Book publisher CEO suspended following accusations of harassing woman employee

Duong Thanh Hoai, a representative of the publisher's board of directors, said Thursday evening that it is working with the authorities and Anh to clarify the issues and related information, determine the nature and extent of the matter, and its damage to relevant parties and Nha Nam.

"Then we will take measures and impose proper disciplines against Nguyen Nhat Anh," Hoai said in a statement on Nha Nam's website.

Rumors about Anh began to circulate on social media on April 16 after Dang Hoang Giang, a male author who has collaborated with him for long, resigned.

Giang, a psychologist, social activist, researcher, and policy advocate, who works for women and children’s rights, did not explain why he quit.

But a letter believed to be from him to Nha Nam accused Anh of verbally and physically crossing the line with an unidentified woman employee.

On Thursday morning Anh posted a message on the company's Facebook page saying, "I want to apologize to colleagues, friends, close partners, and book-loving readers of Nha Nam for being bothered by many false rumors online about the above story.

"I consider this a lesson to improve myself."

He said he had "showed attention and affection" towards the female employee but his actions did not exceed the ethical limits between people and his actions toward her were in a specific context and so he had not thought that it could hurt the employee.

At the end of March he had sent an apology message to the woman employee.

Before posting the apology on Facebook he had refused to respond to the media about the incident.

In recent days rumors related to Anh have sparked outrage among the public.

On Wednesday translator Tran Tien Cao Dang, who translated Haruki Murakami's "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle," announced he would stop collaborating with Nha Nam, and urged the company to speak about the incident.

On the company's fanpage, many people warned that they would boycott it if it did not provide explanations.

In Nha Nam's statement Thursday, Hoai apologized for the mental and psychological damage that its former female employee had to suffer.

"We were wrong for not receiving the information and dealing with it promptly," he said, adding the company is willing to cover all costs related to the mental and physical damage caused to the employee. He also pledged that no similar matter will happen in the future.

Nha Nam has removed Anh's apology posted on its Facebook page.

Anh is well known as a translator and editor.

In 2018 he received French "Ordre des Arts et des Lettres," (Order of Arts and Letters). As a translator, under the pen name Trac Phong, he has translated many famous French works such as "The Little Prince" and "Little Nicolas."