HCM CITY — A collection of three books entitled Đời Sống Xã Hội Việt Nam Đương Đại (Việt Nam’s Contemporary Social Life) was named one of 14 winners of the 2018 Good Book Awards at an awards ceremony in HCM City on Sunday.

The awards were given to original Vietnamese literary works and Vietnamese translations from other languages in seven categories: research, education, economy, governance, children’s books, literature and new discoveries.

The books were reviewed and evaluated by a panel of seven eminent researchers, educators, translators, writers and journalists

The three books, written by a group of Vietnamese researchers and authors led by anthropologist Nguyễn Đức Lộc, was the winner in the category of research, along with Ancient Society Or, Research in the Line of Human Progress from Savagery Through Barbarism to Civilisation by American anthropologist and social theorist Lewis Henry Morgan, translated by Nguyễn Hữu Thấu.

The awards in the category of education were given to two books titled Dạy Con Trong “Hoang Mang” (Teaching Your Children “in Anxiety”) by Lê Nguyên Phương, and Beyond the Tiger Mom by global educator Maya Thiagarajan, translated by Huyền Trang and Thủy Tiên.

Educator Giản Tư Trung, a member of the jury, said: “Both winning books focus on family education, which is considered the most important issue in today’s society”.

Chuyện Ngõ Nghèo (Tales in a Poor Alley) by Nguyễn Xuân Khánh and The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Czech-born French Milan Kundera, translated by Trịnh Y Thư were winners in the literature category.

Begun in 2007, the Good Books Awards became an annual event organised by the Institute for Research on Educational Development and its partner Phan Châu Trinh Foundation.

It was initiated to recognise and honour authors, translators and publishers who have produced Vietnamese works that have contributed to expanding and enhancing the body of literature and knowledge available to the world in Vietnamese.

Philosophy researcher Bùi Văn Sơn Nam said: “The Good Book Awards is getting more attention from scholars and readers in Việt Nam. It aims to encourage the creation of high-quality literature in Vietnamese, spread the values of good books, and cultivate the reading habit in society.” — VNS