The Legend of the Hundred-Joint Bamboo Tree

Once upon a time in a small village in ancient Vietnam, there lived a humble, hardworking farmer named Khoai. He worked diligently for a wealthy but miserly landowner. The landowner, seeing Khoai's honesty and dedication, devised a way to deceive him without paying for his labor.

A Deceptive Promise

One day, the landowner summoned Khoai and said, “If you work hard for three years, I will give you my daughter’s hand in marriage.” Believing the promise, Khoai devoted himself to working day and night, plowing fields, harvesting crops, and bringing in a bounty of rice for the landowner. But when the three years passed, the landowner went back on his word. He created a nearly impossible condition to avoid fulfilling the promise: "To marry my daughter, you must find a bamboo tree with one hundred joints."

The Journey to Find the Hundred-Joint Bamboo Tree

Despite the seemingly impossible task, Khoai did not give up. He ventured deep into the forest, searching high and low for the mythical bamboo tree, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not find a bamboo stalk with exactly one hundred joints. Feeling defeated, Khoai sat down and began to weep.

At that moment, a kind old man appeared and asked, "Why are you crying?"

Khoai respectfully explained his plight. The old man, who was actually a spirit, kindly replied, “Go and collect one hundred bamboo joints and bring them back here.”

The Magical Bamboo Tree

Following the old man’s advice, Khoai gathered the bamboo joints and brought them back. The old man then taught him a magical chant:
• "Khắc nhập, khắc nhập!" — to join the bamboo joints together into a single tree.
• "Khắc xuất, khắc xuất!" — to separate the joints back into individual pieces.

With the chant in hand, Khoai hurried back to the landowner’s house, filled with hope.

The Unexpected Twist

When Khoai returned to the landowner’s house, he was shocked to find that the landowner had already arranged a wedding for his daughter with another man. Realizing he had been deceived, Khoai angrily laid the bamboo joints on the ground and called for the landowner to come out.

The landowner mocked Khoai, saying, “I asked you to find a bamboo tree with one hundred joints, not just the joints themselves!”

Calmly, Khoai recited the magical chant: "Khắc nhập, khắc nhập!" To everyone’s astonishment, the bamboo joints magically joined together, forming a massive bamboo tree. The landowner, curious and frightened, rushed to touch the tree, and as soon as he did, he became stuck to it.

The landowner’s servants, who tried to assist him, also found themselves stuck to the tree. Panicking, the landowner begged Khoai for forgiveness and promised to fulfill his earlier promise of marrying his daughter to Khoai.

A Lesson in Justice and Fairness

Moved by the landowner's plea, Khoai recited the chant again: "Khắc xuất, khắc xuất!" Instantly, everyone was freed. True to his word, the landowner arranged for a wedding between Khoai and his daughter. The couple lived happily ever after.

Moral of the Story

• Honesty and keeping promises: Those who break their word will face consequences.
• Fairness and hard work: Dedication and integrity are always rewarded.
• Karma: Deceit and dishonesty lead to misfortune, while good deeds and sincerity lead to happiness.

This timeless Vietnamese tale teaches us the values of truth, perseverance, and justice.