VietNamNet Bridge – The third volume of ‘Cuoc Chien Voi Hanh Tinh Fantom’ (Fight against Fantom Planet) a science fiction novel written by 11-year-old schoolboy Nguyen Binh has recently been published by the Tre (Youth) Publishing House.

Nguyen Binh autographing books for a reader.

An induction ceremony for the novel was held in Hanoi this morning by the Publishing House and the Vietnam Writers’ Association (VWA).

The eight-volume novel tells the story of the struggle of a group of 10-year-old US children against invaders from Fantom planet to protect the Earth.

The first volume was published in November 2011, the second and third volumes were released in March and June 2012 respectively. 10,000 copies of the first three parts have been sold and have received high praises from readers and literary critics.

Speaking at the ceremony, VWA Vice President, writer Nguyen Quang Thieu said children of today take much interest in online games and the imagination is being forgotten. Thus a child who is creating a literary work without any help from adults is heartening news and should be further encouraged.

Pham Sy Sau, a representative from the Youth Publishing House, said that as a publisher, he prefers to focus more on a book’s content and quality than its author. It took him only 30 minutes of reading Binh’s manuscript to make a call requesting Binh’s agreement to publish his work, though he was pretty surprised that Binh was only 10 years old.

“It is hard to believe that a fifth grader can complete a literary work with clear structure, rich vocabulary and wide knowledge, in which each character is described with specific features and characteristics,” he said, adding that he was totally convinced by Binh’s talent.

“I started writing when I was nine as my hobby. I have completed the fourth and fifth parts of the ‘Fight against Fantom Planet’ up to now and I have drafted ideas for the remaining parts”, Binh said at the event.

“I have searched for a lot of information for references through the internet during my writings. I hope I can complete my fiction at the end of 2014 because I have to deal with a lot of home work at school,” the sixth-grader from Le Quy Don secondary school in Hanoi said.

VietNamNet/Nhan Dan