Cô Bé Hàng Xóm Và Bốn Viên Kẹo (The Neighbour Girl and the Four Candies) — the latest novel by Nguyễn Nhật Ánh. Photos baotintuc.vn

HCM CITY — Nguyễn Nhật Ánh has unveiled his latest long-form novel, Cô Bé Hàng Xóm Và Bốn Viên Kẹo (The Neighbour Girl and the Four Candies), offering readers a warm, nostalgic journey into the rhythms of 1980s Sài Gòn.

His new book feels like a gentle homecoming for the 70-year-old writer, whose works have become part of the childhood of generations of Vietnamese readers.

With 240 pages, the book has marked a fresh departure from his usual rural Central Việt Nam landscapes. This time, he has turned to the bustling streets and working-class neighbourhoods of HCM City, where he himself has lived since 1973.

Through the experiences of immigrant families, the novel has recreated the atmosphere of a city still emerging from hardship in the years after the war.

A charming surprise for long-time fans comes from the reappearance of familiar characters – Thiều, Mận and Tường – originally introduced in Tôi Thấy Hoa Vàng Trên Cỏ Xanh (I See Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass).

Although they have returned, the author has emphasised that the new book is not a sequel but a standalone story, placing the trio in a different context with renewed energy to suit the narrative.

For the first time in his career, Nguyễn Nhật Ánh has brought a version of himself into the story. The idea stemmed from a newspaper deliveryman character – the father of Thiều – who composes playful poems based on newspaper content, at times inspired by verses published under Nguyễn Nhật Ánh’s own name decades ago.

This metafictional thread has added a gentle layer of humour and nostalgia.

More than tales of children’s friendships and neighbourhood warmth, The Neighbour Girl and the Four Candies has evoked rich memories of 1980s HCM City: newspaper stalls, delivery routes, shared courtyards, and tight-knit communities of migrants striving for a better life.

The author has said that these lived experiences remain some of his most meaningful memories – stories he feels compelled to revisit and preserve.

Author Nguyễn Nhật Ánh meets readers and signs books at the launch.

The novel continues to highlight values that have shaped much of Nguyễn Nhật Ánh’s work: kindness, compassion, and the small but powerful gestures that shape one’s moral compass during childhood.

Representatives from the publisher, Trẻ Publishing House, have noted that the book remains captivating without relying on dramatic twists, thanks to the author’s deep understanding of children’s psychology and the purity of their emotional world.

The first print run of 80,000 copies includes both paperback and hardcover editions, with illustrations by painter Đỗ Hoàng Tường. To mark the release, the author has donated VNĐ80 million (about US$3,100) of his royalties to support storm-affected communities in Central Việt Nam, while the publisher has contributed an additional VNĐ100 million ($3,900).

Now 70, Nguyễn Nhật Ánh continues to publish one book each year – a rhythm he has maintained to stay connected with readers and to keep nurturing his creative spirit.

With more than 100 prose works, dozens of comic volumes, poetry collections, film scripts and sports commentaries under various pen names, he remains the most prolific and influential writer of youth literature in Việt Nam, recognised by the Việt Nam Records Organisation.

Many of his works have been adapted for the screen, including Nữ Sinh (The Girl Student), adapted into Áo Trắng Sân Trường or White-Shirt School in 1994); Chú Bé Rắc Rối (A Troublesome Boy, 1998); the hit television series Kính Vạn Hoa (The Kaleidoscope, 2004); and feature films such as Tôi Thấy Hoa Vàng Trên Cỏ Xanh (I See Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass, 2015) and Mắt Biếc (Dreamy Eyes, 2019), which earned a box office of VNĐ180 billion (nearly $7.2 million). Most recently, film adaptations of The Kaleidoscope and Ngày Xưa Có Một Chuyện Tình (Once Upon a Love Story) have reached audiences nationwide.

With The Neighbour Girl and the Four Candies, Nguyễn Nhật Ánh has once again chosen childhood as the place where his imagination returns – a quiet, heartfelt reminder of the resilience, innocence and humanity that shape our earliest memories. — VNS