With more than 20 years as content editor of Vietnam Airlines’ “Heritage” magazine – dedicated to telling the stories of Vietnam to the whole world in English as well as other languages – celebrated journalist Tran Mai Anh brings a wealth of experience to the job of editing the Vietnamese edition of “An Emissary from Heaven”, the best-selling biography of Phi Nhung and the first book ever written in English about any Vietnamese artist.
More important than experience, however, is heart – and to Mai Anh, the opportunity to edit “Tinh Binh” allows her to pay her respects for the good work that Phi Nhung has done for the community and for the children of Vietnam.
Tran Mai Anh is a household name in Vietnam for adopting Thien Nhan, a newborn baby who was abandoned in a banana plantation where he was attacked by wild animals, suffering the loss of his genitals and right leg. During more than 10 years fostering her son and seeking medical treatment for his injuries, Mai Anh co-founded a philanthropic fund to support victims of child genital disfigurement in Vietnam, a fund that has performed thousands of surgeries.
Mai Anh’s online journal describing her son’s journey of healing was published by Metro Writers in 2020 as “A Journey of Love” and is available on Amazon at https://bit.ly/mw-ajol.
Like Phi Nhung, Tran Mai Anh devoted herself to helping those suffering during the Saigon lockdown. She worked to deliver oxygen machines to Saigon at the time, so that those like Nhung who were fighting to breathe would have the best chance of survival.
Tran Mai Anh’s work editing “Tinh Binh” is now complete, and the final edition of the book is now being prepared for publication. Mai Anh was profoundly moved by the story of Phi Nhung, praised the Vietnamese writing and translation skills of co-author Queenie Nguyen, and is proud to help bring “Tinh Binh” to the Vietnamese community so that the full biography of Phi Nhung can be shared in her own native language.