english stories

THANH 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 her foot on to compare.
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.
The country at that time was under the danger of being occupied by invader from the North. The
invader was so strong that the king had to ask envoys to search for those who could fight against
the enemy. When hearing the envoy's voice, the child began asking his mother to call the envoy.
The man came in and was surprise to hear that the child wanted to have a horse, an amour and a
rod all made from iron to fight for the country's peace. Immediately he returned to the court and
reported what had happened to the king and then all the requirements of the child in Giong
Village were fulfiled through days and nights as the king's order.
It was more surprising that from the day the child met the envoy, he grew rapidly. The old couple
did not have enough food and clothe for their son. However, all the villagers were always
available to help them for no one of them wanted to live under the enemy's rule.
The invader was about to reach to the root of Trau mountain, all and sundry panicked. But at that
time the envoy came with iron horse, amour and also rod. The child stretch his shoulders, rose
himself and turned to a valiant man more than a truong2 high. The valiant man stately stepped to
the horse and flapped it so that it was neighing loudly.
He then worn amour, took the rod and jumped on the horse's back. The horse began erupting fire
and was push to Trau mountain to wait in front of the enemy.
There was drastic and keen fight between the powerful, dense enemy and the valiant man
himself. The man on the iron horse fought so bravely that the enemy died like flies. Suddenly the
ironed rod was broken but he continued struggling by rooting up all the bamboo groves and used
it as his former weapon. The invader's willing was absolutely broken. They all shattered and
trampled on others to run away. The man ran after them to Soc Son mountain. At last he reached
the top of the mountain then put off his amour and finally flew into the heaven together with the
horse.
To show the deep gratitude to the valiant man the king conferred a title Phu Dong Thien Vuong3

on him and set up a temple for memory.
It was said that fire erupted from the horse had made bamboo in Gia Binh province become shiny
yellow called Tre Dang Nga4 and burnt a village on the way it came to the battle so the village
was named Chay5 Village.
1. Thanh Giong means the saint of Giong village.
2. Truong: about 3,33m. It can be understood that the man was very tall.
3. Phu Dong Thien Vuong: General of God who came to help and protect people.
4. Tre Dang Nga: a kind of bamboo with shiny yellow color.
5. Chay: Mean being burnt
DRAGON'S CHILDREN, FAIRY'S GRAND CHILDREN
Once upon a time, in the land called Lac Viet, there was a saint named Lac Long Quan, whose
mother was a fairy but the father was a dragon. He was extraordinarily strong and had many
miracles. He usually lived under the water and sometimes turned to the land to help people
suppressing demons, taught them to grow rice and cut wood for building houses.
He then got married with Au Co - daughter of Agriculture Saint - and the couple lived in harmony
in Long Trang Palace on the land. Later Au Co gave birth to a 100-egg bag hatching to 100 sons.
Once day Lac Long Quan felt that it was impossible for him to live permanently like that so he told
his wife that:
- I'm a son of dragon and I accustomed to live under the water while you belong to fairy race in
the land. We could not share our lives for long so I will take 50 of our sons to settle down into the
sea, the remainder will follow you to go up to the mountain. Although we separate, remember to
help and protect each other in need. Don't forget my words.
The wife and all the sons obeyed him then they said farewell.
The eldest son, who had followed the mother with 49 brothers, attained the highest honors as
King Hung. He set up his capital in Phong Chau and gave country the name Van Lang. There were
military and civilian officials in the court. Throne would be ceded to the eldest son called King
Hung from generation to generation
For the story Vietnamese are always proud of the noble origin - dragon's children and fairy's
grand children.
THE MOON BOY

Long, long time ago there was a clever boy whose name was Cuoi. He did nothing with his
cleverness but to play trick on people around him. He lived with his uncle and aunt who were
usually suffered from his cheats.
Once day Cuoi came to the field and broke the bad new to the uncle that his wife had fell down
from the ladder and bled. The man was so frighten that he ran to his home without saying a
word. Cuoi at that time reached the house before his poor uncle by a short cut then broke
another bad new to his aunt that her husband was collided by the buffalo and was going to died.
The poor woman was scared and immediately ran out to the field. Suddenly she bumped to a
man and recognized that it was her husband who was panting and sweating like her. The poor
couple came back with anger and decided to imprison him into a bamboo cage then drifted him in
the river.
In the afternoon when Cuoi was carried to the river's bank, he regretfully said sorry to them and
asked them to come back home to bring him a book hidden behind the basket of rice that taught
him telling lie as the last favour. They both agreed and returned home to satisfy their curiosity
without saying a word.
After that Cuoi saw a blind man passed by. He then asked the man to untight the cage if he
wanted to have his eyes cured. At last Cuoi was free and hid himself in a bamboo grave and
luckily found a jar of gold. He came back and gave it to his uncle and his aunt to atone for faults
while the poor blind man was waiting for his eyes treated.
Later Cuoi got married with a girl in the village and went on pulling people's leg. Once morning he
came into the forest and saw a tiger mother picking leaves from a kind of tree to cure her son's
wound. Immediately the wound was recovered and the tiger baby could follow his mother to
continue their trip. Cuoi grasped the opportunity to uproot the tree and rose it in the garden
behind his house. He called the tree Banyan and took good care to it. He always reminded his
wife that the tree was magic one so it was impossible to pour dirty water or dump the garbage at
its root otherwise it would fly to the heaven. His poor wife sometimes envied with the tree so she
dumped garbage at the tree root once day.
When Cuoi came home he found the tree was shaking and flying higher and higher in the sky. He
tried to hold its root to pull it back but he couldn't. The tree actually pulled him farther and farther
from the earth until it reached the moon.

It is said that there is still image of Cuoi sitting at the root of Banyan tree and looking down to
see the world and there is also a Vietnamese saying " lie as Cuoi".
STORY OF KITCHEN GODS
In the ancient time there was a childless couple. The wife was faithful and loved the husband
passionately while the husband was quarrel some and badly treated to his wife. Once day he beat
the poor wife with a stick and dismissed her from home.
The women became homeless so she had to come to another place to settle down and tried to
forget her sorrow. She then got married with a kind man. They shared everything together and
lived in harmony.
One afternoon when her husband had gone for hunting, a beggar came and asked for some food.
The woman was kind; she filled the poor beggar's bag and recognized that the beggar was her
former husband. The man also recognized his wife then. She felt sorry for the man when hearing
that from the day he dismissed her, he was deeply blue and regretful. So he decided to start
away to find her until he spent all money and became a beggar. After being offered a big meal,
the man was drunk so the woman had to drag him out and hid him in a stack of straw because it
was time for her recent husband to come back from the forest.
After a while there was a knock at the door, the hunter appeared with a deer on his back, he then
happily asked the woman to go to the market to prepare for the dinner. When the woman came
back, she found that the stack of straw, where her drunk former husband was sleeping, had been
being burning with a deer roasted it. She cried painfully then jumped into the fire. The hunter
didn't know what had happened and what to do but jumped into the fire to die beside his wife.
At that moment God was in the heaven, he was moved for human's inmost feelings so he turned
three of them into three part of earthen tripod so that they could live side by side forever and
conferred them at Kitchen Gods to oversee all the cooking of people. Every year they all together
came back to the heaven on Dec. 23rd in lunar calendar to report to God.
SUE GOD FOR RAIN
Once upon a time, there was no rain for long, long time. The ground cracked all over, all plants
withered, animals had to suffer from thirsty.
There was so great a toad that he tried to find way to the heaven to let God know what life on
the earth stood. He departed his trip and on the way to the heaven he was supported and

followed by a crab, a bee, a fox, a bear and a tiger.
At last they all were at the place they wanted to come. The toad saw a drum at the heaven's gate
so he asked the crab to hide himself in the jar of water then told the bee to take shelter behind
the door. After all he suggested the rest to wait outside and came back when needed. Then the
great toad marched forward and took the drumstick and beat the drum far-resoundingly. Thunder
genie was asked to come out to see what happened. He immediately turned back and said that
there was no one but a little toad himself beating the drum. The news was annoying God so he
asked a cock to peck the obstinate toad. However, this cock was unlucky one, he was killed by
the fox after he fulfilled the duty. Suddenly a dog appeared and tried to attack the fox but it was
the right time for our bear showed his power. The poor dog was hurled down right away and died
an instant death.
The failure was instantly broken to God. He was extremely angry and sent Thunder genie out to
punish troublemakers at gate. The genie violently came out with his thunder maker, unfortunately
he was attacked by the bee as premonition. The genie was so frighten that he had to jump into
the jar of water and immediately jumped out because it was impossible for him to continue
suffering pain from the crab's sharp pincers. At last the tiger showed himself so bravely that made
the violent genie stood as a stone status.
God was in an awkward situation so he had to invite the great toad and all of his friends into the
court. The toad after that told God that there was no rain in the earth for four years. Everything
had faced death. If things went on like that, there would be nothing survive.
God was very much afraid of the earth's rebel so he immediately made rain and carefully told the
toad just to grind his teeth if the earth needed water. From that day on it may rain if toad grinds
his teeth so there is a Vietnamese saying:
"Toad is god's uncle
Beat him, god beats back".
THACH SANH - LY THONG
Long time ago there was a kind and old but childless couple. They had to cut wood in the
forest for rice. God felt moved then sent his crown prince to them so the old woman was
pregnant for years. After the husband died, she gave birth a son.
The child was named Thach Sanh and became parentless some years later. He lived lonely in a

shabby cottage under the old Banyan tree. He owned nothing except a hammer inherited from
the father. When he was able to use the hammer, he was taught all kinds of kungfu and magic
power by angles from heaven.
Once day there was an alcohol seller called Ly Thong passed by. He saw Thach Sanh carrying a
heavy load of firewood. He knew there would be considerable benefits if he could persuade the
young man to live under his roof. He did it. Thach Sanh was pleased and hoped that he would
never be alone again.
At that time there was a man - eating ogress. No one could kill the evil so people had to make it a
temple and offer it a man annually. Unfortunately, once day it was Ly Thong's turn to come to the
evil's temple. He and his mother thought that the only way to keep his destiny is to ask his
adopted brother for help. This evening when Thach Sanh came home he was offered a big meal
then asked for nothing but just simply guarding the temple for a night. The kind fellow accepted.
At mid-night when Thach Sanh was having half-closed eyes from sleepiness in the temple, the
ogress appeared and was about to catch him with its sharp claws. Without huming and hawing he
fought back bravely with the hammer handed down from his father and finally split the rival into
parts and took its head and golden bow and arrows back. Hearing the voice of Thach Sanh in the
front door Ly Thong and his mother were so afraid because they thought that it was only the soul
of the victim coming back to revenge. Thach Sanh got into the house and told them what had
happened and once again he was told that the ogress he had killed was the king's. The fellow was
so frightened and was advised to return to the old cottage while Ly Thong brought the evil's head
to the court for award and was conferred as a duke.
The king at that time had a graceful and nubile princess, many neighboring princes who wanted
to ask for her hand. Once day when walking in the royal garden, she was caught by a huge eagle.
Luckily Thach Sanh saw the eagle when it was flying by the Banyan tree with the claws carrying a
young lady so he shot the eagle a golden arrow and traced to it's cave by the bloody mark on the
surface.
At this time Ly Thong was in the charge to find the princess, he didn't know what to do but came
to see Thach Sanh for another help. Thach Sanh was once again honestly told Ly Thong what he
had done and then took him as well as his escorts to the eagle's cave. He crept into the cave by a
string, had a drastic fight with the evil eagle and finally saved the princess. He tightened her with

the string and made a signal for the escorts to pulled the princess out of the den. After that the
cave became darker and darker, he knew that its mouth was filled so he got deeper in the cave to
find the exit. On the way to be out of the cave he saved the sea king's son who was captured by
the eagle long ago. He was invited to visit his palace in the sea and offered treasures before he
came back to the land but he only suggested for a guitar and a small pot.
Because of being defeated by Thach Sanh, souls of the ogress and the evil eagle were roaming
and accidentally they met each other once day. They stole the king's gold and hid it in their
enemy's cottage to accuse him of theft. Thach Sanh was thrown in jail for long. Once day he
began playing the guitar to kill sadness, actually melodies from the guitar resounded to the king's
palace, the princess who was so sad after being saved life by an unknown young man that she
lived without smiling or saying began speaking and smiling happily. Thach Sanh after that was
invited to the court. There he retold to all the court what had happened to him and how he had
saved the princess's life. Everything was made clear then. Thach Sanh was asked to judge lives of
Ly Thong and his mother. However, they were freed to returned to their hometown for Thach
Sanh's kindness but they both were killed by thunderer on the way home and turned to Dor-
beetles.
The wedding of Thach Sanh and the princess was celebrated so magnificent that made all the
princes of the neighboring countries who had failed for asking the princess's hand. They rose
army of 18 countries for war. Thach Sanh asked the king for going to the battle where he did not
fight but play the guitar and made the enthusiasm of princes' army damped by melodious sounds.
They all put off their amours and gave up. Thach Sanh offered all the princes and their army a
meal but brought out a small pot of cooked rice only. They felt strange when they found that it
was impossible for them to eat all the cooked rice in the small pot. The pot was filled again and
again whenever cooked rice was taken out. After that they showed their deep gratitude to Thach
Sanh and returned to their countries.
The king had no son so he ceded the throne to Thach Sanh.
LOVE STORY OF MY CHAU AND TRONG THUY
After helping An DuongVuong - king of Au Lac nation - build Co Loa citadel, saint Kim Qui*
offered him one of his claws to make a trigger of crossbow to protect the citadel from enemies.
As the saint's words this crossbow was magic one. Every arrow shot from the crossbow with

magic trigger would hit a thousand of enemies at the same time.
The king chose Cao Lo, one of the mandarin's household butlers, who was the most skillful
crossbow maker in the country to be in charge of the heavy responsibility. However, this kind of
weapon only suited to athletes to use. The king extremely treasured the crossbow so he hung it in
his sleeping room.
At that time, Trieu Da was the governor of a country adjoining Au Lac at the north. He had failed
to occupy his neighboring nation for many times so he tried to guard his country by all means and
waited for the right time. He then sent his son named Trong Thuy to Au Lac to seek a marriage
alliance.
Trong Thuy then met My Chau, a dear daughter of An Duong Vuong. She was the most graceful
lady of the country at that time. They were soon in love with each other and to be side by side to
every where in the citadel. Witness the passionate love of the young couple, the king doubtlessly
allowed Trong Thuy to take his dear daughter as a wife.
One night, when sitting in the garden in the moonlight, Trong Thuy asked his wife why there was
no one who could defeat the country and if there was a secret. Honestly the innocent princess
replied her husband that there was nothing but solid defence works in the citadel and a crossbow
with a magic trigger which was kept in the king sleeping room. Trong Thuy was so surprise as if it
had been the first time he heard that. The princess immediately took the crossbow out and
showed it to the man. She also told him the way to use the crossbow.
One day later, Trong Thuy asked the king for permission to visit his father. He retold his father
what he had known and they all agreed to find someone to make trigger reproduction. Finally
Trong Thuy came back; he was offered a feast to celebrate the occasion of reunite. Trong Thuy
drunk half-heartedly while An Duong Vuong and the princess so enjoyed the feast that they both
were drunk at the end. Catching the chance, Trong Thuy secretly broke into the king's room and
exchanged the magic trigger by a false one.
Once again Trong Thuy asked the king for permission for returning to his country for some days.
The two then were loath to path with each other. Trong Thuy said to his beloved wife that he had
to come back to depart a trip to the remove place in the North and it was hard to know when
they could met again because of the troubled times. The poor wife released her husband that she
had a fur coat so she would make marks on the way she went through with fur in order that he

could find her. She then sobbed her heart out.
In a few days time Trieu Da rose troops to Au Lac. When hearing the news, An Duong Vuong
didn't take any precaution against. He waited until the enemy reached to the citadel and asked his
butler to bring the crossbow to fight back. Unfortunately it wasn't magic one. The citadel at last
was occupied; An Duong Vuong had to evade with his dear daughter on a horse's back. The
princess remembered what she had told to her husband before they separated so she took the fur
coat along with her and marked the way with fur.
King An Duong Vuong and his daughter were on the horse's back for days, they had went through
many rocky mountains and many bumpy paths and reach to the seashore while the enemy was
tracing behind them. The king got down, turned his face to the sea and prayed saint Kim Qui with
supplication. A whirlwind rose to replied the king's words. After that the saint appeared and told
him that the enemy was at his back. An Duong Vuong woke up to reality. He drew sword out and
cut off his dear daughter's head then jumped into the sea.
Trong Thuy at that time followed the marks to the seashore and found his wife lying dead on the
grass with her unchangeable appearance. He burst out crying then buried her in the citadel and
jumped into the well where his wife usually washed her hair.
Nowadays, in Co Loa village, there were a temple of King An Duong Vuong and a well called
Trong Thuy's in front of the temple. It is said that when My Chau died, her blood leaked into the
sea, oyster ate it then born precious pearl. If this kind of pearl was washed by water from Trong
Thuy's well, it would be much brighter.
* In Vietnamese folk literature Kim Qui was a saint with an appearance of a tortoise.
THE STORY OF TAM AND CAM
Long, long ago there was a man who lost his wife and lived with his little girl named Tam.
Then he married again a wicked woman. The little girl found this out on the first day after the
wedding. There was a big banquet in the house, but Tam was shut up in a room all by herself
instead of being allowed to welcome the guests and attend the feast.
Moreover, she had to go to bed without any supper.
Things grew worse when a new baby girl was born in the house. The step-mother adored Cam
for Cam was the name of the baby girl and she told her husband so many lies about poor Tam
that he would not have anything more to do with the latter.

"Go and stay away in the kitchen and take care of yourself, you naughty child," said the wicked
woman to Tam.
And she gave the little girl a dirty wretched place in the kitchen, and it was there that Tam was to
live and work. At night, she was given a torn mat and a ragged sheet as bed and coverlet. She
had to rub the floors, cut the wood, feed the animals, do all the cooking, the washing up and
many other things. Her poor little soft hands had large blisters, but she bore the pain without
complaint. Her step-mother also sent her to deep forests to gather wood with the secret hope
that the wild beasts might carry her off. She asked Tam to draw water from dangerously deep
wells so that she might get drowned one day. The poor little Tam worked and worked all day till
her skin became swarthy and her hair entangled. But Sometimes she went to the well to draw
water, looked at herself in it, and was frightened to realize how dark and ugly she was. She then
got some water in the hollow of her hand, washed her face and combed her long smooth hair
with her fingers, and the soft white skin appeared again, and she looked very pretty indeed.
When the step-mother realized how pretty Tam could look, she hated her more than ever, and
wished to do her more harm. One day, she asked Tam and her own daughter Cam to go fishing in
the village pond.
"Try to get as many as you can," she said. "If you come back with only a few of them, you will
get flogged and will be sent to bed without supper." Tam knew that these words were meant for
her because the step-mother would never beat Cam, who was the apple of her eyes, while she
always flogged Tam as hard as she could.
Tam tried to fish hard and by the end of the day, got a basket full of fish. In the meantime, Cam
spent her time rolling herself in the tender grass, basking in the warm sunshine, picking up wild
flowers, dancing and singing.
The sun set before Cam had even started her fishing. She looked at her empty basket and had a
bright idea. "Sister, sister," she said to Tam, "your hair is full of mud. Why don't you step into the
fresh water and get a good wash to get rid of it? Otherwise mother is going to scold you."
Tam listened to the advice, and had a good wash. But, in the meantime, Cam poured her sister's
fish into her own basket and went home as quickly as she could. When Tam realized that her fish
were stolen away, her heart sank and she began to cry bitterly. Certainly, her step-mother would
punish her severely tonight!

Suddenly, a fresh and balmy wind blew, the sky looked purer and the clouds whiter and in front
of her stood the smiling blue-robed Goddess of Mercy, carrying a lovely green willow branch with
her. "What is the matter, dear child?" asked the Goddess in a sweet voice.
Tam gave her an account of her misfortune and added: "Most Noble Lady, what am I to do
tonight when I go home? I am frightened to death, for my step-mother will not believe me, and
will flog me very, very hard."
The Goddess of Mercy consoled her. "Your misfortune will be over soon. Have confidence in me
and cheer up. Now, look at your basket to see whether there is anything left there."
Tam looked and saw a lovely small fish with red fins and golden eyes, and uttered a little cry of
surprise. The Goddess told her to take the fish home, put it in the well at the back of the house,
and feed it three times a day with what she could save from her own food.
Tam thanked the Goddess most gratefully and did exactly as she was told. Whenever she went to
the well, the fish would appear on the surface to greet her. But should anyone else come, the fish
would never show itself. Tam's strange behavior was noticed by her step-mother who spied on
her, and went to the well to look for the fish which hid itself in the deep water. She decided to
ask Tam to go to a far away spring to fetch some water, and taking advantage of the absence,
she put on the latter's ragged clothes, went to call the fish, killed it and cooked it.
When Tam came back, she went to the well, called and called, but there was no fish to be seen
except the surface of the water stained with blood. She leaned her head against the well and
wept in the most miserable way. The Goddess of Mercy appeared again, with a face as sweet as a
loving mother, and comforted her: "Do not cry, my child. Your step-mother has killed the fish, but
you must try to find its bones and bury them in the ground under your mat. Whatever you may
wish to possess, pray to them, and your wish will be granted."
Tam followed the advice and looked for the fish bones everywhere but could find none. "Cluck!
cluck!" said a hen, "Give me some paddy and I will show you the bones.
Tam gave her a handful of paddy and the hen said, "Cluck! cluck! Follow me and I will take you to
the place." When they came to the poultry yard, the hen scratched a heap of young leaves,
uncovered the fish bones which Tam gladly gathered and buried accordingly. It was not long
before she got gold and jewelry and dresses of such wonderful materials that they would have
rejoiced the heart of any young girl.

When the Autumn Festival came, Tam was told to stay home and sort out the two big baskets of
black and green beans that her wicked step-mother had mixed up.
"Try to get the work done," she was told, "before you can go to attend the Festival." Then the
step-mother and Cam put on their most beautiful dresses and went out by themselves.
After they had gone a long way Tam lifted her tearful face and prayed: "O, benevolent Goddess of
Mercy, please help me." At once, the soft-eyed Goddess appeared and with her magic green
willow branch, turned little flies into sparrows which sorted the beans out for the young girl. In a
short time, the work was done. Tam dried up her tears, arrayed herself in a glittering blue and
silver dress. She now looked as beautiful as a princess, and went to the Festival.
Cam was very surprised to see her, and whispered to her mother: "Is that rich lady not strangely
like my sister Tam?" When Tam realized that her step-mother and Cam were staring curiously at
her, she ran away, but in such a hurry that she dropped one of her fine slippers which the soldiers
picked up and took to the King.
The King examined it carefully and declared he had never seen such a work of art before. He
made the ladies of the palace try it on, but the slipper was too small even for those who had the
smallest feet. Then he ordered all the noblewomen of the kingdom to try it, but the slipper would
fit none of them. In the end, word was sent that the woman who could wear the slipper would
become Queen, that is, the King's First Wife.
Finally, Tam had a try and the slipper fitted her perfectly. She then wore both slippers, and
appeared in her glittering blue and silver dress, looking extremely beautiful. She was then taken
to Court with a big escort, became Queen and had an unbelievably brilliant and happy life. The
step-mother and Cam could not bear to see her happy and would have killed her most willingly,
but they were too afraid of the King to do so.
One day, at her father's anniversary, Tam went home to celebrate it with her family. At the time,
it was the custom that, however great and important one might be, one was always expected by
one's parents to behave exactly like a young and obedient child. The cunning step-mother had
this in her mind and asked Tam to climb an areca tree to get some nuts for the guests. As Tam
was now Queen, she could of course refuse, but she was a very pious and dutiful daughter, and
was only glad to help. But while she was up on the tree, she felt that it was swaying to and fro in
the strangest and most alarming manner.

"What are you doing?" She asked her step-mother.
"I am only trying to scare away the ants which might bite you, my dear child," was the reply. But
in fact, the wicked step-mother was holding a sickle and cutting the tree which fell down in a
crash, killing the poor Queen at once.
"Now we are rid of her," said the woman with a hateful and ugly laugh, "and she will never come
back again. We shall report to the King that she has died in an accident and my beloved daughter
Cam will become Queen in her stead!"
Things happened exactly the way she had planned, and Cam became now the King's first wife.
But Tam's pure and innocent soul could not find any rest. It was turned into the shape of a
nightingale which dwelt in the King's garden and sang sweet and melodious songs.
One day, one of the maids-of-honor in the Palace exposed the dragon-embroidered gown of the
King to the sun, and the nightingale sang in her own gentle way: "0, sweet maid-of-honor, be
careful with my Imperial Husband's gown and do not tear it by putting it on a thorny hedge." She
then sang on so sadly that tears came into the King's eyes. The nightingale sang more sweetly
still and moved the hearts of all who heard her.
At last, the King said: "Most delightful nightingale, if you were the soul of my beloved Queen, be
pleased to settle in my wide sleeves."
Then the gentle bird went straight into the King's sleeves and rubbed her smooth head against
the King's hand. The bird was now put in a golden cage near the King's bedroom. The King was
so fond of her that he would stay all day long near the cage, listening to her melancholy and
beautiful songs. As she sang her melodies to him, his eyes became wet with tears, and she sang
more charmingly than ever.
Cam became jealous of the bird, and sought her mother's advice about it. One day, while the King
was holding a council with his ministers, Cam killed the nightingale, cooked it and threw the
feathers in the Imperial Garden.
"What is the meaning of this?" said the King when he came back to the Palace and saw the empty
cage. There was great confusion and everybody looked for the nightingale but could not find it.
"Perhaps she was bored and has flown away to the woods," said Cam.
The King was very sad but there was nothing he could do about it, and resigned himself to his
fate. But once more, Tam's restless soul was transformed into big, magnificent tree, which only

bore a single fruit, but what a fruit! It was round, big and golden and had a very sweet smell.
An old woman passing by the tree and seeing the beautiful fruit, said: "Golden fruit, golden fruit,
drop into the bag of this old woman. This one will keep you and enjoy your smell, but will never
eat you." The fruit at once dropped into the old woman's bag. She brought it home, put it on the
table to enjoy its sweet-scented smell. But the next day, to her great surprise, she found her
house clean and tidy, and a delicious hot meal waiting for her when she came back from her
errands as though some magic hand had done all this during her absence.
She then pretended to go out the following morning, but stealthily came back, hid herself behind
the door and observed the house. She beheld a fair and slender lady coming out of the golden
fruit and starting to tidy the house. She rushed in, tore the fruit peel up so that the fair lady could
no longer hide herself in it. The young lady could not help but stay there and consider the old
woman her own mother.
One day the King went on a hunting party and lost his way. The evening drew on, the clouds
gathered and it was pitch dark when he saw the old woman's house and went in it for shelter.
According to custom, the latter offered him some tea and betel. The King examined the delicate
way the betel was prepared and asked: "Who is the person who made this betel, which looks
exactly like the one prepared by my late beloved Queen?"
The old woman said in a trembling voice: "Son of Heaven, it is only my unworthy daughter."
The King then ordered the daughter to be brought to him and when she came and bowed to him,
he realized, like in a dream, that it was Tam, his deeply regretted Queen Both of them wept after
such a separation and so much unhappiness. The Queen was then taken back to the Imperial
City, where she took her former rank, while Cam was completely neglected by the King.
Cam then thought: "If I were as beautiful as my sister, I would win the King's heart."
She asked the Queen: "Dearest Sister, how could I become as white as you?"
"It is very easy," answered the Queen. "You have only to jump into a big basin of boiling water to
get beautifully white." Cam believed her and did as suggested. Naturally she died without being
able to utter a word! When the step-mother heard about this she wept until she became blind.
Soon, she died of a broken heart. The Queen survived both of them, and lived happily ever after,
for she certainly deserved it.
TRAVELING TO TRA VINH

By F.R. "Fritz" Nordengren
It's another beautiful sunrise in the Mekong Delta. I know because we have agreed to get up
early and watch the sun rise over the floating market here in Vinh Long from our hotel balconies.
When I open the door to my balcony, I'm immediately struck by the difference in temperature
and humidity. The air conditioning was set quite a bit cooler than I was used to, and this morning,
because I have left my camera and video gear in the room overnight, the heat and humidity are
going to slow my picture taking.
So for the first few minutes, I sit with a few friends and listen to the sounds of the Mekong river
market. Two-cycle engines with long shafts connecting the motor to the propeller power the
riverboats. The hacking cough of a two-cycle engine is distinctive and the combined noise of the
many boats creates a chorus of commerce outside our hotel.
These river boats appear to be about five to seven meters long, although there are a few that
reach close to eight meters. Most are simple and are covered with make-shift fabric tops. Others
are more elaborate in their shelter. It becomes obvious that some of the larger boats are home
for the families aboard. As the sun climbs higher and my camera lenses are no longer fogged, I
set up and begin to shoot video of the morning activity. Several boats move back and forth across
the viewfinder, leaving and entering the small inlet of the river near the hotel and heading either
to the market or to the larger Mekong. One boat, in particular, catches my eye. It is not much
larger than the typical boat. Perhaps two meters wide, and seven meters long. It has a wood
cabin. What catches my eye is a chicken, pecking on a fabric top. As I slowly pan across the
length of the boat, I see three small children aged about 5, 3 and 1, playing in the open aft
section of the boat. The two oldest children are exchanging sibling punches. A dog hops up on
the stern and looks around at the activity in the market this morning. The mother of the children
casts a watchful eye over the two older siblings who have lost interest in their battle and are now
looking over the market, too.
Moored next to the family boat is another boat, of similar size, but configured for tourism. The aft
section has a tarp covered hammock. The remainder of the boat has two rows of seats, facing the
centerline of the boat with seating for about 14 people. This means that it may be possible to
contract with private boat operators for river tours, however, as in My Tho and Can Tho, it is best
to make local inquiries.

As activity on the river begins to slow, I walk to the street market with one of my travel
companions, Deb Holbrook. The market is very busy as we walk through the stalls. I notice the
contrast and variety of products for sale and look over the abundant produce of the delta.
Outside the main building, the stalls have fresh and dried fish. Dried shrimp are piled high on
trays. We see other dried flat fish and a vendor selling dried starfish. Two women are busy slicing
vegetables into a barrel of water. Their slices are almost paper thin.
Inside the building, the smells of the market again wake up my senses. Rice, in various colors and
shapes, is offered at many stalls. Salt(in large rock form), spices, beans and packaged foods are
available. There are mounds of fresh garlic and rice noodles. Here, too, are stalls selling china and
tea sets, cooking utensils, and clothes.
In one of them, a shopkeeper carefully shapes dry rice into mounds in the display sacks. Mounds
of each variety look attractive and invite buyers to scoop the rice they need. She reaches into a
second container with her hands, cups the rice, and carefully mounds it again in the display
container. Much like the process of "facing the shelves" in a grocery store to make the canned
and bottled products look better, this shopkeeper knows what it takes to sell her product quickly.
Across the aisle, an artist works on a photo realistic painting of an older woman. He is working
from a photograph, and in his stall are dozens of paintings, all with the realism of a photograph
and the nuance of a hand-made illustration. I later learned that these photos are often used to
remember the dead. It is also common for the portraits to be of the person at a young age.
The Mekong river has nine branches as it runs through the delta. Vinh Long is on a branch with
Phnom Penh, Cambodia to the west and Tra Vinh to the east just before it empties into the South
China Sea. Vinh Long and Tra Vinh are the largest towns in their respective provinces. What
makes Tra Vinh province special is that it is approximately 70% Khmer and Tra Vinh City is home
to about 300,000 Khmer.
Viewing the sunrise, market and enjoying a breakfast at the nearby Phuong Thuy restaurant, we
decided to hire a car and visit Tra Vinh. We decided it would be a good way to explore parts of
the Mekong many people overlook. Based on our previous luck of finding great photo
opportunities and nice views, I am surprised to find Deb at the hotel counter looking over some
postcards. She picks a set with some delta scenes and rice harvesting.
We meet the transportation captain affiliated with Cuu Long Tourist in the lobby of the hotel. We

outline our need for a car and driver for the day. As we want to be back in My Tho for a late
dinner, we negotiate a three-legged trip from Vinh Long to Tra Vinh and to My Tho. Our
negotiated fee is 600,000 dong, a bit high, but still reasonable. We pay the captain and confirm
that tipping the driver is up to us.
Before we leave the lobby, I look out once more at the river. The lobby is very close to the bank
and low to the water. It wouldn't take more than a two or three meter rise in the river to put it
under water.
Driving along the highway southwest of Vinh Long, the rice farmers are working their harvest by
the side of the road. Each morning, sacks of rice are spread along the side of the road to dry
them in the sun. At the end of the day, the rice is picked up and re-bagged for storage. It's an
interesting sight and attracts our attention. We see a group working near the side of the road and
we ask our driver in our best broken Vietnamese, to stop the car.
Being courteous, or not understanding what we are saying, he drives safely past the group of
workers and continues for nearly half a kilometer before stopping. With the photo opportunity
now clearly in our rear view mirror, Deb and I get out, snap a few pictures and climb slowly back
into the car. Then we remember the postcards. One of them includes a scene of exactly the
image we want to photograph. We pull it out and show our driver and explain, again in
Vietnamese, that we want to take pictures. He smiles. We drive off, and when we find the next
group by the side of the road, he stops without being asked.
It is this kind of cooperation that makes traveling in Vietnam much easier than I expected.
Keeping a phrase book close and being patient to work through sign language or multi-cultural
charades, you can explain almost anything.
Further down the highway, just outside of Tra Vinh, our driver pulls to the side of the road and
takes a smaller dirt road away from the highway. We stop and park in front of a temple. It has
been explained to me that in Vietnam, the difference between a temple and a pagoda is whether
or not there are monks who reside there. This temple has resident monks and is called Chau Anh,
originally built in 642.
We walk down a tree-lined path. The traffic noise from the highway is just as strong, but with
each step, we walk further into the lush tropical jungle that surrounds the temple. Some of the
guidebooks suggest there are as many as 140 Khmer temples and pagodas in Tra Vinh province

with perhaps fifty Vietnamese and five Chinese pagodas. This is an area of the Mekong that is rich
with religious history. As we reach the midpoint of the path I recognize that, instead of talking,
Deb and I are now whispering to each other. I also notice the steady hum of traffic is replaced by
the gentle, rhythmic raking of rice, laid out to dry on the steps and walkways of the temple. The
young man raking the rice looks up to acknowledge us, but continues his chore. The compound
has several shrine structures around the main temple building.
My curiosity is answered when a young monk, dressed in saffron colored robes, approaches and
asks where we are from. Then, silently, he leads us behind the large sanctuary. The drone of
traffic quiets and suddenly we hear the chanting of a priest through an amplifier system. While it
is usually acceptable to take pictures, use a flash, make video or audio recordings of these
ceremonies, we always ask permission before doing so. Our guide leads us to the back of this
second sanctuary and, after we take off our shoes, he encourages us to step in and videotape the
ceremony.
Although each temple is different, the typical Buddhist temple has three main areas: the altar, the
side altar and the meditation area. The altar is at the head of the sanctuary and contains the
primary statue of Buddha. Each temple can be dedicated to one of many Buddhas. The side altar
will contain pictures or statues of the founder as well as the lineage of the temple. The lineage is
the students who have followed the teachings of the founder. The third area contains the pews or
meditation cushions used by the congregation for worship.
During my taping, I see two rows of young monks sitting listening to the priest. At the end of the
rows, near the altar, a priest leads the chant which the congregation answers. Many in the
congregation offer incense during the ceremony while a young couple walks to the altar to make
an offering to Buddha.
As I finish taping, the young monk leads us back outside to a courtyard. Here, we see a statue of
the reclining Buddha which is not a common image of Buddha in Vietnam. The statue is engraved,
in Vietnamese and English with a description of the Buddha's life that includes the words "the
Buddha entered into nirvana in 543 BC after preaching for the welfare of the peoples for 45
years."
He then leads us into the main sanctuary and while showing us around, tells us the story of the
temple in broken English. Prior to letting us take pictures, the young monk turns on the electric

blinking lights around the altar and behind the Buddha's statue. As we finish our discussions and
picture taking, the raking sound from the rice filled courtyard stops and is replaced by a gentle
shuffling as the man working the rice begins shuffling his feet through the rice in a back and forth
dance, sifting the grains between his feet. We climb into the car for the rest of our journey.
Our arrival at our second temple, Chau Hang, is near noon. The temple has a large retaining wall
around it with a gate. Following a drive down a short lane, we entered a dirt courtyard. A large
sanctuary building, painted bright white is in front of us. Opposite it is a two-story dormitory style
building and flanking each side are one- story structures. A few young monks are enjoying the
shade they have found. Midday is not the best time to visit here. Many tourists come to this area
and visit Chau Hang and Chau Co (about 45 km away) for the bird sanctuary. Many storks nest
here and are often seen in great number at sunrise and sunset. Other travelers have suggested
the best way to see the area is to wander on our own but we are quickly greeted by a young
monk whose English is as strong as his desire to practice with us. In the main courtyard, he offers
a history of the temple and monastery, telling us that 28 monks and 25 nuns made their
residence here. "Nuns" he describes are seminarians or monks newer to their learning. As he
leads us into the sanctuary, he too turns on the flashing lights behind Buddha's head before we
take pictures. As he tells the stories I walk around. On the walls, there were several posed
photographs that look like class pictures of groups of monks. Some have dated captions, others
are not dated but the fading of the colors in the prints gave some clue to their ages.
Back on the road and after a brief look around Tra Vinh, we head for My Tho. We are just outside
of Tra Vinh when I see, what I think is a casket on a small boat in a small stream near the road.
There is a group of about 100 people standing around the road, so I ask the driver to stop. As we
approach a group, I recognize that it is, indeed, a casket being loaded from the boat to a small
blue pickup truck parked on the opposite side of the road. As we watch, people climb on top of
the pickup and into the back with the casket.
Sitting in the front seat are two boys; one of them is holding a painting of an older woman. The
woman in the painting is sitting at a table and looks to be his grandmother's age. The painting
was very similar in style to the ones I saw in the market in Vinh Long. The boys in the truck and
several of the mourners are dressed in white. A bundle of incense is burning on the dashboard
and several people hold incense. As many as 15 people have now climbed in and on top of the

truck with the casket. In a wagon pulled behind a honda om, a group of musicians sits waiting to
play. As the other mourners mount bicycles, hondas or get in line to walk in the procession,
traffic, still trying to move along this stretch of highway, slows to let them cross the street. A
young photographer snaps the scene and, as the procession is ready to move, he hops on the
back of a honda, facing backward, clicking his shutter.
The musicians begin to play, a cymbal beat and drums keep time. And while the music is
definitely eastern, it sounds similar to a Scottish pipe and drum corps. My office, in the United
States, is across from a cemetery and I see dozens of funeral processions a week. This one, even
though so far from home and certainly a long way from my Presbyterian upbringing, reminds me
of the similarities of each of us in the world.
The procession moves on and so do we.