The best books of 2015 were announced at the Good Books Awards, held in HCM City on Sunday. — Photo vnexpress.net

HCM CITY  (VNS) — The best books of 2015 were announced at the Good Books Awards, held in HCM City on Sunday.

The awards were divided into seven categories. In each category, awards were given to the best original Vietnamese literary works or translations to Vietnamese from other languages in seven different areas: life values or new discoveries, education, research and economics, as well as management, literature and children's books.

This year, the categories of economics and administration had no Vietnamese winners. Instead, the organiser granted awards for the books Liberalism: The Classical Tradition by Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973), translated by Pham Nguyen Truong, and Good To Great by Jim Collins, translated by Tran Thi Ngan Tuyen.

The books Viet Nam va Nhat Ban – Giao Luu Van Hoa (Cultural Exchange between Viet Nam and Japan) by Vinh Sinh and The Gift by Marcel Mauss (1872-1950), translated by Nguyen Tung, also won awards.

"Sinh's book provides a great deal of useful information and scientific evidence," researcher Bui Van Nam Son, head judge of this category, said.

"The book reveals the similarities and differences between the Vietnamese and Japanese cultures as well as the relationship between the two countries and China."

The Good Books Awards is an annual event organised by the Institute for Research on Educational Development. It was initiated to recognise and honour authors, translators and publishers who have produced Vietnamese works that have contributed to expanding and enhancing the body of literature and knowledge available to the world in Vietnamese.

The awards also aim to encourage the creation of high-quality literature in Vietnamese, spread the values of good books and cultivate a reading habit in society.

The books were reviewed and evaluated by a panel of seven eminent researchers, educators, translators, writers and journalists in seven categories. — VNS