The Legend of Cuoi and the Moon Tree Vietnamese Folktale for Kids

THE LEGEND OF KUOI ON THE MOON Long ago, in a certain land, there lived a poor woodcutter named Kuoi. One day, as usual, Kuoi carried his axe deep into the forest to cut wood. When he came near a small stream, he was startled to see a tiger's cave. Looking around, he saw only four tiger cubs playing nearby. Acting quickly, Kuoi rushed forward and struck each cub with his axe, killing them instantly. Just then, the mother tiger returned. Hearing her terrifying roar behind him, Kuoi dropped his axe and quickly climbed to the top of a tall tree. From above, Kuoi watched the mother tiger run wildly around her dead cubs. After a while, she quietly went to a nearby tree, bit off some leaves, chewed them, and fed them to her cubs. Amazingly, the four cubs came back to life and wagged their tails. Kuoi was shocked. When the tiger carried her cubs away, Kuoi climbed down, dug up the strange tree, and carried it home. On the way, he met an old beggar lying dead on the grass. Without hesitation, Kuoi put down his load, picked some leaves, chewed them, and fed them to the old man. Miraculously, the old man opened his eyes and sat up. Seeing the strange tree, the old man asked about it. Kuoi honestly told him everything. After hearing the story, the old man exclaimed, My goodness. This is the tree with the power to bring the dead back to life. Heaven has given it to you to help people. Take good care of it, but remember, never water it with dirty water, or it will fly up to the sky. After saying that, the old man walked away. Kuoi carried the tree home and planted it in the eastern corner of his garden. He always remembered the warning and watered it only with clean well water every day. From that day on, Kuoi saved many lives with the magical leaves. Whenever someone died, he willingly brought leaves to revive them. Soon, news of Kuoi's miraculous power spread everywhere. One day, while crossing a river, Kuoi found the body of a drowned dog. He pulled it ashore and used the leaves to bring it back to life. The dog followed Kuoi faithfully to show its gratitude. From then on, Kuoi had a clever animal companion. Another time, a wealthy man from a nearby village rushed to Kuoi's house, begging him to save his daughter, who had drowned. Kuoi gladly followed him and used the leaves to treat her. Soon, her pale face turned rosy, and she came back to life. Grateful for being saved, the girl asked to become Kuoi's wife, and her father happily agreed. Kuoi and his wife lived peacefully and happily together. But one day, while Kuoi was away, a group of bandits passed by his house. Knowing about Kuoi's power to revive the dead, they decided to do something cruel. They killed Kuoi's wife, removed her intestines, threw them into the river, and fled. When Kuoi returned home, his wife was already dead. No matter how many leaves he used, nothing worked, without her intestines, she could not live again. Seeing his master cry in despair, the loyal dog came forward and offered its own intestines to save Kuoi's wife. Though he had never done such a thing before, Kuoi dared to try. Amazingly, his wife came back to life, as young and beautiful as before. Feeling grateful to the dog, Kuoi made a set of intestines from clay and placed them inside the dog, which also came back to life. From then on, humans and animals in the household became even closer. However, from that day, Kuoi's wife began to change. She became forgetful and careless, often frustrating Kuoi. Many times he warned her, if you need to relieve yourself, do it on the west side, not the east. That tree can fly up to the sky. But she always forgot his words. One afternoon, while Kuoi was still in the forest, his wife went into the garden. Forgetting the warning, she relieved herself right at the base of the precious tree. Suddenly, the ground shook, the wind roared, and the banyan tree was uprooted and slowly rose into the sky. At that very moment, Kuoi returned home. Seeing this, he dropped his firewood and rushed forward, trying to hold the tree back. He hooked his axe into the roots, hoping to pull it down, but the tree kept rising. Kuoi refused to let go, and the tree carried him all the way up to the moon. From then on, Kuoi lived forever on the moon with his precious tree. Each year, only one leaf falls into the sea. Dolphins wait eagerly for it, believing the leaf to be a precious medicine that can save their kind. When people look up at the moon, they see a dark shape that looks like a giant tree with a man sitting beneath it. That image is known as Kuoi's sitting under the banyan tree. Lessons from the story 1 Kindness is rewarded. Kuoi saved many lives with the magical leaves and received love and respect in return. His kindness also brought him happiness and a family. Lesson Doing good and helping others will bring good things back to you. 2 Gratitude matters. The dog sacrificed itself to save Kuoi's wife, showing deep gratitude. Kuoi's wife also married him out of thankfulness for saving her life. Lesson Always remember and appreciate those who help you. 3 Carelessness has consequences. Because of a careless mistake, Kuoi lost his precious tree and was taken to the moon forever. Lesson Be careful in everything you do, or small mistakes may lead to great regret.