First published 1820

Kim Van Kieu

by Nguyễn Du

Kim Van Kieu, or The Tale of Kieu, is Nguyen Du's Vietnamese verse epic of 3,254 lines in luc bat metre, dated to around 1820. It tells of Thuy Kieu, who sells herself to save her family; Le Xuan Thuy's English prose version appeared in Saigon in 1964 and was reissued by Silk Pagoda in 2006.

Editions tracked
1
Editions

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Editions

  1. Silk Pagoda2006 Paperback I own Kim Van Kieu, Silk Pagoda 2006 Log in to want this

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About the book

Awards, adaptations and setting

Adaptations

  • The Tale of Kieu film

In print

Editions recorded
1 on Open Library, 1 in English
Wikipedia
Articles in 18 languages

From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.

Same author

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Frequently asked questions

How many editions of Kim Van Kieu are there?

We track 1 edition of Kim Van Kieu. Each has its own page with how to identify it.

Has Kim Van Kieu been adapted?

Yes, including The Tale of Kieu (film), according to Wikidata.

When was Kim Van Kieu first published?

Kim Van Kieu by Nguyễn Du was first published in 1820.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 26 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.

More pictures

Woodblock printed title leaves of Đoạn trường tân thanh and Kim Vân Kiều tân tập in Chinese characters
Title leaves of the 1902 printing of Đoạn trường tân thanh and the 1906 Kim Vân Kiều tân tập.Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain