Long, long ago there was a man who lost his wife and lived with his little girl named Tam. Then he married again a wicked woman.his second wife gave birth was named Cám. The stepmother began to abuse Tam and forced her to do all the housework, while Cam lived in luxury.

One day, the stepmother sent Tấm and Cám fishing. Cám knew her mother would never punish her, therefore she bathed carelessly in the river while Tấm was working hard. When Cám noticed all the fish Tấm had caught, Cám advised Tấm to wash the mud out of her hair or else she would be scolded by their mother. As Tấm went out to the river to wash her hair, Cám poured all the fish Tấm had caught into her own basket and ran home.

Upon discovering she had been tricked, Tấm sobbed until Buddha appeared to her and comforted her. He told Tấm to look into her basket to discover the one remaining little goby. He then told Tấm to take the fish home and put it into the well at the back of the house, reciting a special poem/greeting whenever she came to feed it, which meant:

"Goby, goby! Come eat the golden rice, the silver rice of mine. Don't eat stale rice, old porridge that are not mine."

Bống bống bang bang! Lên ăn cơm vàng cơm bạc nhà ta! Chớ ăn cơm hẩm cháo hoa nhà người

Everyday, Tấm would come out to the well a few times to feed the goby, always reciting the greeting so that the goby would come up from the water. The stepmother began to suspect Tấm's behavior. One day, the stepmother snuck out close to where Tấm was feeding the fish. She waited until Tấm was gone, and went over to the well, finding nothing. She then repeated the greeting she had heard Tấm reciting, and to her delight, saw the goby come up from the water. The stepmother then caught and killed it and put it in her rice porridge.

When Tấm discovered this, she broke into sobs. Buddha again appeared to Tấm and consoled her, and instructed her to salvage the bones of the carp and bury them in four separate jars underneath each corner of her bed.

A short while later, the king proclaimed a festival. The stepmother and Cám went, but Tấm was left to sort a huge basket of green and black beans.

The fairy guardian appeared again then instructed Tấm to dig out her four jars. Tấm dressed herself and hastened to the feast, but the envy and jealousy of her own sister and stepmother. She left at once, but while crossing a stream she dropped one slipper.

The slipper flowed along the river until it reached the king's garden, and was picked up by one of the king's attendants. The king proclaimed that any maiden whose foot fit the slipper would be made his queen. Every eligible lady who had gone to the festival tried the slipper, including Cám, but all to no avail. Her stepmother and Cám were shocked to discover the mysterious lady was no other than Tấm. Tấm was immediately brought on the royal palanquin to the imperial palace for a grand wedding celebration.