Wild Wise Weird

The Kingfisher Story Collection

De: Quan-Hoang Vuong

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

(Fifth edition with new drawings)

This edition of Wild Wise Weird has included two new drawings provided by Dr Ho Manh Tung (Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences). It is also my pleasure to inform readers that despite its fictional nature, Wild Wise Weird has, over the past 900 days, inspired several academic writers in their earnest scientific discourses.

Examples concerning ecological and environmental sustainability include: “How can satirical fables offer us a vision for sustainability?” (by Dr Nguyen Minh Hoang) and “A vision for fair and just transitions toward a carbon-free world by J. Mijin Cha” (both in Visions for Sustainability), “Kingfisher: contemplating the connection between nature and humans through science, art, literature, and lived experiences” (Pacific Conservation Biology), and “How an age-old photo of little chicks can awaken our conscience for biodiversity conservation and nature protection” (Visions for Sustainability). Some other publications concerning technological innovation adoption are “Toward a pluralism of perspectives on AI”, and “Three tragedies that shape human life in the age of AI and their antidotes” (both in AI & Society).

Also, Kingfisher inspired a “colorful” Asian dance, as shown in ©2025 Dam Thu Ha – A dance in a Kingfisherish costume performed on January 21, 2025.

I sincerely hope that these minor changes bring an improved reading experience to readers as an effort to express my gratitude for their time.

Quan-Hoang Vuong

Hanoi, March 16, 2025.


(Fourth edition with a title change)

In this newest edition, I decided to change the title a bit, by adding Wild Wise Weird to the previous one. This edition now represents the latest version of The Kingfisher Story Collection. When first released on September 21, 2022, The Kingfisher Story Collection had a total of 21 stories (or satirical fables as some called them). Today, Wild Wise Weird: The Kingfisher Story Collection has grown to house 45 stories in total, marking its second anniversary.

Hanoi, January 21, 2025.


(Third edition with additions)

This is a collection of short stories centering around the protagonist character, Kingfisher, originally written in Vietnamese.

The book aims to introduce international readers to snippets of Vietnamese culture through the ordinary yet humorous life of the bird village.

The first 15 of these short stories were published in the Khoảng Lặng (Quiet Moment) column of the Vietnamese magazine Kinh Tế và Dự Báo (Economy and Forecast Review) from 2017 to 2019.

However, this is the first time that the collection of all the Kingfisher stories has been published in its entirety, covering stories that have not been published elsewhere, including new stories written during 2023-2024.

The stories of Kingfisher are full of humor and satire while also deep in social commentary. I hope that the book brings readers joy and some food for thought, for beyond satire is genuine contemplation of the humanistic values in life.

Hanoi, August 21, 2024

(Incld. Artworks by Bui Quang Khiem and Dam Thi Thu Ha)