Top 10 Most Beloved Fairy Tales Among Children

This story tells of a hardworking orphaned farm boy, hired by a rich landowner to work in his fields. The landowner, impressed by the boy's diligence and honesty, promised to give his daughter’s hand in marriage if the boy worked hard for three years. The boy toiled relentlessly, bringing prosperity to the landowner’s estate. However, the landowner secretly intended to marry off his daughter to a wealthy merchant.

As the deadline approached, the landowner told the boy that in order to marry his daughter, he had to bring back a bamboo tree with 100 joints as a wedding gift. The boy searched the forest in vain, feeling hopeless and sitting down to cry. The Buddha appeared, listened to the boy’s story, and instructed him to find 100 bamboo joints. By chanting "khắc nhập", the joints would unite into a tree, and by chanting "khắc xuất", the joints would separate. With renewed hope, the boy returned and saw the lavish wedding celebration. Realizing he had been tricked, he arranged the bamboo and chanted "khắc nhập", causing the joints to merge into a tree. The guests were astonished, and the landowner, angered, came to see. The boy continued chanting, causing the landowner to become stuck to the tree. The landowner begged to be freed and promised to fulfill his promise. The boy then chanted "khắc xuất", releasing the landowner, and the promise was kept. The boy married the daughter, and they lived happily ever after.

The moral of the story teaches that kindness is rewarded, and good will always overcome evil.

Once upon a time, in the land of Lạc Việt, there was a dragon god named Lạc Long Quân, who lived mostly in the water but occasionally came to land to help the people with farming and to fight off evil spirits. One day, the beautiful maiden Âu Cơ, hearing of the land’s fame, came to visit him.

Long Quân and Âu Cơ fell in love and were married. When Âu Cơ became pregnant, she gave birth to a pouch containing 100 eggs, which hatched into 100 strong and handsome children. Âu Cơ took 50 children to the mountains, and Long Quân took the other 50 to the sea. The eldest son followed his mother to the mountains, became king, and established the Văn Lang kingdom. This dynasty continued for many generations without interruption.

This legend is a source of pride for the Vietnamese people, as it symbolizes their ancestry as descendants of dragons and fairies.

During the reign of the 18th Hung King, there was a young man named Mai An Tiêm who was married to the king’s adopted daughter due to his quick thinking, diligence, and resourcefulness. However, once, due to his honesty and refusal to flatter or rely on royal favors, he was falsely accused by the sycophants at court. The king, enraged, exiled An Tiêm and his family to a remote island. The island, thought to be barren, suddenly became alive with the arrival of a flock of birds eating small black seeds they brought from afar.

Seeing this, An Tiêm gathered the seeds and planted them in the ground. When harvest time came, the fruit was ready, and he tried it. The fruit had a green rind and a sweet, red, refreshing flesh. One day, a passing ship stopped at the island to seek refuge from the sea, and the crew tasted the fruit, amazed at its flavor. They traded valuable goods for the fruit and spread the word to other merchants. Soon, the fruit became well-known, and An Tiêm’s family flourished once again.

Initially, An Tiêm called the fruit “Tây Qua,” but Chinese merchants, upon tasting it, praised its taste and called it “hẩu,” leading to it eventually being known as the watermelon.

This story is about an elderly couple who were childless and worked for a wealthy landowner. One day, the wife went into the forest to gather firewood and drank water from a coconut shell. When she returned home, she became pregnant and gave birth to a strange child with no limbs, looking like a coconut. She named him Sọ Dừa. The boy took care of the landowner’s cattle, always ensuring they were healthy and plump. The three daughters of the landowner took turns bringing him meals, with the youngest being kind and gentle, while the older two were rude and disdainful towards Sọ Dừa.

Due to the purity of Sọ Dừa’s heart, the youngest daughter grew fond of him. When his mother went to ask for his hand in marriage, the landowner set a high bride price, but Sọ Dừa managed to meet the demands, and the landowner agreed to marry his daughter to him. On the wedding day, Sọ Dừa revealed his true form as a handsome, noble young man, which made the two older sisters jealous. Sọ Dừa went on to become the top scholar and was sent on a diplomatic mission abroad. Before leaving, he gave his wife a flint stone, a knife, and two eggs for protection. While he was away, the two older sisters plotted against the youngest daughter and pushed her into the sea. She survived thanks to the items her husband gave her. Eventually, the couple reunited and lived happily ever after, while the older sisters were left ashamed and disappeared from the village.

This story highlights the inner beauty and qualities of a person, teaching us not to judge others by their outward appearance. It affirms the wisdom of the saying, 'Good wood is better than good varnish.' The story also shows that fairness and kindness will always triumph over cruelty and injustice.

The story is about a girl who worked tirelessly for a wealthy family but was treated unfairly, given insufficient food, and even beaten, leaving her frail and unattractive. One day, while fetching water for the family, she sat crying beside the well. The Buddha, disguised as a traveler, approached her asking for food and drink, and she kindly shared her meal. Impressed by her kindness, the Buddha promised to assist her if she ever faced difficulties. The girl wished for beauty, and the Buddha granted her wish.

Upon returning home, everyone was astounded by her transformation, and she shared her story. They hurried to the well to meet the Buddha, but he turned them into hideous monkeys. Ashamed, they fled to the forest. The girl and the other servants inherited the wealth they left behind. The greedy monkeys returned at night, disturbing them with their noise. To stop them, the girl and her companions placed hot plowshares at the gate. When the monkeys sat on them and burned their bottoms, they fled and never returned. The red-bottomed monkeys we see today are said to carry the mark of their ancestors' burnt behinds.

The sixth Hung King wanted to choose one of his twenty sons, someone who was truly talented and virtuous, to succeed him. He set a condition: whoever pleased him during the ritual for the late king would inherit the throne, regardless of whether they were the eldest. Villages competed to prepare the most impressive and elaborate offerings for the ceremony.

Among the sons, the eighteenth, Lang Liêu, was saddened by his family's poverty. He had only rice and sweet potatoes to offer, unlike the other villages with their exotic dishes. One night, after a dream where a deity provided guidance, he decided to make two types of cakes: one round and one square, using green beans, pork, and glutinous rice. He presented the cakes to the king. The king, impressed not only by their taste but also by the profound meaning they carried, chose them for the offerings to the Earth, Sky, and the late king. He named the round cake Bánh Dày and the square cake Bánh Chưng, and passed the throne to Lang Liêu. From then on, during Vietnamese New Year festivals, making Bánh Chưng and Bánh Dày to honor the ancestors became an essential and cherished tradition.

The legend of Bánh Chưng and Bánh Dày symbolizes the ancient Vietnamese worldview, emphasizing the importance of rice cultivation and nature in their culture. It also serves as a reminder of filial piety and the tradition of remembering one's roots, offering an explanation of the cakes' origins.

The story is about two brothers from the Cao family, who were as alike as two peas in a pod. After their parents passed away, they depended on each other, showing deep love and care. Both brothers were handsome, kind, and hardworking, and one day, the daughter of the Lưu family became interested in marrying the older brother. After the older brother married, the bond between the brothers began to fade, and the younger brother, though sad, could not get his older brother's attention. One day, after returning from the fields, the younger brother entered the house first. His sister-in-law, overjoyed, ran out and mistook him for her husband, hugging him in delight. The younger brother quickly called out, but just then, the older brother walked in and saw the scene, misunderstanding his brother's intentions. From that moment, the older brother became distant and cold towards him.

One afternoon, when both siblings were away, the younger brother, feeling lonely and heartbroken, decided to leave. He walked deep into a dark forest, crossed a deep stream, and sat down to rest, crying as the sound of the flowing water seemed to drown out his sobs. As night fell, the mist thickened, and the brother passed away, transforming into a stone. When the older brother returned home and could not find him, he searched everywhere and finally sat by the stone, unknowingly beside his deceased brother. He cried so hard that he too passed away, turning into a tree with no branches, growing straight up beside the stone. The wife, upon noticing their absence, went searching for them, walking until she was exhausted. Leaning against the branchless tree beside the stone, she began crying. Before the night was over, she turned into a vine that tightly wrapped itself around the branchless tree growing beside the stone.

One day, King Hùng passed by and heard the story from the locals. He asked to try the leaves of the vine and the tree and found them to be delicious. When he poured water on the stone, it turned red. From that day on, the people called the vine the betel plant and the tree the areca palm. The stone was then heated to make it soft, and when eaten together with the betel leaf and areca nut, it made the mouth fresh and the lips red.

The story symbolizes loyalty, steadfastness, and deep connection, which is why the tradition of eating betel and areca nut has become an integral part of Vietnamese culture, especially during weddings and festive gatherings.

Once upon a time, there were two brothers. Their father passed away early, and the older brother was already married. The older couple, greedy and selfish, took all the family wealth, leaving only a small plot of land and a starfruit tree to the younger brother. The younger brother was hardworking and dedicated, caring for the tree. When the fruit ripened, a flock of strange birds arrived and ate all the sweet starfruits. They left behind a message: 'Eat the starfruit, return gold. Bring a three-handbag to carry it.' True to their words, the magical birds took the younger brother to a faraway place and gave him gold, and he only took the amount they had promised.

Before long, the younger brother grew wealthy through his diligence and the birds' gift. When the older brother heard of his newfound wealth, he went to ask about it, and the younger brother honestly shared his story. The older brother, eager to take advantage, traded his entire fortune for the younger brother's small plot of land and the starfruit tree. Soon after, the magical birds returned and gave the same instructions to the older brother. Driven by greed, the older brother prepared three bags, each seven hands long. However, halfway through the journey, the weight became too much for the birds, and they grew tired. The older brother fell from the birds and plunged into the sea.

The story teaches us a valuable lesson: those who are greedy and cruel to their family will meet a tragic end. It reminds us that 'greed leads to downfall.'