In the 1960s, the Prison Diary of President Ho Chi Minh was translated into English, French, Russian, and Spanish. Since then, it has been translated into several other languages. “Diary of a Cricket” by To Hoai, a Vietnamese short story that has been translated into 37 languages is popular in more than 40 countries. These are just two of the many Vietnamese literary works which have been translated into other languages and published overseas. Classical works by writers Nguyen Trai, Ho Xuan Huong, Cao Ba Quat and Nguyen Khuyen are also well-known in many countries.  Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, First Vice Secretary General of the Asian-African Writers’ Association and Vice President of the Vietnamese Writers’ Association, said: “To attract foreign publishers, we need to popularize Vietnamese works by translating them ourselves. In recent years, Vietnamese authors have received international awards for their translated works.”

Literature is a bridge between countries, institutions, cultures, languages, and customs. Through literature, Vietnam has reached out to foreign cultures like Russia, France, Britain, Germany, China, and the US. Vietnam has become known to the world through famous literary works, especially those written during the war. Mr. Thieu said: “We have several good works. After 1975, some works were translated which were different from those during or before the war. These works attracted a large foreign audience. Nearly half a century after the war, foreign audience are more interested in works about rural life, the lives of young Vietnamese people today and Vietnamese culture.”

In addition to classical works, foreign readers are becoming familiar with contemporary writers like Bao Ninh, Nguyen Huy Thiep, Nguyen Nhat Anh, Ho Anh Thai, Phan Thi Vang Anh, Nguyen Ngoc Tu, and Nguyen Ngoc Tuan. For example, Nguyen Nhat Anh’s “Ticket to childhood” was translated into Thai by Nanmee Books of Thailand in 2011 and bought and reprinted by Dasan Books in the Republic of Korea in 2013. In 2014, the book was translated into English and introduced to American readers on Amazon. Poet Mai Van Phan created a phenomenon with five poems translated and promoted overseas by a British publisher. His collection “Seeds of Night and Day” reached the top ten best-selling poetry collections from Asia on Amazon. Mr. Thieu said: “In recent years, when foreigners want to know more about Vietnam’s politics and economics or seek cooperation with Vietnam, the first thing they do is to read Vietnamese literature which gives them an understanding of the Vietnamese people and their ideology, sentiments, opinions, lifestyle, and culture. We should have a strategy to promote Vietnamese literature.”