The Story of the Three Wishes

In a small fishing village on the coast of Bình Thuận, where the South China Sea meets sandy shores dotted with coconut palms, there lived a poor fisherman named Bình and his wife Hạnh. Despite their humble circumstances, they were known throughout the village for their kindness, contentment, and deep love for each other.

Bình owned only a small, weathered boat and a few worn fishing nets, but he worked diligently every day, casting his nets into the vast blue waters and always sharing his modest catch with neighbors who had even less than he did. Hạnh tended their tiny vegetable garden and helped other women in the village with their domestic work, never asking for payment but always grateful for whatever small gifts of food or cloth they might offer in return.

Their little bamboo house was simple and sparsely furnished, but it was always clean and welcoming. Visitors often remarked on the happiness that seemed to radiate from the couple, despite their obvious poverty.

“How do you maintain such joy,” asked their neighbor, Mrs. Châu, “when you have so little? My husband earns three times what Bình brings home, yet our house is always filled with arguments and complaints.”

Hạnh smiled as she continued mending an old fishing net. “Sister, we may have little money, but we are rich in love and health. When two people work together with grateful hearts, even a bowl of plain rice tastes like a feast.”

One day, as Bình was fishing far from shore, his nets became tangled in something heavy on the ocean floor. After much effort, he managed to pull up an ancient bronze vase, green with age and covered in strange symbols he could not read.

“This is curious,” Bình muttered, examining the vase. “Perhaps someone in the village can tell me what these markings mean.”

As he cleaned the seaweed and sand from the vase’s surface, it suddenly began to glow with a golden light. The sea around his boat grew calm, and wisps of luminous smoke poured from the vase’s opening, forming into the shape of a magnificent genie dressed in flowing robes that sparkled like the night sky.

“Mortal fisherman,” the genie spoke in a voice like distant thunder, “I am the Guardian of the Southern Seas. For three hundred years I have been trapped in this vessel by a powerful sorcerer. You have freed me, and according to ancient law, I must grant you three wishes as reward for your kindness.”

Bình’s eyes widened in amazement, but he quickly composed himself and bowed respectfully. “Honored spirit, I am grateful for your offer, but such momentous decisions should not be made alone. May I return home to discuss this with my wife? We share everything in our life together.”

The genie was surprised by this response. Most people who found him immediately began wishing for wealth, power, or magical abilities without a second thought.

“Your wisdom honors you, fisherman,” the genie replied. “Yes, you may consult with your wife. But remember—once you speak your three wishes aloud in my presence, they cannot be changed or undone. Choose carefully.”

That evening, Bình told Hạnh about his incredible encounter. They sat together under their small oil lamp, discussing the possibilities late into the night.

“What would you wish for, my dear husband?” Hạnh asked.

“I have thought about it all day,” Bình replied. “Perhaps a larger boat, so I could catch more fish and we would never be hungry. Or maybe a fine house with solid walls and a tile roof. What do you think?”

Hạnh was quiet for a long moment. “These are practical wishes, but let me ask you something. Are we hungry now?”

“No,” Bình admitted. “We always have enough rice and vegetables, and the sea provides fish almost every day.”

“And are we uncomfortable in our home?”

“Well, no. It keeps us dry in the rain and cool in the summer heat.”

“Then perhaps,” Hạnh said gently, “we should think about what we truly lack, rather than what we think we want.”

They talked through the night, and by morning had reached a decision that surprised even themselves.

The next day, Bình returned to the sea and called upon the genie, who appeared as magnificent as before.

“Have you decided upon your three wishes, fisherman?”

“Yes, honored spirit. My wife and I have thought carefully, and here are our wishes.”

Bình took a deep breath and spoke clearly: “For our first wish, we ask that our village’s well, which has been giving bitter water for months, be restored to provide sweet, clean water for all our neighbors.”

The genie’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Your first wish is not for yourselves?”

“A wish that helps our community helps us as well,” Bình explained. “We must drink the water too, and we love our neighbors.”

“Very well. It is granted. The well now flows with the purest mountain spring water. What is your second wish?”

“For our second wish,” Bình continued, “we ask that the old widow Bà Năm, who has no family to care for her, be blessed with good health and enough food for the rest of her days.”

Again, the genie looked puzzled. “Another wish for someone else?”

“Bà Năm helped raise my wife when her parents died,” Bình explained. “How could we seek blessings for ourselves while she struggles?”

“Granted. The old woman will enjoy perfect health and will find her rice jar never empty, her garden always productive. And your third wish?”

Bình looked toward the shore where he could see his village and thought of Hạnh waiting for him. “For our third and final wish, we ask for the wisdom to always be content with what we have and the continued love that makes us happy with our simple life.”

The genie stared at the fisherman in amazement. In all his centuries of granting wishes, he had never encountered anyone who used their magical opportunities so selflessly.

“Fisherman,” the genie said slowly, “do you realize what you have done? You could have wished for unlimited wealth, a palace, magical powers, or even immortality. Instead, you have wished for things that a good community and a loving heart could provide naturally.”

“Honored spirit,” Bình replied, “my wife and I realized that we already have everything we truly need. Wealth without wisdom leads to unhappiness. Power without love leads to loneliness. And a palace without contentment is just a large, empty house.”

The genie smiled—perhaps the first genuine smile he had worn in centuries. “Your wishes are granted, fisherman, though I suspect you already possessed what you asked for. But since you have shown such wisdom, I will add a bonus that you did not request.”

He gestured toward Bình’s humble boat, which suddenly transformed into a sturdy, beautiful vessel that would sail safely in any weather and always guide him to waters rich with fish.

“This boat will serve you well,” the genie said, “not because you asked for it, but because your generous heart deserves support in caring for others.”

As the genie prepared to depart for the celestial realm, he paused. “One more thing, wise fisherman. Your story will become legend throughout Vietnam, teaching others that the greatest magic is not in having your wishes granted, but in wishing for the right things.”

When Bình returned to shore, he found the entire village celebrating. The well was indeed flowing with sweet, clear water, and Bà Năm was walking around with more energy than she had shown in years, her small house mysteriously stocked with good food.

“What happened?” the villagers asked. “These miracles appeared just as you returned from fishing!”

Bình told them the entire story, and at first some of the villagers were incredulous. “You wasted magical wishes on us?” asked one man. “You could have become rich beyond measure!”

But Hạnh put her arm around her husband and smiled. “He didn’t waste anything. Look around you—our whole village is happier, healthier, and more prosperous. When we lift others up, we rise as well.”

As the years passed, Bình and Hạnh’s wisdom proved correct. Their village became known for the kindness of its people and the quality of its community life. Travelers would stop there specifically to experience the famous hospitality and to drink from the miraculous well.

Bình’s fishing prospered with his new boat, but he continued to share his catch generously. Hạnh’s garden grew more productive, but she continued to help her neighbors with the same loving spirit.

Most importantly, their contentment and love for each other only deepened with time. They had children who grew up learning that true wealth comes from generosity, wisdom, and strong relationships rather than from accumulating possessions.

The tale of the three wishes became one of Vietnam’s most beloved stories about the difference between wanting and needing, between selfishness and wisdom. Parents would tell it to children who complained about not having enough toys or treats.

“Remember Bình and Hạnh,” they would say. “They had the chance to wish for anything in the world, but they chose things that would make everyone happier. That’s why their wishes brought them more joy than all the gold and jewels in the kingdom could have provided.”

And they say that even today, in fishing villages along Vietnam’s coast, fishermen still tell the story of Bình and Hạnh when young people complain about their circumstances or dream of easy wealth, reminding them that the most powerful magic in the world is learning to recognize and appreciate the treasures we already possess.

The legend teaches us that true wishes come true not through magic, but through the wisdom to understand what we really need and the generosity to share our blessings with others.