"Red Number" is one of the novels that brought writer Vu Trong Phung to fame. The novel's tells abou the life of Xuan Toc Do, who started as a humble person and whose life suddenly changed as the man found himself part of a prestigious class of the Westernised Hanoi society and its petty bourgeoisie.
"Red Number" was first published in serial form in the weekly magazine Hanoi Bao for 16 weeks until it was banned. All 20 chapters of "Red Number" were first published together in 1938 by Le Cuong Publishing. This edition, published by Dong A is a reprint of the first 1938 publication. Included is an essay about the author writen by a fellow writer Lan Khai, a friend of Vu Trong Phung. This essay sheds light on the the era, the person and the author's creative genius.
