Real demand

The Tre (Youth) Publishing House released books by children’s best-selling author Nguyen Nhat Anh in English, including Chuc mot ngay tot lanh (Have a good day), Ngoi khoc tren cay (Crying on trees), Toi thay hoa vang tren co xanh (I see yellow flowers in the green grass) and Cho toi xin mot ve di tuoi tho (Ticket to Childhood).

There are also Oxford thuong yeu (Beloved Oxford), Nham mat thay Paris (Paris Through Closed Eyes), Cung duong vang nang (In the golden sun), Cho em den san Francisco (We'll Meet Again In San Francisco), Bup be nho xiu va chang khong lo (The Little Doll And The Big Giant) by writer Duong Thuy; Vua nham mat vua mo cua so (Open The Window, Eyes Closed) by Nguyen Ngoc Thuan; and Canh dong bat tan (Endless Field) by Nguyen Ngoc Tu.

Additionally, Kim Dong Publishing House also published novels translated into English, such as Ba to la runner (My dad is a runner), Dung la tet (This is Tet), Bo dien thoai xuong nao (Put The Phone Down, Now!) by Bui Phuong Tam; Chang hoang da (Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear) by Trang Nguyen; De Men phieu luu ky (Adventure of a Cricket) by To Hoai; Ngoi nha trong co (A Home In The Grasslands) by Ly Lan; Nhung chu cai tim thay trong can bep cua me (The Alphabet I Found in Mom's Kitchen) by Tien Vo-Nguyen Hoang Vu-Truc Vo.

After releasing the book titled Vua nham mat vua mo cua so (Open The Window, Eyes Closed) by Nguyen Ngoc Thuan in English, the company saw a surge in domestic readers’ demand for English editions of Vietnamese literary works, general director of the Tre (Youth) Publishing House Nguyen Thanh Nam said.

The English edition of the book, Vua nham mat vua mo cua so (Open The Window, Eyes Closed) by Nguyen Ngoc Thuan was reprinted ten times. Works of writers Nguyen Nhat Anh, Nguyen Ngoc Tu, and Duong Thuy were also sold out quickly. It showed that Vietnamese readers are really interested in local literary and cultural works translated into English by domestic authors, he added.

Opportunities for publishing houses in the domestic market

There are many reasons why Vietnamese readers prefer to read domestic books translated into English, including improving their English vocabulary and grammar.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, the demand for learning English is one of the reasons why Vietnamese books translated into English are sold well. The publication of these books has met the readers’ needs of reading hobbies and learning foreign languages. The number of English books that are sold in the domestic market is larger than the figure sold abroad.

Accordingly, more than 14,000 copies of the English edition of the book, Vua nham mat vua mo cua so (Open The Window, Eyes Closed) by Nguyen Ngoc Thuan were sold. Meanwhile the book titled Oxford thuong yeu (Beloved Oxford) was 25,000, followed by Cho toi xin mot ve di tuoi tho (Ticket to Childhood)(10,500), Nham mat thay Paris (Paris Through Closed Eyes) (8,500), and Toi thay hoa vang tren co xanh (I see yellow flowers in the green grass) (6,000).

Ms. Nguyen Thi Chieu Xuan, Director of Lionbooks, a unit specializing in releasing Vietnamese works, especially children's books, translated into English, said that the company has paid attention to overseas Vietnamese children to provide them with images of the country, Vietnamese language, and homeland culture.

Translating Vietnamese books into English is also an effective way to promote publications and sell copyrights of books in foreign countries, or participate in some international book awards, such as Toi thay hoa vang tren co xanh (I see yellow flowers in the green grass) published in the US under a contract signed by the Tre (Youth) Publishing House and Hannacroix Creek Books.

Source: SGGP