VietNamNet Bridge – At the age of ten, Nguyen Binh is the author of a fiction novel entitled “Cuoc chien voi hanh tinh Fantom” (The fight against Fantom planet), published by Tre and Hong Bang publishing houses on November 17, which tells a story about the fight of people on Earth against aliens.



Born in December 2001, Binh will turn 10 next month. At 18 months old, he learned to read and write and became fluent in reading and writing Vietnamese at the age of 3. Two years later, he could use the computer and access the Internet. At 6, he began to contribute to articles on the online, open encyclopedia Wikipedia. The boy also knows a little French and Chinese and likes classical music.

The boy’s dad said Binh often asked him to explain the meaning of words he did not understand. After a while, the father gave him a Vietnamese dictionary to look up the words’ meaning on his own.

Pham Sy Sau, editor of Binh’s novel said he was surprised to find only 10 mistakes in the 200-page book.

Below is a short interview with Binh on HCM City Law Newspaper.

Hi Nguyen Binh, how did the idea on your novel flash? Was it difficult to write it?

I don’t know, actually. The story came up in my mind naturally. It was not very difficult to write it. I only wrote down my thinking.

Did you get stuck while writing like adult writers? I know that the novel includes eight episodes. How many episodes have you finished?


The cover of Nguyen Binh's book.

I’ve not in that circumstance, when I’m stuck and cannot write. I’ve completed one fourth of the novel and I’ve imagined over half of the book, or four episodes.

Kids have to spend most of their time at school so when did you write? Can you play any sports? Which subjects do you like? What do you want to do in the future?

I often write on Saturday and Sunday. I prefer staying at home to read book than playing sports. I can play chess. I do not have many friends but I play with my close friends. I see all subjects are the same. I do not think about my job in the future yet.

What kind of books do you often read? Do you read books for kids and watch movies?

I read a lot, including books about civilizations in the world. Books for kids? I only read books about Harry Potter, Animorphs and Percy Jackson. The book I’m writing is fiction story like Animorphs. I also watch cartoons and adventure films.

You live in Vietnam but why you write a story about the US? Are you afraid that your story is untrue?

Technology in Vietnam is not developed so I choose the US as the context for my story. I don’t know but perhaps I’m not afraid that my story is untrue.

When did you begin writing? I’ve heard that you wrote secretly and planed to print it yourself. Do you know that it is very difficult to publish a book and even not every adult can do it?

I started writing this February. I did not tell my Dad but he uncovered my secret while I was writing. I know that it is very difficult to publish a book but I still think that my book will be published.

Is it true that you have compiled many English-Vietnamese words on Wikipedia? Where do you study English? And you also use Chinese?

Yes, I did. I study English myself. I also studied Chinese on my own but I’ve forgotten a lot.

PLTPHCM