The Tale of Kiều – in Short

Lê Văn Đệ (1906–1966), woodblock color print of Thúy Kiều.

The Tale of Kiều follows Thúy Kiều, the eldest daughter of the Vương family, through fifteen years of her life. Here is the story in brief, and the people she meets along the way.

The Story

Kiều is beautiful and gifted in poetry and music. During the Thanh Minh spring festival, she encounters the neglected grave of Đạm Tiên, a talented singer who died young. Deeply moved by her fate, Kiều senses a troubling parallel with her own life. She also meets Kim Trọng, a young scholar, and the two secretly pledge themselves to each other.

While Kim is away for a family funeral, Kiều’s father and brother are falsely accused and arrested. To free them, Kiều sells herself into marriage and asks her younger sister, Thúy Vân, to marry Kim in her place.

The marriage is a trick. Her buyer, Mã Giám Sinh, delivers her to Tú Bà, who runs a brothel. Kiều tries to escape with Sở Khanh, who betrays her. A wealthy young man, Thúc Sinh, buys her freedom and takes her as his second wife. His first wife, Hoạn Thư, has her abducted and humiliates her as a servant. Kiều flees to a Buddhist temple, only to be sold into a brothel again.

There, the rebel leader Từ Hải frees her and marries her. With his power behind her, she rewards those who helped her and punishes those who wronged her, though she pardons Hoạn Thư. An imperial official, Hồ Tôn Hiến, then persuades Kiều to convince Từ Hải to surrender in exchange for amnesty. The promise is a trap: Từ Hải is killed, and Kiều is once again at the mercy of others.

Forced into another marriage, Kiều throws herself into the Tiền Đường River. The Buddhist nun Giác Duyên, who had earlier sheltered her, rescues her.

Meanwhile, Kim Trọng has married Vân but never stopped searching for Kiều. Fifteen years after leaving home, she is reunited with her family and her first love. Kiều and Kim marry, but she asks that they live as companions, bound by affection and friendship rather than physical intimacy.

The reunion is not a simple return to the past. Kiều has survived, but the years of separation have changed what it means to be together again.

Main Characters

  • Thúy Kiều – the heroine, gifted in poetry and music, who struggles to make choices under circumstances largely beyond her control
  • Thúy Vân – Kiều’s younger sister, who marries Kim Trọng in her place
  • Kim Trọng – a young scholar and Kiều’s first love
  • Đạm Tiên – a gifted singer who died young, whose fate seems to foreshadow Kiều’s own
  • Mã Giám Sinh – the man who purchases Kiều under the pretense of marriage
  • Tú Bà – the brothel keeper who exploits her
  • Sở Khanh – a man who deceives Kiều with a promise of escape
  • Thúc Sinh – a wealthy young man who takes Kiều as his second wife
  • Hoạn Thư – Thúc Sinh’s first wife, who takes revenge on Kiều
  • Từ Hải – a rebel leader who frees Kiều and becomes her husband
  • Hồ Tôn Hiến – an imperial official whose deception brings about Từ Hải’s death
  • Giác Duyên – a Buddhist nun who shelters Kiều and later rescues her

For the poem’s literary history, cultural significance, and continuing life across languages and generations, see About The Tale of Kiều.