The Legend of Cuội on the Moon

Long ago, in a distant land, there was a woodcutter named Cuội. One day, while venturing into the forest as usual, Cuội stumbled upon a cave where four tiger cubs were playing. As soon as they saw Cuội, the cubs pounced at him, ready to attack. With his axe in hand, Cuội defended himself and killed all four cubs. Just as he finished, the mother tiger returned. Seeing her dead cubs, she let out a ferocious roar of grief and anger. Frrightened, Cuội quickly climbed up a large tree nearby.

To his surprise, the mother tiger stopped roaring, approached a small banyan tree, and chewed a few leaves. She then gently fed the leaves to her cubs. Miraculously, the four cubs came back to life. The tiger, now reunited with her young, quietly left the area.

Amazed by what he had witnessed, Cuội climbed down, dug up the magical banyan tree, and brought it home. On the way, he encountered an old man who had passed away. Curious to test the tree's power, Cuội chewed some leaves, placed them in the old man's mouth, and to his amazement, the man came back to life. The old man, grateful, warned Cuội, "This tree has miraculous powers. Take good care of it, but remember, never water it with dirty water, or it will fly away."

Cuội planted the banyan tree in his garden and took the old man’s advice to always use clean water. Thanks to the tree, Cuội saved many lives, bringing the dead back to life. He even saved a drowning girl, who later became his wife. Cuội, his wife, and a dog he had previously revived from death lived happily together.

One day, while Cuội was away, bandits came to his home. They killed his wife and removed her organs. When Cuội returned, he did everything he could to save her, but without her organs, she could not be revived. In a heartbreaking act of loyalty, Cuội’s dog offered its own organs to save her. With a mixture of hope and sorrow, Cuội performed the transplant. Miraculously, his wife lived, and the dog, now with clay organs Cuội had crafted, also returned to life.

However, from that day forward, Cuội’s wife was never the same. She became forgetful and absent-minded. Knowing this, Cuội warned her, “If you need to relieve yourself, do it to the west. Never to the east, or the tree will fly away.” Initially, she followed his advice, but as time went on, she forgot.

One evening, as Cuội returned from the forest, he found his wife urinating at the base of the banyan tree. Instantly, the tree uprooted itself and began floating towards the sky. Cuội grabbed its roots, trying desperately to hold it down, but the tree's power was too strong. Unable to let go, Cuội was lifted into the sky, eventually reaching the moon, where he remained.

Since then, during every full moon, children look up and sing about the legend of Uncle Cuội on the moon:

"Uncle Cuội sits under the banyan tree

Watching the buffalo eat the rice, he calls for his father."

The legend of Uncle Cuội has since become a cherished part of Vietnamese culture, reminding people of love, loyalty, and the magic of the banyan tree.