Top 10 Funniest Folk Tales of All Time

Once, a man who had just acquired a cow took great care to secure its pen before retiring for the night. He placed a barrier at the entrance and went to sleep. Despite his efforts, the cow was stolen during the night.

Heartbroken, he reported to the authorities:

'Your Honor, surely the thieves must have led the cow through the barrier while I slept.'

The official, finding the explanation absurd, chuckled:

'A cow isn't like a dog or a cat that can slip under a barrier!'

'Sir, then how did they take my cow? In the morning, the barrier remained exactly where it was, blocking the entrance!'

'You fool! You were fast asleep; they moved the barrier aside, led the cow out, and then replaced it afterward...'

The other person interjected:

'Ah, so the official must have been in cahoots with the thieves, hence his clarity in the matter!'

A man suffering from stomach pain sought the help of a hermit for treatment. He promised to lavish the hermit with a sumptuous meal once cured. The hermit trusted his words and prescribed medicine. After a few days of medication, the man recovered and could relieve himself normally. However, due to his stinginess, he wanted to renege on his promise regarding the meal, so whenever the hermit inquired, he falsely claimed he was still unwell. Sensing the deception, the hermit, furious, decided to catch him in the act. Spotting the man heading to the fields for relief, the hermit stealthily followed. As the man finished and pulled up his pants, the hermit emerged from the bushes, grasping his hand and pointing to the pile of excrement, he rebuked,

'You're truly greedy and deceitful! After passing such a substantial pile, why haven't you invited me to dine?'

A beggar, ragged and disheveled, approached the door of a wealthy household seeking food. The homeowner refused and insulted him:

'Step away! You look as if you've just emerged from hell!'

The beggar quickly responded, 'Indeed, I've come up from hell!'

The wealthy homeowner retorted, 'If you've come up from hell, why not stay down there instead of coming here to dirty our sight?'

'I couldn't stay there because all the space is already occupied by wealthy people,' the beggar replied.

There was a wealthy girl who was very beautiful, and despite many suitors in the village, none could win her hand. This was because her father set a condition that was both easy and difficult: whoever was the laziest would marry her!

All the lazy young men far and wide came to compete, but in the end, none surpassed the other, leaving the father unable to find a suitable son-in-law. Frustrated and disappointed, he raised the stakes for his daughter.

One day, while sitting on his porch, the father saw a young man approaching in a peculiar manner, stumbling backward from the gate. When asked, the young man explained that he had come to test his luck. Amused by his unusual behavior, the father chuckled and inquired,

'Turn around and look here! Why do you walk in such a strange manner?'

The young man, without turning around, replied,

'If you're unwilling to give me your daughter's hand, I'll just walk out like this, saving the trouble of turning back.'

It was then that the father realized: this young man was truly the laziest of them all. He promptly married off his daughter to him.

A teacher was conducting classes at a woman's house. She had only one son and one daughter. At night, the teacher and the son had to sleep on the roof, while the woman and her daughter slept under the kitchen. Curious, the teacher, one night, sneaked down to the kitchen. Suddenly, the woman woke up and asked:

'Who's there?
- It's me.
- Who am I?
- It's the teacher!
- Why did the teacher come down to the kitchen at night?
- I... came down to get some bamboo slats to hold books.'

A few days later, the teacher ventured again, climbing onto the kitchen roof. While removing a picture to slide down, suddenly he heard the woman asking:

'Who's up there?
- It's me!
- Who am I?
- It's the teacher!
- Why is the teacher climbing up there?
- I asked... Is this the way to heaven by any chance?...'

Every year, as Tet approaches, the magistrate of Hoang Hoa province and his wife go to the Tet market. Although the market is close to the magistrate's residence at But Son, he insists on going with an escort of guards right up to the market entrance, carrying two green baskets for cover.

At that time, Xiển Bột was still a child and detested the pompous behavior of the magistrate. Xiển took a puppy to the market, not to sell, but to hold in front of him. Sometimes he would push forward towards the official, and at other times, he would retreat behind him.

Seeing Xiển with the dog, everyone assumed he had just bought it and inquired,

'How much for the dog?'Xiển replied: 'For the official!'

The magistrate, realizing the boy was mocking him, ordered the guards to capture him and asked,

'Who taught you to speak like that?'Xiển replied: 'Sir, my family wanted to raise a puppy to clean up after me, so my parents told me to go buy one.'

The magistrate asked: 'Whose child are you?'Xiển answered: 'I am the descendant of Trạng Quỳnh, sir!'

Hearing that Xiển was Trạng Quỳnh's descendant, the magistrate felt a bit intimidated but still had doubts.

'If you're Trạng Quỳnh's descendant, you must be clever. Do you go to school?'Xiển replied: 'Sir, I am the best student in this area. You, being an official, might not know about that.'

Seeing Xiển persistently mocking him, the magistrate got angry and said,

'You are disrespectful! But since you claim to be the best student, you must answer this question. Otherwise, I will punish you severely. Now, answer correctly or face the consequences.'The magistrate read aloud: 'The rod of justice punishes the student's behind.'Xiển asked: 'May I ask, does 'rod' match 'basket'?'The magistrate replied: 'It does.'Xiển asked again: 'Then does 'behind' match 'head', 'student' match 'official'? The magistrate replied once more: 'It does!'Xiển kept asking. The magistrate snapped: 'You're not allowed to ask anymore. Answer!'Xiển promptly replied: 'The basket covers the official's head!'Unexpectedly, Xiển dared to insult him again. To save face, the magistrate reprimanded Xiển lightly, then ordered the guards to escort him home.'