Why the Sea Is Full of Salt and Other Vietnamese Folktales

by Minh Tran Huy

Translated by Harry Aveling

Highlights

A collection of the best-known and most-loved folktales of Vietnam
Traditional stories that will delight modern readers, both children and adults
Evokes Vietnamese culture and society of an earlier era
Expresses supernatural, Confucian, and Buddhist worldviews and beliefs

This delightful anthology presents eighteen well-known and much-loved Vietnamese folktales. Originally collected and retold by the prize-winning author Minh Tran Huy, they are here elegantly translated by Harry Aveling. The stories tell of charming princesses, disputing brothers, powerful kings, magical animals, peculiar objects, and kindhearted genies. Their mysterious worlds stir the imagination and evoke the soul of Vietnam—its intense human relationships, its exuberance and gentle melancholy. The book will appeal to readers of all ages and cultures.

About the Author

Minh Tran Huy is a French writer of Vietnamese descent and the author of three widely acclaimed novels. She has also worked as an editor, journalist, and literary critic.

About the Translator

Harry Aveling has translated extensively from various Southeast Asian literatures. He taught in the English faculty of the University of Social Sciences and the Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, on a regular basis between 2003 and 2015.