Top 10 Best Stories by Writer Nguyen Nhat Anh

“I have witnessed friendships that seemed never to fade, but once you take a different path, each person immediately has their own concerns. Everything gradually loosens, and then one day, those memories slip into oblivion…”

Unlike previous works set in the nostalgic countryside of Central Vietnam, full of simple childhood memories, freshness with characters in their adolescence, in this new book, writer Nguyen Nhat Anh sets the scene in Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City, where the author resides (as a grateful tribute to the Southern land). The main characters in the story are also more 'mature,' with stories of the challenging and ambitious careers of young students. Of course, there are touching, dramatic, and unexpected love stories that will leave readers bewildered, laughing and shedding tears. And as in every work of Nguyen Nhat Anh, kindness and a spiritual uplift remain important highlights in this new book.

Although known for stories about the innocent, dreamy age of youth, author Nguyen Nhat Anh still earns admiration for his subtle penmanship in depicting the inner world of young people facing the challenges of life in the book The Blue-Green Bird Flying Home.

Like a 'detective love' film, The Blue-Green Bird Flying Home takes you through surprises to other curious speculations, ending with boundless joy after so many suspenseful moments. You will join the student-employee faction with gentle and witty verses, or the business owner faction with entrepreneurial skills? And try to guess what makes you deeply moved in the bustling life of Saigon?

Not just mundane stories, The Blue-Green Bird Flying Home is intensely personal, with a shifting perspective between characters, taking us to explore the inner world of each person and concluding with a surprising twist that leaves readers astonished.

It's been a long time since we've had the lively image of a city in Nguyen Nhat Anh's work – the extraordinary allure of The Blue-Green Bird Flying Home. That's why there's only one way to read this book: straight from start to finish!

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I see happiness beyond the hill

Calling the peaceful ones to come over

How much I need, how vast it is

Youth is like the sky full of clouds...

The work serves as an update revolving around the lives of children in a poor Vietnamese village, highlighting the message of sibling love, village camaraderie, and the thoughts of adolescence. According to Nguyễn Nhật Ánh, this is the first time he introduces antagonistic characters, raising ethical issues such as indifference or evil.

The story revolves around the character Thiều, sometimes pitiable and sometimes blameworthy. He has feelings for Mận but only dares to silently watch Mận with his younger brother Tường, harboring jealousy without revealing it. Thiều is to blame for many foolish pranks that leave his younger brother bedridden, causing him great anguish.

The story between Tường and Nhi is a tale of a knight and a princess. Nhi helps Tường recover from illness, and Tường helps Nhi regain sanity after years of mental illness. The beautiful ending for Nhi's lost childhood. Then the stories of other children: Sơn, Dưa, Ghế, add many interesting, concise, and real colors to Nguyễn Nhật Ánh's narrative.

In I See Yellow Flowers on Green Grass, we encounter an unexpectedly charming and close world of young thoughts with simple but intimate reflections. The story of 'I See Yellow Flowers on Green Grass' has this and that, making anyone who looks into it see themselves, like the innocent and naive love letter of young Thiều.

However, I See Yellow Flowers on Green Grass seems to lack the pristine, pure completeness of a childhood world. The small book is still soulful, humorous, sweet, but with a hint of sadness, about a sick father leaving home because he doesn't want to burden his wife and children, about another father pretending to be a king because his secretly transgender son always thinks of himself as a princess. Lessons about ethics, about human emotions, resonate throughout the book with regret and sorrow.

I See Yellow Flowers on Green Grass lingers gently in the mind, and once you've read it, if you want to forget it, it's really difficult.

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'Keep that ticket of childhood well in your pocket because there's no ticket controller on this special journey.'

Give Me a Ticket to Childhood is a collection of short stories that is very familiar to many by the renowned author Nguyễn Nhật Ánh. Due to its profound human nature, this is considered one of his most successful works, earning him the ASEAN Literature Award in 2010.

Nguyễn Nhật Ánh invites readers on a backward train journey to revisit childhood and the adorable friendship of the four little friends with the mischievous antics of Mùi, Hải cò, con Tủn, and con Tí sún. With a clear and humorous style, Nguyễn Nhật Ánh guides readers through his own reminiscences, returning to the time when he was an eight-year-old boy, offering readers a world of innocent childhood full of laughter. However, intertwined with those innocent days are the worries of adulthood. The eight-year-old station of the protagonist, 'thằng cu Mùi' (Mùi the Kid), serves as a memory anchor where the author unleashes his philosophies and reflections on life.

Give Me a Ticket to Childhood brings back the childhood of readers, especially for the generations born in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, with sun and wind-filled childhoods. The book depicts the life, love, and thoughts of the children. And later, when we have grown up, looking back at every mistake, every silly thing we experienced, we feel no regret. Because that is childhood, a part of life that we have been through. This book is valuable to everyone, especially those with a rich and memorable childhood worth revisiting.

It's not about logical pages or heavy views on life, but Give Me a Ticket to Childhood still allows readers to perceive the truths within. Each time you read this book, you feel like you're returning to your beautiful childhood, igniting faith in a good life in the present and future.

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'I did everything, just because I believe that love is not only an emotion but also a great effort to narrow every distance, level every abyss, ultimately for everyone to find a reliable haven. Until the wedding took place, I never doubted what kind of wife I would have, only wondered who Miền was going to marry, and I strive to improve myself every day so that she can be reassured about that.'

The narrative spans three characters: me, her, and him. The use of the narrative of many characters Vinh, Phúc, Miền alternating makes the content even more captivating. The story depicts Vinh's feelings for Miền as a silent, enduring love, despite enduring too much pain. When Miền meets Phúc - Vinh's close friend, at a young age, with confusion and innocence, Miền disregards Vinh to be with Phúc. Then one day, Phúc disappears without a trace. After many twists and turns, with nobility and intense love, Vinh proposes to Miền, adopts Su (Phúc and Miền's child) as his own, and has a warm life. Thinking everything ended beautifully there, when Phúc unexpectedly returns, Miền agrees to run away with Phúc, knowing Vinh silently left for everything to go smoothly. But that night, Miền doesn't leave, and Phúc also leaves on his own. And when Vinh returns, a satisfying ending unfolds for everyone.

That love story is no longer just instinctive love between characters but involves more contemplation, reflection to discover the high values of one of the most inexplicable human emotions.

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“Always finding luck in unfortunate circumstances, always cheerful in a fate less bright, always treating life well even though life doesn't always treat you well – these qualities perhaps only exist in Teo, the kid who sees making friends with the vast, blue sky as a great joy. Much greater than his own losses.”

Unlike any other story, Embracing the Sky - A story that's truly gentle, captivating & appealing until the last page. A soul-stirring tale.

The sky symbolizes openness, abundance. Therefore, “Embracing the Sky” will help people be tolerant and always have pure thoughts. With this message, Nguyễn Nhật Ánh has written a lengthy story, putting all his effort into highlighting a heart full of love that always finds opportunities to forgive life, thanks to which that soul is always peaceful. The language flows like the wind, igniting the desire to live and live well every moment.

Embracing the Sky tells the story of little Teo, half-paralyzed, day by day lying on the bed next to the window, gazing at the sky and making friends with nature. The story revolves around his personality, illness, and then expands to his background. Despite the dense misfortunes in the life of an 8-year-old child, he still lives with an optimistic love for life and an all-encompassing heart, his intelligence and pure soul cleansing all the dust of life and humanity.

Embracing the Sky may not be considered a breakthrough in Nguyễn Nhật Ánh's career, but it is also a difference. The book is gentle, warm, and soothes the soul.

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'The afternoon sun falls on the sorrowful pine. I sit, legs stretched on the grass, feeling the sunlight pierce through the fabric. In front of me, in the Silver Stream, the sun is playing with the sand.'

Crying on the Tree - A story about Đông, a student visiting his hometown, the village of Đo Đo, during the summer break. Here, he befriends Rùa, a petite girl with a special situation, shunned by friends. Moved by her circumstances, Đông sympathizes with Rùa, and a beautiful friendship blossoms between them. The two create beautiful memories in the forest, uncovering secrets behind the waterfall. After a small accident, unable to contain his feelings, Đông gives Rùa her first kiss. The death of Rùa's father is revealed, causing her to fall into self-blame. Đông is devastated when he discovers he is Rùa's cousin while their deep emotional connection is evolving. He returns to the south after the vacation and refuses to come back until he discovers he has a disease. Ignoring reason, Đông returns to the village, saying goodbye to his family and rejoicing when he learns he and Rùa are not blood-related, with even more hope when he discovers he only has anemia. However, it doesn't stop there as Rùa gets swept away by a flood while rescuing children in the area. Đông collapses with his two younger siblings into the forest to relive memories with Rùa. Painfully gazing at the landscape of the past, Đông hears what sounds like Rùa's singing echoing. Climbing a mango tree for a closer look, he sheds tears at the sight of the beloved figure.

“Crying on the Tree” speaks of the innocence and poignant emotions of first love in children, a very naive yet truly humane notion of childhood. It explores the first love's pure and longing feelings, with memories that linger and aching anticipation. The book also imparts gentle and profound life philosophies, where the belief in inherent goodness is a real presence in the world, alongside the injustices and twists that will never be lacking...

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“For many who have grown up, childhood is a memory that's hard to name. Only sometimes, in a moment of vulnerability, the delicate reminiscence suddenly overwhelms, both perplexing and enchanting.” The desires of the not-yet-grown-up child truly knock on the door on a sunny day, as eighteen hurries in unannounced and without warning.

A Little Left to Remember - a good work, a beautiful love, an emotionally charged story. It's the memories of Chương, wading through the wet streets of Sài Gòn to go to school, the teenage emotions with all the innocence and silliness of young boys and girls, societal prejudices, and political ideologies that pushed the emotions into many twists and turns. And then, many decades later, the memories still resonate about a time to remember. “Don't know in the countless beautiful memories of the past, whether Quỳnh now has a little left to remember.”

The story is gentle but profound, the pure love in the student years with the initial fluttering of emotions. It makes one feel warm and happy. However, similar to other works, a sad ending is characteristic of Nguyễn Nhật Ánh's style, as due to political reasons, people who love each other cannot be together, separated but forever remembering each other.

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'There was someone passing through daisies
There were two passing through daisies
Leaving behind all the innocence of childhood...'

Journey Through Daisy - the story of Trường, a close friend of Aunt Miên. After a period of closeness, Trường developed feelings for Sister Ngà. From a lively and playful boy, he gave up shooting sparrows, stealing fruits, and fishing. He began to love daisies as much as he loved Sister Ngà. His affection for her was pure and strange, but what did he get when Sister Ngà saw him only as a younger brother? Then one day, Điền appeared, and they fell in love, leaving Trường in despair. The story also revolves around the adorable friendship of Trường and the Chửng siblings. Despite their mischief, pranks, and fights, the three of them knew each other's tricks well. Then unfortunate situations and a cruel fate led Sister Ngà to seek death. To escape the sad memories, Trường followed an uncle to the South, bidding farewell to his homeland, childhood, and two friends. And finally, there is a consolation when the author hints that Sister Ngà may still be alive.

Almost all first loves are beautiful and interesting. Through this story, who can't recognize that they have had similar feelings? And at the same time, feel the taste of the mischievous pranks of the Chửng brothers. The way the author completes the characters of the Chửng siblings, clever and full of tricks, brings back memories of the simple and carefree time of childhood that has long disappeared.

“This evening, I leave, my childhood stays behind, my first love stays behind, and the color of those memories also lingers. Don't be sad, daisy, I'm just like you, from now on every time the sunset falls, the lonely heart in my chest will always ache when I remember someone...'

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“My love, have you slept yet?

My love, I just woke up

The candle of love burns in the room

Love flows in my heart'

Two Cats by the Window tells the magical friendship between the cat Gấu and two little mice, Tí Hon and Út Hoa. Hilarious and heartwarming situations unfold, painting a world of both bitterness and tears, captivating the reader.

Youth, the age of enthusiasm and confusion, where one dedicates their heart to live, yet, for one person, the heart may shatter. Passion and vulnerability coexist. It's not just humans who experience youth; for Nguyễn Nhật Ánh, cats and mice do too. The love between Gấu and the mice Tí Hon is depicted in the most romantic and dreamy way possible. These young men express their love for the girls, quietly compose poems, and silently cherish. Their love is sincere and beautiful, no less than that of humans.

In this work, the author is tactful in incorporating negative elements into a children's story without making it too heavy. This is the world of Tí Hon, where the power of those in charge is too great, leaders lack ethics, oppressing those weaker without caring for their kind, only exploiting. A wasteful way of life at the expense of the sacrifice of their kind.

This is Gấu's world, where adults sometimes forget that emotions also exist among animals. They only see them through the eyes of self-interest, considering them as tools. Sometimes, we also need to relearn how to love, especially those who are different.

The adventure of the poet Cat Gấu touches the reader's heart through heroic actions when saving a small mouse herd from the evil professor, overflowing with emotions for the little mistress, quietly accepting the truth about love with Áo Hoa… The magical and beautiful friendship truly deserves the admiration of the people.

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“Summer encounters, summer farewells

Which summer reunites us?

I hold in my hands two radiant summers

But where does the last summer fall?”

'I cannot make Holland be like me. I'm different. No one forces me to yearn for memories. No one forces me to remember the small, distant village every evening. No one forces me to dream of the moonlight of childhood hanging gently over the village road and dropping each deep purple drop...'

Blue Eyes narrates the life of the main character, Ngạn, and his childhood connected with a neighbor named Hà Lan. It portrays the friendship that evolves into Ngạn's love for Hà Lan. The story unfolds through countless memories, embracing the temptations of life. Eventually, Ngạn's affection turns toward Trà Long, only to face an incomplete ending when Ngạn decides to leave, realizing that what he loves is the 'Hà Lan of the past.' It is an unchangeable emotion, but Ngạn cannot accept that change. He cannot be with Trà Long because he understands that Trà Long is only the shadow of Hà Lan.

The pure imagery in the work, the wildberry forest with rocky hills where the first rays of the day touch or the twilight dropping its deep purple drops... These places preserve the memories of childhood. The village is the dwelling place of the heart, the sanctuary of the soul, nurturing a love that seems endless. Though foolish, a thousand times foolish, yet beautiful! The love of Ngạn, the love of Trà Long, is genuinely pure like the grass. But why is it so painfully touching, profoundly heartbreaking? Despite the sadness, it remains calm, serene, like the moment when the late afternoon sun sets on the porch with a myriad of cicadas singing. Blue Eyes is considered one of the iconic works of Nguyễn Nhật Ánh, a name instantly associated with this masterpiece. The work has been translated to introduce it to Japanese readers.

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