The Tale of Vũ Nương

Vũ Thị Thiết was a young woman from Nam Xương village. She was gentle, modest, and had a graceful appearance. In the village, there was a man named Trương Sinh. He admired her beauty and good character, so he asked his mother’s permission and offered a hundred gold taels to marry her. However, Trương Sinh was a jealous and suspicious man, and he kept a close watch on his wife. Despite this, Vũ Nương behaved properly and was always careful to avoid arguments, so their life together was peaceful.

But soon after their marriage, the court ordered men to join the army to fight against the Chiêm enemy. Although Trương Sinh came from a wealthy family, he had no education and was chosen as one of the first to be drafted. Before he left, his mother reminded him:

“Now that you must go to war and leave home, remember that success in battle is rare. What matters most is to stay safe. When things are dangerous, pull back. When the time is right, go forward. Don’t chase after glory only to fall into traps. Let others have the high ranks. Only then can I stop worrying about you.”

Trương Sinh knelt and promised to obey. Vũ Nương poured him a cup of wine to send him off and said:

“This time you go, I don’t dare hope for you to return home with honors or fine robes. I only pray that you come back safe and sound. But I fear the war will be hard, the enemy unpredictable. The fighting isn’t over, and I worry endlessly for you, as does your mother. Each time I see the moonlight or the willows by the river, I’m filled with fear and sorrow, as if no good news will ever come.”

Everyone at the farewell wept. After the send-off, Trương Sinh left. The world remained the same, but the hearts of those left behind were heavy with longing.

At that time, Vũ Nương was pregnant. A week after Trương Sinh left, she gave birth to a son and named him Đản. Half a year passed, and whenever she saw the butterflies in the garden or the clouds over the mountains, her sadness only grew. Trương’s mother missed her son so much that she fell ill. Vũ Nương did all she could—giving medicine, praying to the gods, comforting her gently—but the illness worsened. The old woman, knowing her time was near, said to Vũ Nương:

“Life and death are in heaven’s hands. I wish I could have lived to see my son return, but fate won’t allow it. You’ve been a good daughter-in-law, and I hope heaven will bless you with many descendants. I’m sure heaven won’t let you suffer unfairly.”

With that, she passed away. Vũ Nương mourned deeply and took care of the funeral as if for her own parents.

The next year, the war ended, and Trương Sinh came home. He learned his mother had died and that his son could now speak. As he carried the child to visit the grave, the boy cried and refused to go. Trương tried to comfort him:

“Don’t cry, my son. Your father is home now, though your grandmother has passed.”

The little boy said:

“Oh! So you are my father? But my other father never spoke—he just stayed silent!”

This puzzled Trương. He asked the boy, and the child said:

“Before, there was always a man who came at night. Wherever my mother went, he went too. But he never carried me.”

Trương, suspicious by nature, became convinced his wife had been unfaithful. He scolded and accused her harshly. Vũ Nương wept:

“I came from a humble family, was lucky to marry into yours, and have been faithful these three years apart. I have never betrayed you. Please, believe me!”

But Trương would not listen. He refused to say that it was their son who spoke of the mysterious man. Instead, he raged, insulted, and drove her out. Neighbors defended her, but it was no use. Vũ Nương finally said:

“I married you for the joy of a peaceful family. Now all is lost. The lotus in the pond has withered; the willow by the wall is broken. There is nothing left for me.”

She bathed, dressed, and went to the river. Looking up at the sky, she cried:

“I have been wrongly accused. If I’ve stayed true and pure, may I become a pearl in the river or a flower on the land. But if I’ve been unfaithful, let me be food for fish and birds, and suffer forever.”

Then she threw herself into the river and was gone.

Later, Trương regretted his anger, but it was too late. One night, as he sat in his lonely home, his son suddenly cried out:

“Father Đản is here again!”

Trương looked and saw it was only his shadow on the wall. Now he understood the terrible mistake, but Vũ Nương was lost.

There was a man from the village, Phan Lang, who once dreamed of a woman in green begging him to spare her life. The next day, he received a green turtle as a gift and, remembering his dream, set it free. Later, when he fled from an invasion, his boat sank, and his body washed up on an island where he was saved by Linh Phi, the Sea King’s wife—the turtle he had spared. She welcomed him and treated him kindly.

At a feast, Phan Lang saw a woman who looked like Vũ Nương. She spoke to him, and he realized it was her. She explained how she had been saved by the water spirits after she jumped into the river and how she now lived in the sea, unable to return because of the shame of the false accusations.

When Phan Lang returned home, Vũ Nương sent a message: If Trương Sinh still loved her, he should hold a ceremony at the river to clear her name.

Trương did as she asked. During the ceremony, he saw Vũ Nương on a beautiful boat with many attendants, appearing and disappearing in the mist. She thanked him but said she could not return to the human world. Then, she vanished forever.

From: Truyền kỳ mạn lục by Nguyễn Dữ