Chick-lit is already a popularized genre abroad, especially in the US with bestsellers like “Bridget’s Jones Diary,” “In Her Shoes,” and the “Shopaholic” series.

Sassy, funny and trendy, chick-lit offers an escape from a hectic day while allowing the reader to relate closely to the novel’s protagonist. Most stories also tend to revolve around how a female character overcomes obstacles in life.

For some, the growing popularity of chick-lit in Vietnam reflects the increasing confidence among young, single women in the country, especially those living in cities with good jobs.

Ha Le, a 24-year-old accountant in Hanoi, says she finds the books amusing and sees reflections of herself in many chick-lit characters.

“Reading them does not require too much thinking, but do you need more thinking after eight hours in the office?” she asks, adding that her favorite chick-lit work so far has been the “Shopaholic” series by writer Sophie Kinsella.

The series portrays the life of a single woman fleeing her creditors after she has maxed out her credit cards.

The movie version, “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” opened last month in Vietnam.

Thu Hue city, who works for a bank in Hanoi, says at first she didn’t realize that reading chick-lit could be so much fun.

“It makes you feel young and now I am into it,” she says. Hue’s favorite chick-lit so far: “The Devil Wears Prada.”

Vu Hoang Giang, deputy director of Nha Nam Culture and Communications Joint Stock Company in Ho Chi Minh City, says the company picks out only the top selling chick-lit in the world to translate into Vietnamese.

Nha Nam is well-known among local chick-lit readers with copyright translations of popular American novels including “The Devil Wears Prada,” the “Shopaholic” series and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.”

“I think chick-lit readers tend to be those preferring a modern and fast-paced life, therefore they like the type of writing that is also fast and can make them laugh,” Giang said.

Giang added that while most of the popular chick-lit books are currently translated versions, local Vietnamese authors are capable of doing the same – writing stories that young Vietnamese women can identify with.

Le Tuong Van, nicknamed Petal Le, has been working with Nha Nam for two years as a translator of fiction. She’s best known for her translations of the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” series, written by American Ann Brashares, and “Where Rainbows End” by Irish author Cecelia Ahern.

“I had long passed my teen years but still I felt like I could identify with the ups and downs and feelings of the characters portrayed in the ‘Traveling Pants’ series,” she said. “It was very fun translating it.”

Van said chick-lit authors want to deliver not only stories about love and friendships but also about how the young characters learn from their mistakes and grow.

“I have done a good job if the Vietnamese readers feel they can identify with the characters and find the translation charming and funny just like the original version,” she added.

Tran Le Thuy Linh, who has translated two books from the “Shopaholic” series, said readers looking to learn “big things” from chick-lit won’t be satisfied, but that’s not the point of the genre.

“Obviously not all chick-lit novels are worth your time, but if you read them carefully, you realize there’s a sense that the authors are trying to deliver a message about what it’s like to be a young woman today.”

Reported by Huong Le