by Truong Thi Thanh Hien

I was crossing the sea alone, writhing in pain so strong that I didn’t want to keep living. I seemed to be walking through a mist, doing my utmost to reach the place from where my mother was waving to me. I wanted to bury my face in her lap and sob like a child, so that I could forget all my physical and mental pain. Mother opened her arms wide to embrace me. I sobbed violently and woke up. But mother wasn’t there. There was only stepmother embracing me. I yelled: "What are you doing? How in hell do you dare embrace me?"

by Tran Minh Thuan

The chilly drafts of wind swept over the riverside village of Cai Gia Tren, which was surrounded by cork oaks stretching as far as the eye could see.

That morning, the wind had turned so cold that Mr Lanh had to put on thick clothes and a heavy scarf when he went out to fish. Hao, his daughter, teetered with two heavy baskets of sticky rice dangling from her shoulder pole, her teeth chattering. At 30, she remained single, bitter in her solitude. Often, she sang folksongs to conceal her sorrows. Her singing was so melodious that passers-by would stop to listen to "Miss Bach Thu Ha", as they nicknamed her, after the main character of a soap opera.

by Vu Thi Thanh

The poor village lay between small sand dunes, very close to the estuary that fed into the sea. Sand dune after sand dune stretched up and down the edge of the beach. The sand made its way to the floor, even inside the room of the newly-married couple.

by Ta Duy Anh

During a trip to my native village to uncover my clan’s genealogy I was taken to a shrine dedicated to Lady Tran Thi Doan Trang. This small temple stood in the shadow of an age-old banyan tree by the river bank where most of us local kids used to come and play every day, rain or shine. When we were tired of frolicking, we hauled fresh, clean water from a nearby well.

by Nguyen Huong

I want to begin this story with a familiar phrase: "Once upon a time... "

Once upon a time there was a very rich man whose great fortune came from a golden opportunity. Growing up in dire poverty, his only dream was a decent meal, but as luck would have it, he was taken in, raised and educated by a kind-hearted elderly man. When he had grown up this lucky man would recount this little-known story to his children and grandchildren, who would giggle and say that it was just an allegory told to teach ethical lessons.