Hue City

A story about the treacherous yet rewarding path to starting over set in the enigmatic streets of Hue, Singapore, and Manila

Twenty-five-year-old Carmen Maranan is the newest member of the notorious Ativan Gang, a group of scammers in Manila who befriend solo tourists. A college dropout, Carmen is desperate to see her mother, Nicole, who now lives with her new family in Hue City, Vietnam. When Carmen flees Manila for Hue, she meets Hai, a receptionist, tout, and part-time pimp. Ambitious and driven, Hai’s goal is to be rich and run his own hotel. This dream feels closer when Hai crosses paths with Marina, a wealthy Singaporean yearning for a new life and love.

Told from the points of view of Carmen, Hai, and Marina, Hue City brings you deep into the soul of Southeast Asia—from the faded, enigmatic streets of Vietnam’s former capital Hue to the fraught, gritty drags of Manila and the gleaming, cosmopolitan environs of Singapore—as it reveals their intertwined journeys along the treacherous and sometimes heartbreaking path to starting over.

About the Author

Claire Betita de Guzman is a Filipina writer based in Singapore and author of five novels: Sudden Superstar, Miss Makeover, Budget is the New Black, Girl Meets World, and No Boyfriend Since Birth, which was adapted into a TV series. A former journalist, she started as a reporter for the broadsheet Today before becoming a lifestyle editor for international and local magazines including Cosmopolitan Philippines and Harper’s Bazaar Singapore. She works closely with the Migrant Writers of Singapore and has led talks and panels at literary events.