Moved by the orphan’s warm heart, the king decided to adopt the young boy and bring him to his kingdom.
As the years passed, Mai An Tiem grew up to be a strong and brave man. He proved himself worthy to the king, who admired his virtues and values. The king gave him great love, support, and protection. He even gave his daughter’s hand to Mai An Tiem and gave the couple many rare and precious gifts.
One day, Mai An Tiem invited the princes to his house for a feast. Everyone enjoyed the company and took turns sharing stories. The eldest prince said how powerful and lucky he was because he was born first and expected to be the king’s successor. The second prince jumped in by stating that the king needed a strong successor to protect the kingdom. Stories went on and on and on....
Everyone knew that the king loved and admired Mai An Tiem the most, and they were eager to hear his story. “As always, I believe in learning how to be happy and successful with what I have. I am grateful for the blessings of wealth, love, and power from the king, but it doesn’t change who I am,” said Mai An Tiem humbly.
The youngest prince, always jealous when he saw his father’s special favors to his adopted son, rushed back to the kingdom and told a different story, saying that Mai An Tiem was arrogant, unfaithful, ambitious, and disrespectful to the king, and hoped to overthrow him.
Infuriated, the king ordered his soldiers to take Mai An Tiem and his family to a deserted island with nothing but his old blade and some dry seeds. The king wanted to punish the arrogant and unfaithful adopted son. “Let’s see if he can live without my help and blessings!” he cried.
The next day, Mai An Tiem and his family left the kingdom escorted by the royal soldiers. After three days they reached the island. “Please convey my deepest gratitude and respect to the king for his constant blessings, generosity, and kindness to me and my family,” Mai An Tiem said to one of the soldiers. The royal soldiers returned to the kingdom.
It was dark and chilly that night. Mai An Tiem could find no shelter but a cave by the shore. “Let’s stay here for tonight; it will protect us from the cold winds and wild animals,” Mai An Tiem said to his wife.
The next morning, Mai An Tiem woke up early. He went along the shore to collect seaweed, then up to the hill for firewood. Deep in the forest, with his old blade he cut bamboo stalks for building a house and bamboo shoots for food.
Four years passed. The children grew up fast. They learned to find beans and other vegetables and grow them in a garden. Mai An Tiem spent a lot of time tilling the rocky soil and went fishing. His wife made some warm clothes from animal skins and prepared hearty dishes. Their life was stable.
One day, while resting on the hill, Mai An Tiem saw a flock of crows flying by the island, croaking and cawing angrily. Suddenly he noticed something falling down from the sky. He ran up to the hill and, surprisingly, spotted some black seeds scattered everywhere. He collected them all and chose a good spot on the hill to plant them.
Before long, the whole hill was covered with strong green vines, bright yellow flowers, and many big, strange round fruits of all sizes.
“I don’t know if this fruit is edible, or how to eat it,” said the wife.
“Crows dropped the seeds from the sky, and if birds can eat it, we can eat it as well,” Mai An Tiem replied.
Then he chose the biggest fruit and cut it in half. To his surprise, inside the green rind was bright red pulp dotted with black seeds.
The fruit was so juicy and sweet. “Let's name it Dua Hau because it tastes like melon,” said Mai An Tiem.
Excited by the new fruit, they used the seeds to plant another crop. Within months, they harvested more big melons. One day, while collecting seaweed, Mai An Tiem had an idea. He ran back to the melon hill, selected a half dozen of the melons, and carved his name and a map of the island on the green rind. He rushed back to the shore and set the melons adrift in the sea in the hope that a sailor would find it.
Every week, more melons were thrown in the sea until, one day, a merchant ship came to the island and looked for the owner of these delicious fruits.
Many more ships came to buy the exotic fruits. Mai An Tiem’s life became busier and more comfortable. With the merchant’s help, he was able to send the finest melons to the king.
One day, among the exotic dishes, the king noticed fresh slices of red fruit dotted with black seeds. He had never before seen such a fruit. He tried one piece and enjoyed it very much. When he asked about the source of the fruit, and learned of the island from which it came and of the man who sent it, the king realized that the giver of the wonderful fruit was his exiled adopted son.
Touched by Mai An Tiem’s loyalty and generosity, the king ordered the soldiers to bring his family back to the kingdom. He regretted that he had misjudged his adopted son. “Mai An Tiem is right—through good times or tough times, nothing changes who he is. He deserves to be blessed!” the king proclaimed. Since that day Dua Hau, or watermelons, were planted throughout the kingdom to honor Mai An Tiem.
The Legend of the Mai Flower
There would be no Tet (or, Tet Nguyen Dan) without a yellow Mai flower tree in the front yard, or blossoming branches of bright Mai flowers in the house to bring good luck, happiness, and prosperity.
According to the legend, the Mai flower was once a brave little girl who lived happily with her parents and sister in a small village. They loved each other dearly. Everyone knew that the little girl’s favorite color was yellow and that she loved nature. Unlike her big sister, who was always by her mother’s side, the little girl spent most of her days with her father in the forest, hunting and cutting wood. In the evening she loved to talk and share stories with the Kitchen Gods, to whom she was grateful for the delicious and nourishing meals they gave.
One day, the oldest Kitchen God talked about his annual trip to the heavens. He thought it would be perfect if the Kitchen Gods could ride on a yellow carp. “Don’t worry, Mr. Kitchen God. We can get one for you. My sister is great at catching fishes in the pond,” said the little girl happily. True to her word, a yellow carp was on the Kitchen Gods’ altar that very evening.
One hot summer, people noticed that farm animals were disappearing one by one, without a trace.
“I don’t think we have a thief in our village, but maybe the horrible beast has returned,” the father thought. Once, he had chased a severely wounded beast into a cave, and the villagers covered the opening with heavy boulders. “But he should be dead by now,” the father thought.
From then on, farmers left the rice fields early and rushed the animals back to the barn before dusk for fear they’d be attacked and eaten by the beast. Everyone was afraid to cross
