"Ticket to Childhood" (Cho tôi xin một vé đi tuổi thơ), is being brought to life at the Youth Cultural House on 7, November, 2023 in Vietnamese with English subtitles.

On the surface, Nguyễn Nhật Ánh's popular novella is about the hilarious hijinks of a group of children whose imaginations and curiosity lead to silly situations. But as the LA Times Review of Books notes: "This is not a book strictly for children, either. Nguyen’s children are court jesters, able to question the norms of the adult world in ways that adults cannot."

Indeed, the book which has sold more than 500,000 copies in Vietnam and won awards from the Vietnamese Writers Association and the Vietnamese Publishing Association, is really aimed at adults who "once were children," Nguyễn Nhật Ánh explains. As Saigoneer noted in our review of the English translation the story can help "remind yourself of the pleasures of childhood and perhaps reassess some of the compromises you’ve made for the sake of becoming an adult."

Famed filmmaker and playwright Việt Linh is bringing the book to life via her script. She has proven particularly adept at crafting works with children taking important roles and this performance will highlight that talent.