Dumb Luck

Vu Trong Phung

Dumb Luck (Vietnamese title: Số Đỏ) is a novel by the famous Vietnamese writer Vu Trong Phung that satirizes the social changes and contradictions in Vietnam during the late colonial era. The novel follows the adventures of Red-haired Xuan, a street-smart vagabond who becomes a celebrity and a leader of the modernization movement by sheer luck and cunning. Along the way, he encounters various characters who represent different aspects of Vietnamese society, such as the Westernized elite, the traditional Confucian scholars, the corrupt officials, the exploited peasants, and the fashionable women. The novel exposes the hypocrisy, greed, and absurdity of the colonial system and its impact on the Vietnamese people.

Language: English