Listing 39 of approximately 124 recorded works. This bibliography is still being extended.
This bibliography was rebuilt from library catalogue records — the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Cornell, Princeton, K10plus, CiNii and the Library of Congress — rather than from press listings. Several dates in circulation turn out to be reissues rather than first editions.
His works were gathered by NXB Trẻ into the collected edition "Toan Ánh toàn tập". Author page at NXB Trẻ ↗
Showing 39 works
Memoirs he wrote for his wife thirty years after her death in late 1969. Privately printed in 1970 to give to friends and family, not released.
Nhà in Chí Thanh, 156 Hòa-Hưng, Sài Gòn, 1970 · 226 tr.
Digitised edition
Machine-read text (PDF) 1.7 MB — The text was read from the facsimile by machine and has not been corrected. These books use pre-reform orthography, so errors are frequent — the facsimile is the authoritative copy.
Debut short story — marking the beginning of his literary career.
Published in a newspaper, not printed as a book. The only newspaper identified that he collaborated with before 1975.
Báo Tiểu thuyết Thứ Bảy, 1935
Comedy play — the only work of this genre in his entire career, and his earliest surviving book. BnF note: "[Le premier pas, comédie]".
Printing completed on 7/7/1942. In addition to the regular paper edition, there were fifty vellum paper copies numbered 1–50, each with the author's signature — according to the last page of the book.
Nhà in An-Thịnh, 181 Rue du Coton, Hà Nội, 1942 · 74 tr.
Digitised edition
Machine-read text (PDF) 0.9 MB — The text was read from the facsimile by machine and has not been corrected. These books use pre-reform orthography, so errors are frequent — the facsimile is the authoritative copy.
Digitised by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Gallica) ↗
Study of Northern rural customs and country pastimes. The 1957 edition clearly states "3rd printing" — the 1958 date is often mentioned as the third printing, not the first.
Ánh Hoa, Hà Nội, 1943 · 152 tr.
Reissued: Hà Nội: Minh Tuấn 1952 · Sài Gòn: Nam Sơn 1957 (in lần 3)
Digitised edition
Machine-read text (PDF) 0.8 MB — The text was read from the facsimile by machine and has not been corrected. These books use pre-reform orthography, so errors are frequent — the facsimile is the authoritative copy.
Digitised by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Gallica) ↗
Short story collection criticizing rural outdated customs.
The first page of the book records the printing license issued on 1/7/1944 and the line "first printing"; therefore, 1944 is recorded here, while some library records state 1945. The 1957 date marks a reprint in Sài Gòn.
Nhà xuất bản Hàn-Mặc, 26 Phố Hàng Quạt, Hà Nội, 1944 · 136 tr.
Reissued: Sài Gòn 1957
Digitised edition
Machine-read text (PDF) 0.7 MB — The text was read from the facsimile by machine and has not been corrected. These books use pre-reform orthography, so errors are frequent — the facsimile is the authoritative copy.
Digitised by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Gallica) ↗
Historical novel set against the resistance against the Yuan-Mongols. BnF note: "L'épée du delta tonkinois, roman."
Nhà in Minh-Tuân xuất bản, 15 Phố Nhà Thương Chữa Mắt, Hà Nội, 1950
Digitised edition
Machine-read text (PDF) 1 MB — The text was read from the facsimile by machine and has not been corrected. These books use pre-reform orthography, so errors are frequent — the facsimile is the authoritative copy.
Digitised by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Gallica) ↗
Highlights the spirit of Vietnamese scholars. The first book after he moved to the South — he self-funded the printing, noting "1st printing".
Tác giả tự xuất bản, Sài Gòn, 1957 · 131 tr.
Foreword by Triều Đẩu. The 1957–58 date is often mentioned as inaccurate.
Sống Lúa, Sài Gòn, 1959 · 190 tr.
Nếp Cũ 7/11
The gentle, virtuous, and capable qualities of Vietnamese women in the Northern region.
Vạn Lợi, Sài Gòn, 1959 · 137 tr.
Research on tricks and methods of theft prevention in ancient society.
Đông Nam Á, Sài Gòn, 1960 · 211 tr.
Customary novel — fiction, different from the research collection Nếp Cũ.
This is a novel, not part of the Nếp Cũ series. The Library of Congress classifies it under literature and explicitly states "Novel".
Xây Dựng, Sài Gòn, 1963 · 183 tr.
Study of two traditional Vietnamese martial arts.
Tiến Bộ, Sài Gòn, 1963 · 154 tr.
Nếp Cũ 1/11
The life cycle of Vietnamese people from birth to death — birth, study, starting a family, funerals, reburial.
Nam Chi Tùng Thư, Sài Gòn, 1965 · 422 tr.
Reissued: Khai Trí 1970 · NXB TP.HCM 1991 · NXB Trẻ 2023
Việt Nam Chí Lược 1/5
Overview of the people and geography of Vietnam — origins, national identity.
Nam Chi Tùng Thư, Sài Gòn, 1967 · 528 tr.
Nếp Cũ 2/11
The system of Vietnamese folk beliefs — ancestor worship, deities, folk Buddhism.
Nam Chi Tùng Thư, Sài Gòn, 1967 · 475 tr.
Nếp Cũ 3/11
Continued research on beliefs — magic, fortune-telling, feng shui, funeral customs.
Nam Chi Tùng Thư, Sài Gòn, 1968 · 451 tr.
Reissued: Hoa Đăng 1969
Nếp Cũ 4/11
Village life — structure, village conventions, communal house, rural market, village solidarity.
Photos in the book by Nguyễn Cao Đàm, Nguyễn Mạnh Đan, Trần Lê Sinh and Trần Cao Lĩnh.
Phương Quỳnh, Sài Gòn, 1968 · 471 tr.
Comprehensive study of the customs and practices of Vietnamese people.
Khai Trí, Sài Gòn, 1968 · 532 tr.
Nếp Cũ 5/11
Traditional Vietnamese festivals — communal house festivals, village festivals, rituals, palanquin processions, entertainment.
The reprint in Houston, Texas is the only overseas reprint found among all his books.
Nam Chi Tùng Thư, Sài Gòn, 1969 · 303 tr.
Reissued: Houston, Texas: Vietnamese Book Store, khoảng thập niên 1980
Việt Nam Chí Lược 2/5
The Northern region — the origin of culture and history of a thousand years of civilization.
Tiến Bộ, Sài Gòn, 1969 · 471 tr.
Research on morality and the spirit of valuing righteousness in Eastern culture.
The Đồng Tháp 1996 edition states "6th revised reprint" — thus, at least four more printings between 1969–1996 have not yet been documented.
Ánh Sáng, Sài Gòn, 1969 · 202 tr.
Reissued: Cà Mau: Mũi Cà Mau 1993 · Đồng Tháp 1996
A study on the phenomenon of corruption in Vietnamese society through various periods.
Hoa Đăng, Sài Gòn, 1970 · 242 tr.
Study of traditional music and Vietnamese folk singing art.
Foreword by Nguyễn Hiến Lê. The content was later included in the volume Cầm – Kỳ – Thi – Họa of the Nếp Cũ series.
Lá Bối, Sài Gòn, 1970 · 270 tr.
Nếp Cũ 6/11
Continued research on festivals — pagoda festivals, market festivals, spring festivals, games at festivals.
Nam Chi Tùng Thư, Sài Gòn, 1974 · 356 tr.
Việt Nam Chí Lược 3/5
Tây Nguyên — culture, people and nature of the highland region.
Photos by Nguyễn Cao Đàm. The last volume of the Việt Nam Chí Lược series to be written. Some libraries catalog it under the title Miền Thượng Cao Nguyên.
Lê Lợi thư quán, Sài Gòn, 1974 · 556 tr.
Ancestor worship rituals and Vietnamese family beliefs.
The 1991 edition is titled Phong Tục Việt Nam: Thờ Cúng Tổ Tiên. The NXB Trẻ 2026 edition is the most recent reprint, not the first printing.
NXB Khoa học Xã hội, Hà Nội, 1991 · 196 tr.
Reissued: Hà Nội: Văn hóa Dân tộc 1993 · Đồng Tháp 1996 · Hà Nội: Văn hóa Dân tộc 2001 · NXB Trẻ 2026
Memoir recounting his journey into writing — the sole source revealing which newspapers he collaborated with before 1975.
Memoir about his early years as a writer. It has never been digitized and no articles have been written about this book.
NXB Văn hóa Thông tin, 1993 · 239 tr.
Kinship and clan life and traditional village-commune relations.
NXB Mũi Cà Mau, 1993 · 167 tr.
Two representative archetypes in traditional Vietnamese society.
The first Toan Ánh book published by NXB Trẻ, eight years before the 2004 contract.
NXB Trẻ, 1996
Nếp Cũ 8/11
Folk songs, proverbs, and love stories used to explain folk poetry — love for homeland and country.
If 1999 is the year of creation and not a reprint year, then this is a book he wrote in his eighties.
NXB Thanh Niên, 1999 · 433 tr.
An overview of Vietnamese culture — from its origins to modernity.
NXB Văn học, Hà Nội, 2002 · 497 tr.
Reissued: NXB Trẻ 2026
Three-volume historical novel — his longest fictional work.
Three-volume set. It has not been determined whether this is a new work or a reprint of a previously written novel.
NXB Thanh Niên, Hà Nội, 2005
Mysterious stories and Vietnamese folk legends.
NXB Thanh Niên, 2005
Nếp Cũ 9/11
The four noble arts — music, chess, poetry, painting in the life of ancient Vietnamese people.
NXB Trẻ, 2023 · 446 tr.
Nếp Cũ 10/11
Traditional pastimes — Chinese chess, composing poetry, flower arranging, tea appreciation.
Printed together with Bó Hoa Bắc Việt. This is the subtitle of Các Thú Tiêu Khiển Việt Nam.
NXB Trẻ, 2023 · 376 tr.
Nếp Cũ 11/11
Vietnamese folk games — ô ăn quan, jump rope, stone skipping, kite flying, tug-of-war.
NXB Trẻ, 2024 · 500 tr.
Traditional Vietnamese society — people always look to their roots.
NXB Trẻ, 2025 · 572 tr.
Pride and preservation of national cultural identity — Vietnamese spirit of national pride.
Role, status and customs related to Vietnamese women of olden times.