We propose a new and realistic 3-3-1 model with the minimal lepton and scalar contents, named the simple 3-3-1 model. The scalar sector contains two new heavy Higgs bosons, one neutral $H$ and another singly-charged $H^\pm$, besides the standard model Higgs boson. There is a mixing between the $Z$ boson and the new neutral gauge boson ($Z'$). The $\rho$ parameter constrains the 3-3-1 breaking scale ($w$) to be $w>460$ GeV. The quarks get consistent masses via five-dimensional effective interactions while the leptons via interactions up to six dimensions. Particularly, the neutrino small masses are generated as a consequence of the approximate lepton-number symmetry of the model. The proton is stabilized due to the lepton-parity conservation $(-1)^L$. The hadronic FCNCs are calculated that give a bound $w>3.6$ TeV and yield that the third quark generation is different from the first two. The correct mass generation for top quark implies that the minimal scalar sector as proposed is unique. By the simple 3-3-1 model, the other scalars beside the minimal ones can behave as inert fields responsible for dark matter. A triplet, doublet and singlet dark matter are respectively recognized. Our proposals provide the solutions for the long-standing dark matter issue in the minimal 3-3-1 model.