diff --git a/kerchunk/hdf.py b/kerchunk/hdf.py
index 5b479d43..ed1bc4a5 100644
--- a/kerchunk/hdf.py
+++ b/kerchunk/hdf.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import zarr
 from zarr.meta import encode_fill_value
 import numcodecs
+
 from .codecs import FillStringsCodec
 from .utils import _encode_for_JSON
 
@@ -358,8 +359,26 @@ def _translator(self, name: str, h5obj: Union[h5py.Dataset, h5py.Group]):
                                 )
                                 for v in h5obj.dtype.names
                             ]
-                        else:
+                        elif self.vlen == "embed":
                             # embed fails due to https://github.com/zarr-developers/numcodecs/issues/333
+                            data = h5obj[:].tolist()
+                            data2 = []
+                            for d in data:
+                                data2.append(
+                                    [
+                                        (
+                                            _.decode(errors="ignore")
+                                            if isinstance(_, bytes)
+                                            else _
+                                        )
+                                        for _ in d
+                                    ]
+                                )
+                            dt = "O"
+                            kwargs["data"] = data2
+                            kwargs["object_codec"] = numcodecs.JSON()
+                            fill = None
+                        else:
                             raise NotImplementedError
                     # Add filter for shuffle
                     if h5obj.shuffle and h5obj.dtype.kind != "O":
diff --git a/kerchunk/tests/NEONDSTowerTemperatureData.hdf5 b/kerchunk/tests/NEONDSTowerTemperatureData.hdf5
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..de6b34c2
Binary files /dev/null and b/kerchunk/tests/NEONDSTowerTemperatureData.hdf5 differ
diff --git a/kerchunk/tests/test_hdf.py b/kerchunk/tests/test_hdf.py
index 50f1dba7..a9557ffe 100644
--- a/kerchunk/tests/test_hdf.py
+++ b/kerchunk/tests/test_hdf.py
@@ -286,3 +286,23 @@ def test_compact():
     m = fsspec.get_mapper("reference://", fo=out)
     g = zarr.open(m)
     assert np.allclose(g.ancillary_data.atlas_sdp_gps_epoch[:], 1.19880002e09)
+
+
+def test_embed():
+    fn = osp.join(here, "NEONDSTowerTemperatureData.hdf5")
+    h = kerchunk.hdf.SingleHdf5ToZarr(fn, vlen_encode="embed")
+    out = h.translate()
+
+    fs = fsspec.filesystem("reference", fo=out)
+    z = zarr.open(fs.get_mapper())
+    data = z["Domain_10"]["STER"]["min_1"]["boom_1"]["temperature"][:]
+    assert data[0].tolist() == [
+        "2014-04-01 00:00:00.0",
+        "60",
+        "6.72064364129017",
+        "6.667845743708792",
+        "6.774491093631761",
+        "0.0012746926446369846",
+        "0.004609216572327277",
+        "0.01298182345556785",
+    ]