look after their one-year-old son. She would cast her eyes upon the horizon every evening, yearning for the return of her cherished husband. Time went by.

Legend of Vong Phu

(The wife waiting for the husband's return)

Once upon a time there lived in the highland of northern Vietnam a boy orphaned of both his mother and father. He lived with his little sister in a small cottage on the slopes of a hill.

Every day at early dawn he went to the forest not far from his house to chop wood. He took the wood to the market to sell for food and provisions. The rest of the day he devoted to his little sister, whom he cherished and cared for lovingly.

The tree angel

The tree angel had 36 sons, each of whom helped in the family business, designing trees. Every three years the old man organized a meeting in which he judged the new tree designs thought up by his many sons.

The tree angel's youngest son, Tieu Ly, had recently married and had his own son. Tieu Ly was so thrilled with his infant son that he could spend the whole day just watching him. One day, while playing with his baby, Tieu Ly was inspired to design a new tree.

The legend of Truong Chi

Once upon a time, there was a very beautiful girl named My Nuong, the only daughter of a powerful mandarin. Like all the maidens of her station in life, she met no-one and was kept secluded in a high tower in the palace.

She spent most of her time reading, knitting or standing by the little window in order to cast her eyes upon the Tieu Tuong River, which passed directly beneath her.

Gliding along, from time to time, was the small boat of Truong Chi, a poor angler. The man sang while he fished.

Coconut

From their childhood a peasant couple worked for a rich landlord. They had no children. The woman, who was over fifty, was very sad.

One day, when she was collecting firewood in the forest, she wanted to have a drink. But there was no spring in the neighbourhood. Neither pond nor stream. Suddenly, at the foot of a tree she found a human skull still containing some rain water. As she couldn't resist the temptation she put it to her lips. She felt at once a strong feeling of well being.

Banh Chung (Square rice cake) in Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Tet)

Banh Chung (Square rice cake) is a traditional Vietnamese rice cake which is made from glutinous rice, green beans, pork and other ingredients.

Its origin is told by the legend of Lang Liêu- the son of 6th Hung King. Hung King wanted to find the one to inherit his position and sit on the throne to lead the country when he was too old. Therefore, he held a cooking contest for his 21 sons, and who could fully satisfy his taste would be the next King. Most princes go everywhere to find special, exotic and far-fetched food, except for Lang Lieu – the 18th son of Hung King, also the poorest and loneliest since he lost his mother at a young age. Not having enough money to buy delicacies, Lieu just stayed around his house.

The God Gióng

The God Gióng

During the reign of King Hung there lived a woman who had never married. When the sun rose one morning she went to her small garden, and to her surprise found an enormous footprint. In the middle of it was a single tomato seed.

"Oh, how big it is," she cried in wonderment. "Surely such a mark could only have been left by a giant."

Eventually her curiosity got the better of her, and hesitantly she placed her own tiny foot in the huge imprint to compare the sizes. Her whole body quivered as she felt a strange sensation surge through it, and in the passage of time she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy whom she named Gióng.

She loved him dearly and cared for him well, but when he was three years old he could not speak, sit up or even roll onto his side.

The Saint Giong

It was said that, under 6th King Hung dynasty, there was an old couple in Giong village. They were kind and worked very hard but having a child was still their wish. Once day the wife came to the field and happened to see a large footprint, she then tried

Accidentally she was pregnant and born a son twelve months later. The old couple was very happy but the baby himself could not smile or speak. He just lied wherever he was placed even though he was three years old.

How the Odd Couple Came to Love Each Other

Once upon a time, at a small village in today’s Bac Ninh province, there was a beautiful and diligent girl born from a poor family. No matter how hard her parents worked, they could not get out of debt. The beleaguered parents had no choice but to give their daughter’s hand in marriage to a landlord’s son so as to clear their debts.

After the marriage the couple moved into a separate home and after a few years a small child was born. But every chore in the house was left for the wife as the husband was a good for nothing dolt of a man.

One day, when the child fell ill and the wife had to stay at home to take care of him, she told her husband to sell their dog at the market. Of course, the man was very reluctant as such responsibility was overwhelming for him. So, the wife repeated the instructions very clearly several times over: “Sell it at once, if someone offers eight dong or four dong now with four dong owed. If not, bring the dog home.”

Shoot at The Moon

A long time ago, three were no stars or moon; only the sun. When the sun went down, everything would sink into darkness. Once night, a glowing moon suddenly appeared. The moon was so hot, it set everything on fire. In the evening, the hot moon made the weather misty and muggy. Nobody could sleep.
“My God!” muttered the people, their breath panting. “We don’t need such a fatally hot moon like this! Let’s shoot it down!”

How The Odd Couple Came To Love Each Other

Once upon a time, at a small village in today’s Bac Ninh province, there was a beautiful and diligent girl born from a poor family. No matter how hard her parents worked, they could not get out of debt. The beleaguered parents had no choice but to give their daughter’s hand in marriage to a landlord’s son so as to clear their debts.

The Hundred-Knot Bamboo

There was a rich devious landowner who used all kind of tricks to exploit his servants and laborers. He had a beautiful nubile daughter. Khoai lived as a servant in this household from the time he was a young boy.

He had to work very hard. He is now in his late teens. The landowner was afraid that Khoai will leave the household and thus he would lose a very hard working helper. So, one day he called Khoai and told him:
"If you stayed in the household and work hard day and night, I will give you my daughter in marriage."