Nha Nam’s Kim Van Kieu edition is the first to bring together, in one publication, Kim Van Kieu translated into the quoc ngu script and carefully annotated by scholar Nguyen Van Vinh, character illustrations reproduced from the 1923 printed edition, and a previously unpublished set of Kieu paintings by artist Nguyen Tu Nghiem.
Alongside the book launch, for the first time, the 26 Kieu paintings by master painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem were also formally presented to readers. Organisers said the works come without explanatory notes, allowing viewers to experience and imagine the scenes across different stages of The Tale of Kieu for themselves.
Literary researcher Mai Anh Tuan said the language throughout Nguyen Van Vinh’s 1923 Kim Van Kieu has been kept intact, including spellings that do not align with today’s orthography, so readers can better understand and visualise word usage of that period—when many scholars were striving to spread the quoc ngu script.
Speaking at the launch, artist Luong Xuan Doan, President of the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association, remarked that this set of 26 Kieu paintings is a special work, presented for the first time in the most complete, systematic and comprehensive manner, offering a painterly portrayal of the world of characters in The Tale of Kieu.
The most distinctive feature of the series is that Nguyen Tu Nghiem incorporated the most emblematic images of Vietnamese culture and landscape. Each painting evokes recognisably Vietnamese characteristics — from scenery to clothing and people.
Also at the launch, Nguyen Thu Giang, the late Nguyen Tu Nghiem’s wife and the youngest daughter of writer Nguyen Tuan, said that during his lifetime he often reminded her to keep the collection carefully and only make it public at an appropriate time. She added that Nguyen Tu Nghiem still has another 10 Kieu paintings that have yet to be unveiled.
At the event, Nguyen Van Binh, the grandson of scholar Nguyen Van Vinh, expressed his emotion that a publication from more than a century ago has returned to readers in a new form with the valuable, previously unpublished painting series by master painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem.
