To celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse, the UK-based publishing house Major Books will release Tết All Round (Muôn miền Tết, by Rơm and Quỳnh Hương) - a children’s book introducing the traditions of Tết across Vietnam. This is one of many projects by Major Books, founded by a group of young Vietnamese expatriates, with the mission of bringing Vietnamese literature and culture to English-speaking audiences. At the heart of this effort is Trần Thủy Thiên Kim, co-founder, CEO, and publishing director of Major Books.
Trần Thủy Thiên Kim, co-founder, CEO, and publishing director of Major Books. Photo: Courtesy of the subject.
Since its establishment in 2022, Major Books has introduced international readers to a range of classic Vietnamese works, including Water: A Chronicle (Biên niên sử nước by Nguyễn Ngọc Tư), Making a Whore (Làm đĩ by Vũ Trọng Phụng), The Tale of Kiều (Truyện Kiều by Nguyễn Du), and Parallels (Song song by Vũ Đình Giang). In 2026, the publisher plans to release Treasury of Vietnamese Folk Tales (Kho tàng truyện cổ tích Việt Nam by Nguyễn Đổng Chi), alongside new translations of The Young Die Old (Những đứa trẻ chết già by Nguyễn Bình Phương) and Crossroads and Lampposts (Những ngã tư và những cột đèn by Trần Dần). Notably, the English translation of Water: A Chronicle by Nguyễn An Lý earned Major Books the PEN Translates Award from English PEN - making it only the second publisher in the award’s history to win with a debut publication.
Book cover of Tết All Round (Muôn miền Tết).
Born in 1997 in Hanoi, Thiên Kim graduated with distinction in Comparative Literature in the UK and later pursued a master’s degree in Visual Anthropology and Documentary Filmmaking. Yet, instead of following a conventional career path, she chose to establish Major Books. To her, the name “Sách chính” (“Major Books”) is not just a title but a statement of intent - affirming that every national literature deserves recognition, and that Vietnamese literature should stand on equal footing in the global literary landscape.
Thiên Kim envisions a comprehensive introduction of Vietnamese literature to the world from folklore to modern works, from the past to the present. Each translation under Major Books is carefully prepared, prioritizing the spirit of the original over literal precision. She often chooses Vietnamese translators who deeply understand the cultural and emotional context of each text. Every stage of production - from cover design to illustration and typesetting - is done by Vietnamese artists, and all books are printed in Vietnam. As a result, each English edition retains a distinctively “Vietnamese soul,” both in form and content, even when released in the UK.
Book cover of Treasury of Vietnamese Folk Tales (Kho tàng truyện cổ tích Việt Nam).
Beyond publishing, Major Books is highly active in outreach. The team organizes talks and discussions connecting translators and readers at universities, libraries, and bookstores across the UK, while distributing books through global platforms like Amazon and Asterism Books. In 2025, a public discussion on The Tale of Kiều at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. drew a large audience of both Americans and Vietnamese expatriates, showcasing the growing resonance of Vietnamese literature abroad thanks to Major Books’ efforts.
Thiên Kim admits that the journey is far from easy. Most of the funding for translation, printing, and promotion comes from the team’s own resources, occasionally supplemented by grants from organizations such as Arts Council England and English PEN. Yet, profit has never been her primary goal; what drives her is the desire to “bring Vietnamese stories closer to the world.”
In a context where few Vietnamese publishers have the capacity or determination to promote national literature internationally, Major Books stands out as a rare bright spot. Thiên Kim and her team - young, passionate, and dedicated - are proving that cultural exchange is not just a slogan, but a process built through each book and each individual effort.
Their persistence and devotion deserve both recognition and support, for it is precisely through such “small seeds” as Major Books that the image of Vietnamese culture continues to grow richer and more vibrant in the eyes of the world.
Translated by MINH KIÊN
VNQD