The only Vietnamese translation that has all these qualities:
Official Translation
The New Vietnamese Bible (NVB) was translated by a committee of ten Vietnamese theologians trained in Greek and Hebrew. They were educated in both Vietnam and the United States of America and serve churches of different denominations. The translators worked under the principles, procedures and leadership of the The United Bible Societies. The Wycliffe Translators provided training and technical support. This translation is approved by seminaries, Bible scholars, ministries, church leaders and pastors in various nations.
From the Original Languages
The NVB was translated directly from the best available Hebrew and Greek texts into today’s language of Vietnam. Believers can use it as an accurate and reliable source for their study of the Word of God.
The New Vietnamese New Testament was translated from the Greek New Testament, Third Edition, United Bible Societies – 1983. The NVB Old Testament was translated from the Biblia Hebraica Stutgatensia – 1983 Edition.
Into the Current Vietnamese Language
The New Vietnamese Bible uses language common to North, Central and South Vietnam. It has been reviewed by Vietnamese of different ages, educational and religious backgrounds in all three regions of Vietnam, as well as among other Vietnamese living in other nations.
In great joy, the Board of Directors, Pastoral Advisors, Associates, and the Vietnamese Translation Committee of Vietnamese Bible, Inc. announced the completion of the translation of the New Vietnamese Bible in 2001. VBI organized a Publication Committee and initially made Arms of Hope, an entity within Arms of Love, Inc., the publisher of the first NVB Scriptures. Currently, VBI is the copyright holder and publisher.
Our Vietnamese Translation Committee translated the New Vietnamese New Testament from the Greek New Testament; which was edited by Kurt Aland, Matthew Black, Carlo Martini, Bruce M. Metzger and Allen Wikgren, and published by United Bible Societies. They translated the Old Testament from the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, edited by R. Kittel in 1984. Before its final edit, all the New Testament and much of the Old Testament were circulated among some Vietnamese Pastors in Vietnam, Asia, Europe, the U.S. and other nations. Their suggestions or recommendations for changes in the language were reviewed by the Translation Committee, and some were incorporated.
The New Vietnamese New Testament text and portions of the Old Testament have been field tested in three areas of Vietnam and among North Vietnamese who lived in Russia. The results of the testing carried out by friends of the new translation among theologians, young and old Christians, and unbelievers, were positive in all areas. The greatest news was when it was tested among school children in Vietnam, as they had no problem reading and understanding it.
VBI and our many supporters are rejoicing over the miracles of God’s grace that have come about because of the friends of the translation, who embraced this new Bible and obeyed God in helping provide this great work for the churches of Vietnam.
This general information is taken from our publishing and distribution records of the NVB Scripture, beginning with the Gospel of John:
- 53,000 New Vietnamese Gospels of John were printed for evangelism and outreach among Vietnamese in every nation (1990, 1991, 2003).
- 50,000 New Vietnamese Gospels of John were printed in the back of an outreach book developed for use in Vietnam (1998).
- 80,000 New Vietnamese New Testament Scripture portions printed for use in Vietnam & Asia (2003 to 2006).
- 4,000 New Vietnamese Four Gospels were printed and distributed for outreach and field testing in Vietnam and Eastern Europe (1992, 1993).
- 52,000 New Vietnamese New Testaments were printed for making disciples, and for doing a language review in Vietnam (1994, 1996, 1998).
- 50,000 New Vietnamese Scripture Portions were printed and used for outreach in Vietnam (1999).
- 110,000 New Vietnamese New Testaments were printed and used in Malaysia, Europe and the USA for outreach (2004).
- 41,000 New Vietnamese Bibles were printed in Japan and used in Vietnam and other nations (2003).
- 220,000 New Vietnamese Bibles were legally printed in North Vietnam, and most have been distributed in North and South Vietnam (2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014).
- 50,000 New Vietnamese New Testaments with Psalms and Proverbs were legally printed in North Vietnam. Most were distributed in North and South Vietnam (2007).
- 50,000 – New Vietnamese/New English Translation New Testaments (NV/NET NT Diglot) have been printed for use in Vietnam and among Vietnamese in the English speaking nations (2008, 2011).
- 775,000 – Pocket New Vietnamese New Testaments with a Genesis Introduction (Pocket NVNT), legally printed for use in Vietnam and Asia (2011 through 2014).
- This will total 1,525,000 New Vietnamese Bibles, New Vietnamese New Testaments, New Vietnamese New Testaments with Psalms and Proverbs, New Vietnamese/New English Translation New Testament Parallels, Pocket New Vietnamese New Testaments with a Genesis Intro. and other New Vietnamese Bible Scripture portions printed through 2014.
SHOUT FOR JOY FOR THE LORD HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR VIETNAM.
New Vietnamese Bible Translation Committee
Dr. Dao Tran
1987 to present
Chairman and Coordinating Editor
Was an ordained Pastor of the Tin Lanh Church in Vietnam and currently Pastor of a Vietnamese Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. Dao was educated in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and he was selected to serve on the Translation Committee of the last translation effort by the United Bible Society in Vietnam, just before the fall of Saigon. He was chosen by the New Vietnamese Bible Translation team to be Chairman of the VBI Translation Committee. The VBI Board of Directors, with the advice and consent of our United Bible Societies’ Translation Consultant, approved him as Chairman and also appointed him Coordinating Editor. He continues to serve as the Coordinating Editor of the NVB for VBI. A former member of the Tin Lanh Church of Vietnam, a Southern Baptist Pastor in the USA and trained in Greek and Hebrew.
Dr. Bau N. Dang
1995 to 2000
A former member of the Tin Lanh Church of Vietnam, he now pastors a United Methodist Church in San Diego, California. Dr. Bau is knowledgeable in Greek and Hebrew.
Dr. Cuong Huu Nguyen
1992 to 1996
A former Pastor of Tin Lanh Church of Vietnam, is now president of Vietnamese Union College in California. He is trained in Greek and Hebrew.
Rev. Phuoc Mai
1987 đến 1996
A former member of a Tin Lanh Church of Vietnam, a Baptist Pastor in the USA and was trained in Greek.
Rev. Ha Xuan Nguyen
1987 to 1995, deceased
A member of a Baptist Church in Vietnam, was a Baptist Pastor in Dallas, Texas. He was trained in Greek and Hebrew.
Dr. Xuan Huong Thi Pham
1994 to 2001
A former member of the Tin Lanh Church of Vietnam; her husband pastored several Mennonite Churches in the US. She was fluent in Hebrew; and after her translation work was completed for VBI, she became a Translation Consultant for United Bible Societies. Dr. Xuan Pham (Lisa) died in 2007.
Dr. Phu Hoang Le
1987 to 1997, deceased
A member of the Tin Lanh Church of Vietnam and professor at Nha Trang Seminary in Vietnam. He was fluent in Greek and Hebrew. Dr. Phu Le was on the last Translation Committee in Vietnam.
Dr. Thang Minh Nguyen
1987 to 1996
God used him to initiate this project, making him “Father of the NVB Translation.” He was a former member of Tin Lanh Church of Vietnam, is an ordained Baptist minister in the USA and trained in Greek.
Rev. Thi Nguyen
1987 to 1994
Pastored a Tin Lanh Church in Vietnam and in the USA. He is knowledgeable in Greek and was on the last Translation Committee in Vietnam.
Note: Certain translators served as editors in their particular area of language expertise. The translators were trained in translation principles by Wycliffe Translators (SIL), and the checking of each translated book was overseen by an assigned United Bible Societies Language Consultant who was approved by VBI.