Discover the top 10 most notable works by the writer Vũ Trọng Phụng.

Scarlet Fields is a literary novel by Vũ Trọng Phụng, serialized in Hanoi newspaper from issue 40 on October 7, 1936, and first published as a book in 1938. Many characters and phrases from the work have become part of everyday life, adapted into plays and films. The main character, Scarlet - nicknamed Red Hair, rises from being considered lower class to the prestigious social stratum due to the Westernization trend of the petit bourgeois in Hanoi at that time. Scarlet Fields, like other works by Vũ Trọng Phụng, was once banned in circulation in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam before 1975 and in unified Vietnam from 1975 to 1986.

Up to now, Scarlet Fields has been republished and approved in Vietnam. Excerpts from this work have also been included in the national curriculum (Literature textbook for Grade 11, Volume 1, titled: The Happiness of a Funeral).

The story of Scarlet Fields consists of 20 chapters and begins when Mrs. Phó Đoan visits the tennis court where Red Hair works. Accidentally witnessing a girl changing clothes, Red Hair is arrested by the police and bailed out by Mrs. Phó Đoan. Later, Mrs. Phó Đoan introduces Scarlet to work at the Westernized tailor shop, marking the beginning of Scarlet's involvement in social reform. Familiar with the advertisements for illegal drugs, he is dubbed the 'pharmacy student' and the 'Xuân newspaper' by the Văn Minh couple. He joins the upper-class society, charms Tuyết, discovers Hoàng Hôn's affair, and is entrusted by Mrs. Phó Đoan to educate her nephew Phước. Invited by the monk Tăng Phú, he becomes an advisor for the Gõ Mõ newspaper. Due to a coincidence, he causes the death of the ancestral founder but is appreciated by everyone. To repay Xuân's favor, Văn Minh takes him to erase his past records, then registers to compete in tennis during King Siamese's visit to North Vietnam.

Using cunning tricks, he makes two champion athletes arrested just before the competition day, giving Xuân the opportunity to compete with the Siamese champion. To maintain friendly relations, he is ordered to lose. After the match, facing public opposition, Scarlet passionately delivers a speech to the crowd, explaining the action of 'sacrificing for their homeland,' and is invited to the Progressive Enlightenment Association, awarded the Bắc Đẩu Medal of Valor, and ultimately becomes the son-in-law of the late Hồng.

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One of the remarkable works by the author Vu Trong Phung is the series 'The Puppet Human.' The book tells the love story between a writer and his 'muse.' However, ironically, that passionate love conceals a deep-seated resentment. Resentment because, in two years of living together, the human and his partner deceived him. In the end, he doesn't even know who she is, her name, and why she sowed bitterness in him?

'The Puppet Human' by Vu Trong Phung is a story intertwined with love and hatred, and it will undoubtedly leave readers with a poignant experience.

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'The Prostitute' is a renowned novel-journalism by the writer Vu Trong Phung. This novel not only narrates the life story of a 'prostitute' but also serves as a wake-up call about the decline of culture and ethics in contemporary society.

'The Prostitute' by Vu Trong Phung was published in 1937, a year after its completion. From the very first editions, the work sparked continuous debates. Some deemed 'The Prostitute' as obscene, depraved, negatively influencing the thoughts and morals of readers. Others believed it to be a humane, compassionate novel with high moral values.

The novel tells the life story of Huyen, a girl who mistakenly steps onto the path of 'prostitution.' The book consists of 5 parts: The Beginning, Adolescence, Birth, Marriage, Decadence, and The End. This structure provides guidance, conclusions, and prominent life philosophies in the three middle sections of the story.

Through the life story of a girl from the red-light district, Vu Trong Phung depicted the reality of our country in a transitional period, a traditional culture facing the chaotic and unfamiliar Western culture. On one side, there were trends of self-liberation, women's liberation in the liberal Western lifestyle. On the other side, there were traditional, modest, and proper women. Unable to maintain herself against the decadent lifestyle, Huyen stepped onto the path of prostitution. Therefore, it can be said that 'The Prostitute' is both a humane, realistic story and a voice awakening individuals to the cultural values of the country.

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The novel 'Levee Break' by the author Vu Trong Phung paints a broad, comprehensive picture of the decaying colonial society, capturing the values as historical annals record the events and current affairs of Vietnamese society in the 1930s. 'Levee Break' is a novel reflecting the social panorama with full details, authentically portraying the lives of people under slavery.

'Levee Break' consists of 3 parts with 25 chapters, offering a multidimensional, authentic, and compassionate perspective. The novel reflects reality on a fairly wide scale, from urban to rural areas, focusing on condemning the policies and domination tactics of the colonialists and officials that pushed the peasants into extreme poverty. Vũ Trọng Phụng's realistic and critical work allows readers to revisit the dark days of our nation under the domination of feudal colonialists before 1945.

In 'Levee Break,' he praised the communists in the newspaper Lao Dong during the people's front, those who defiantly regarded prison as a training ground for creating soldiers fighting against those who, in their roles, exploited the labor of others.

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'Love's End' is a psychological novel that, according to Trang An, is 'a painting... mirroring the reality of life, neither embellishing its beauty nor tarnishing its ugliness.' It affirms the clever literary style of the pen of Vu Trong Phung.

'Love's End,' also known as 'By Unfortunate Fate,' was first published in the Hai Phong weekly newspaper in 1934. The work consists of 11 chapters, revolving around the emotional relationships of a woman named Tiet Hang with three men: Dao Quan, Viet Anh, and Huynh Duc.

Tiet Hang is a beautiful, wealthy girl who has been pursued by two boys since her school days. Tiet Hang falls in love with Viet Anh, an academically talented but poor young man. While her parents favor Dao Quan, a seemingly destined but wealthy young man, as a suitable match. Fulfilling her duty as a filial daughter, Tiet Hang follows her parents' advice and marries Dao Quan, content to be a beautiful wife.

However, Tiet Hang's life after marriage is far from easy. Her former lover and her husband remain close friends. Her ex-lover comes to her house, borrows money from her husband, and gazes at her intensely. Meanwhile, her husband easily succumbs to the temptations of a lavish lifestyle.

A tragedy occurs as Dao Quan tragically passes away. Initially, Tiet Hang and Viet Anh find freedom to be together. However, pride, weakness, and psychological trauma responsible for Dao Quan's death lead Viet Anh to miss the impending marriage. Tiet Hang remarries Huynh Duc, the one who has always loved her, to escape the pain caused by Viet Anh.

'She saw the old stove resembling the human life. The stove's mouth is the stage, and the flames are the roles in a tragic drama. The flames are big at first, then gradually diminish, and in the end, they are just a handful of cold smoke, an exact image of the salvation in human life!'

The title 'Love's End' is the final decision of Tiet Hang regarding enduring, loyal, and pure love she had for Viet Anh.

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'Winning the Jackpot' is Vũ Trọng Phụng's final work. Unlike his previous novel-writing style, releasing a chapter only when the newspaper was out, printing the entire book at once, 'Winning the Jackpot' was written continuously until completion. Vũ Trọng Phụng personally bound the book before submitting it to the publisher. Vũ Trọng Phụng's close friend, Ngọc Giao, recalled that a few days before his death, Vũ Trọng Phụng asked him to accompany him to the printing house, requesting several draft sheets already set with text, still smeared with printing ink and the printer's marks. He handed them over and instructed Ngọc Giao to keep them to place under his head when dressing his body in burial clothes.

Not exuding the exuberance that makes people applaud with excitement like 'Dumb Luck,' but filled with profound reasoning, ups and downs, still carrying Vũ Trọng Phụng's natural storytelling style and humorous touch.

The entire novel focuses on the character Phuc (the main character who wins the jackpot). There is no page without Phuc; everything is to express his thoughts and feelings, even his appearance is briefly outlined. Vũ Trọng Phụng uses the character Phuc to narrate about human relationships, societal habits, and the changeable nature of people. Even Phuc, given the chance to change his life, witnessing and understanding the ironic nature of humanity, cannot avoid changing himself according to circumstances and the times. Because Phuc is also a human being.

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'A Death Begins' opens with a story at seven in the evening at the protagonist's 'my' house. An old beggar pushes the door to ask for money for his father's funeral. 'I' becomes irritated, almost chasing the old beggar away. What seems like a normal occurrence turns into a poignant story. Due to the actions of the father (Master Cai), Hoi, the child who 'often thinks dreamily,' seeks death. The structure of flashbacks serves to guide the reader to the ideological content of this short story. The death of the beggar, the death of Hoi, is the result of human callousness.

Selfishness, like a poisonous dose, not only corrodes our souls but also contaminates the souls of those around us. Children are most affected by their parents. If a father is selfish to the point of cruelty, how will that child turn out?

Each of our actions, besides directly influencing others, also indirectly affects those who witness them. It's true that 'if the father eats salty, the child will be thirsty.'

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Westerners have always distinguished between two types of marriage: marrying for rational considerations and marrying for love. Marrying for rational considerations involves careful consideration of all marriage conditions, making informed decisions that align with the individual, family, and societal circumstances. Marrying for love, on the other hand, follows the call of the heart, disregarding other conditions.

The feudal marriage system, before significant societal changes, has resulted in numerous tragedies. Criticizing and contributing to its removal from society, writers in the Self-Reliant Literary Group, mainly Nhất Linh and Khái Hưng, have made strong and successful efforts. However, in the passionate and romantic atmosphere of that ideology, those aligned with the new movement were the only ones calm enough to ask: is marriage based on love always beautiful and brings happiness to a family?

Only in 1937, Vũ Trọng Phụng posed that question and answered it with the novel 'Marrying for Love.'

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The short story 'Old Granny Loa' vividly portrays the dark and dismal moments in the life of the character with the same name, who is a distant relative of the story's narrator. Reflecting on the past, when Granny Loa was wealthy and known for helping the poor, the author reveals that despite her past generosity, no one pities her in her current desperate situation.

The narrative takes us through time, providing a comprehensive view of Granny Loa's life. The author emphasizes condemnation and criticism of her current state, as her son squanders their wealth, leaving her impoverished and mistreated by her grandchild. The story unfolds a bitter reality: a kind and virtuous past resulting in a present filled with suffering and ingratitude.

Through the storytelling technique of embedding one narrative within another, Vũ Trọng Phụng starkly contrasts the past and present, goodness and wickedness, compassion and selfishness. The narrative serves as a denunciation of human betrayal and highlights the paradox of life where past kindness is met with present ingratitude.

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