Scott is well-known for her earlier works on Vietnam published in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

She first came to Vietnam in 1993 when the country was opening its economy to the world while re-integrating into the international community.

Living and working in Hanoi and HCM City during many years of rapid growth and social change gave Scott the chance to meet people with interesting stories to tell, and many of them became her friends.

Her book also delves into the history of the nation, pondering on the differences between the capital city of Hanoi and the country’s economic hub of HCM City.

Although it was Hanoi that originally captured Scott’s heart, after living in HCM City for a year she felt for the charms of this much younger and vibrant city.

Vietnam’s rapid growth has seen changes in many aspects of and some of the people to see the greatest change have been women.

Scott provides an insight into the lives of Vietnamese women, both traditional and modern, in prose that celebrates their strength while maintaining their femininity.

“I consider Vietnam as my second home,” said Scott, “and I get homesick for Vietnam if I have been away for a long time.”

“This book is dedicated to all my Vietnamese friends. I can’t thank them enough for their generosity and hospitality to me.”

Tran Doan Lam, director of the book’s publisher The Gioi Publisher, said the book provides an insight into a dynamic country and people.

The book also features several photographs taken by Scott during her time in Vietnam, with Scott showing an interest in highlighting the modern face of the country.

Scott said she wanted her book to be about the real, contemporary Vietnam.

Asked about whether she has any plans to write more books, Scott said that her current passion was to encourage Vietnamese writers to write their own stories for the rest of the world.

The book is now on sale priced at VND200,000 at the The Gioi Publishing House, 46 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hanoi.

The publishing house has also released Scott’s Trailblazers of Fortune on the French colonial period and In Search of the Pearl of the Far East on HCM City.