Dumb Luck — Vũ Trong Phung

Dumb Luck — Vũ Trong Phung

Dumb Luck by Vũ Trong Phung is set in the Vietnam of 1930s, a country under French colonization and almost mindlessly obsessed with modernization. A rib-tickling satire, the story follows Red-Haired Xuan and his rise from peeping Tom tennis ball collector to national hero, while along the way it takes pot shots at everyone and his wife. From Mrs. Deputy Customs Officer to policemen who are forced to fine each other to meet revenue targets, the book looks at everyone, from the lowest to the highest in the land and laughingly exposes their mindless foibles in the quest for ‘modernization’.

The writing can’t be called subtle, but at the same time it is intelligent and incisive. Considering the broad spectrum of people who are his targets, it is interesting to see how true Phung’s aim really is. While some might consider the novel very dated, the scathing commentary on art, romance, law, marital relations, and of course fashion and style is as relevant today as it was then. The attitudes after all do not seem to have changed much over the last 80 years.

Shěn Bīng