Long, long ago, in the land of Phong Chau, there lived King Hung. He had a daughter named My Nuong, gentle and lovely, who liked nothing better than sitting by the river, listening to the wind and watching the rice fields sway. The king wanted to find her a husband who was both very clever and very kind.
One day, two young men came to ask for her hand. The first was Son Tinh, the Mountain Spirit. He waved to the east, and green hills rose up. He waved to the west, and shady forests grew. The second was Thuy Tinh, the Water Spirit. He called once, and clouds rolled in. He called again, and rain went pitter-patter. Both were wonderful, and the king couldn't decide.
So the king said, "Tomorrow, whoever brings the wedding gifts first may marry My Nuong. Bring a hundred trays of sticky rice, a hundred square rice cakes, an elephant with nine tusks, a rooster with nine spurs and a horse with a nine-colored mane." Son Tinh lived close by in the mountains. He woke at the very first rooster's crow, gathered every gift, and arrived at the palace gate just as the sun peeped over the hills. The king kept his word, and My Nuong went home to the mountain with Son Tinh while the bronze drums went boom, boom, boom.
Thuy Tinh arrived late and found the gate quiet and empty. He felt very sad, and then very sulky. He called the rain and called the wind. Whoosh, whoosh went the rain. Whooo, whooo went the wind. The river rose higher and higher and spread over the rice fields. The villagers carried their little ones and their chickens up to the tall hills, and everyone stayed safe and dry.
Son Tinh did not get cross back. Calmly, he lifted the hills higher and higher so everyone had a dry place to stay. When the water rose a little, the hills rose a lot. The villagers worked together, piling earth and stones into long, strong dikes. My Nuong brought warm blankets and a big pot of hot rice soup for everyone to share.
My Nuong looked out over the water and saw Thuy Tinh sitting all alone in the rain, his shoulders drooping. "He isn't bad," she told Son Tinh. "He's just sad." So the two of them rowed a little boat out to see him. My Nuong spoke gently. "Thuy Tinh, I know you feel sad because you came too late. But the rain is so heavy that everyone's rice fields are underwater."
Thuy Tinh lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I was so upset that I didn't think about anyone else." Son Tinh held out his hand. "Let's be friends. The mountains need water, the forests need rain, and the rice fields need you too." Thuy Tinh looked up, and his eyes began to shine. He gathered up the wind, called the clouds home, and the river slowly, slowly went back down. The sun came out, and a rainbow stretched across the sky.
From then on, every summer, Thuy Tinh came to visit his friends. He brought cool summer rains for the green rice and the fish ponds. The villagers built their dikes strong and planted lots of trees, and they welcomed the rain like a special guest. That's why grandparents in Vietnam still say: when the big summer rains come, it's Thuy Tinh visiting Son Tinh on the mountain.
So tonight, if you hear rain outside, pitter-patter, pitter-patter, maybe Thuy Tinh is dropping by. High on the mountain, Son Tinh and My Nuong sit by a warm stove, listening to the rain sing. Pitter-patter... pitter-patter... The rice fields drink their fill. The forest trees sway softly. Close your eyes now, and let the rain sing you to sleep.
Parent tip: Tap your fingertips lightly for the 'pitter-patter' rain and read the final paragraph more and more slowly.
Ask your child: After the story, you can ask: “Who was kind in this story, and what did they do?”
A gentle retelling of an old legend — no fighting and nothing scary; the big rain passes, everyone is safe and they become friends.