Introduction from the translator
This is the third beautiful romance novel written by Duong Thuy that has been deservingly translated into English for the entire world to enjoy. The novel is a best seller in its original Vietnamese language, and is enjoyed by both young and old alike.
The story takes place in Belgium and involves a love triangle between a young Vietnamese girl, Phuong Vy, and two wealthy men. One of the men is a successful businessman who was born in France of Vietnamese parents, and who thoroughly understands and emerges himself in both the Western and the Vietnamese cultures. The other man is strictly a westerner, a Belgian, who has great responsibility and part ownership in a Belgian food production corporation, but who despises the Vietnamese culture. Both gentlemen express romantic interest in Phuong Vy, who is studying for her Master’s Degree at a Belgian university. The story keeps the reader in suspense right up to the very end. Which gentlemen will Phuong ultimately choose as her partner, or will she reject both?
The author, Duong Thuy, has traveled and studied abroad in Europe for many years and is well educated and versed in many cultures other than her native Vietnam. She has used her experiences to write a number of novels in which she has weaved both the western and the eastern cultures into works of art. This novel goes far beyond being a simple love story. Duong Thuy has cleverly chosen her characters to illustrate the good and the bad aspects of both the Western and the Eastern Vietnamese cultures, thus making the novel a masterpiece in cross-cultural education.
I lived in Vietnam for a number of years when I was much younger. That is where I learned the Vietnamese language. I worked with the author, Duong Thuy, first translating each chapter, sending my translated versions to Duong Thuy for review, and then editing my work based on her comments. I only hope that my translation does justice to her original work.
The translator: Elbert Bloom