Once upon a time, under an old banyan tree at the edge of a forest, there lived a young man called Thach Sanh. He had a small hut, cut firewood in the forest every day and watched the stars every night. Thach Sanh was strong and honest, and he helped anyone who asked. The forest animals loved him. Squirrels waved from the branches and birds sang along whenever he walked by.
A kind old forest spirit saw his good heart and gave him two gifts: a small wooden lute and a tiny clay rice pot. "When you play this lute, grumpy hearts grow calm," said the spirit. "And this rice pot fills up again every time it is emptied. Always share it." Thach Sanh bowed, thanked him, and kept the gifts safe.
One day a traveling tea seller named Ly Thong came by the banyan tree, hot and tired. Thach Sanh invited him in, gave him cool water and served rice from the little pot. Ly Thong ate and ate, and still the pot was full. His eyes grew wide. "Come and live in the village with me," he said sweetly. "We'll be like brothers." Thach Sanh happily agreed. Ly Thong was quick and chatty, but he liked praise very much and liked having the biggest share.
At that time a huge old python lay across the road to the village, huffing and puffing all day long. The villagers felt nervous and nobody walked that way, so the market was empty. The king announced, "Whoever opens the road again will be rewarded." Ly Thong didn't want to go. "Little brother," he said, "could you keep watch on the road tonight for me?" Thach Sanh took his lute and went straight away.
He found the python curled up, its eyes watery and its tail twitching. Thach Sanh sat down and played a soft tune: ting-tang, ting-tang. The python lifted its head to listen and slowly grew calm. Thach Sanh came closer and saw a big thorny branch stuck tight in the python's tail. Gently, gently, he pulled it out and laid cool leaves on the sore spot. The python sighed. "Thank you. It hurt so much I couldn't move, and I never wanted to frighten anyone." The next morning the python slid back to its cave in the mountains and promised to help keep the forest peaceful.
When Ly Thong saw the road was open, he rushed to the palace. "Your Majesty, I opened the road!" The king was delighted and gave him a bag of silver. Thach Sanh heard about it, just smiled, and went back to chopping firewood. But every night Ly Thong tossed and turned, and his heart felt as heavy as a stone.
The king had a daughter who used to laugh all the time. But lately her little songbird friend had flown away, and the princess had grown quiet and sad. The king invited clever people from everywhere, but no one could cheer her up. One evening, Thach Sanh sat under the banyan tree playing his lute. The music floated across the fields and into the palace: ting-tang, ting-tang. The songbird heard it, followed the music home, and landed on the princess's shoulder, singing. The princess laughed out loud. "Who is playing that beautiful music?"
The king invited Thach Sanh to the palace. On that very day, guests from eighteen nearby kingdoms arrived for a great festival. They had traveled far and were hungry, tired and grumpy, and they argued loudly about who should sit where. Thach Sanh played his lute. The music was as gentle as a breeze, and one by one the guests calmed down and sat side by side. Then he brought out the tiny rice pot. The guests laughed. "That little pot can't feed us all!" But every time the pot was emptied, it filled up again. Empty, full. Empty, full. All eighteen kingdoms ate until they were happy, and they became friends.
Ly Thong watched, and he couldn't keep quiet any longer. He stepped forward and bowed. "Your Majesty, it was Thach Sanh who opened the road, not me. Little brother, I'm sorry." He gave back the bag of silver. Thach Sanh helped him up. "You told the truth, and that's what matters. We're still brothers." The king praised them both: one for his kindness, and one for being brave enough to say sorry. From then on Thach Sanh stayed to help the king and cared for the palace birds with the princess, and Ly Thong opened a little tea house where every traveler got a free cup. And every evening, the lute went ting-tang, ting-tang, soft and peaceful across the whole kingdom.
Parent tip: Tap a soft 'ting-tang' rhythm on your knee whenever the lute plays, and ask your child what Ly Thong should say.
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 tale — nothing scary, just honesty, forgiveness and a happy ending.