Most recently, the VWA held a signing ceremony for a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Association and the Pakistan Institute of Literature.
Chairman of the VWA Nguyen Quang Thieu said that in the coming time, the Pakistan Institute of Literature will translate the masterpiece "The Tale of Kieu" by the great poet Nguyen Du and "Diary in Prison" by President Ho Chi Minh. The VWA will also translate, publish and introduce a collection of 100 poems by Pakistani poets.
The cooperation between the VWA and world literary organisations is an equal two-way relationship, including meetings, exchanges, and coordination in organising book fairs in each country.
This includes organising conferences, seminars, research on topics of mutual interest in literature, translating, posting, publishing works of both sides, organising training courses, awarding literary awards and many other activities to enhance cooperation in the fields of literature, culture and creativity.
In the process of international integration, the VWA has had many positive activities, such as organising conferences to promote Vietnamese literature to the world and international poetry festivals with the participation of many delegates from many countries.
Thanks to that, the beauty of literature and the image of Vietnam's country, people and culture are spread more widely. Many contemporary literary works have entered the world and won awards, notably in 2017, the poetry of author Mai Van Phan won the Cikada Literary Award in Sweden and in 2018, writer Bao Ninh received the Asian Literature Award in the Republic of Korea, with the novel “The Sorrow of War”, poet Nguyen Quang Thieu was awarded the Changwon KC International Literary Award, the KoK, and writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu was awarded the prize in Frankfurt (Germany) - the prize voted by the Association for the Promotion of Literature in Asia, Africa and Latin America for the work “Endless Field” (translated into German).
Commenting on this journey, poet Nguyen Quang Thieu - Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association, said: Despite certain progress and achievements, domestic literature has only been introduced to the world in the most basic way. To be effective, a long-term strategy is needed.
Countries such as Thailand, the RoK, and Japan have reached out to the world strongly and synchronously with centres and funds for training, translation, and promotion activities.
“Another important issue is the coordination mechanism with translators and foreign publishers so that they are ready to cooperate and exchange copyrights. Currently, the works of Vietnamese writers translated into the world mainly rely on personal prestige because translators and writers around the world appreciate them, but very few publishers and large-scale, prestigious organisations in the world participate," poet Nguyen Quang Thieu emphasised.
One of the great hopes for the international integration process of Vietnamese literature is the role of young authors. Every year, the Association's awards contribute to discovering new works with the style of the young generation of writers.
According to experts, the young generation possesses many advantages but also faces many great challenges, including the country's literary achievements that have left a deep impression on the literary world and in the hearts of readers.
To integrate internationally, they inherit and promote fundamental values and find their own path. In addition, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) can also replace some of the writing work, as well as the increasingly demanding needs of the public.
Writer Hien Trang (born in 1993) shared: When participating in the University of Iowa's international writing training course (USA) in 2022, she received good opportunities, including recognition and respect from international friends. In developed countries, writing is a job highly appreciated and recognised by society.
Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City Young Writers Conference 2024 recorded the first-time participation of authors from the global citizen generation writing literature in both Vietnamese and other foreign languages, namely Cao Viet Quynh (born in 2008), who won the National Book Award in 2022, and Tran Phu Minh Anh (born in 2007), who won the A prize of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations in 2023.
In his speech at the conference, Cao Viet Quynh shared: “I have written each book with all my efforts and dedication to create the best work within my ability”. In addition to the 2022 National Book Award, the three-volume novel series “The Comet” by Cao Viet Quynh was also introduced at the 20th Bangkok International Copyright Book Fair, the 50th Thailand National Book Fair, the 30th Beijing International Book Fair, etc. In the near future, the author will launch five novels in the “Dragon Continent” series and is writing a novel series tentatively named “Merlin’s Taxi Driver”.
Expressing his hope for the younger generation - those who are shouldering the mission of spreading the value of Vietnamese literature to the world, poet Nguyen Quang Thieu affirmed: Only when they have passion, courage, creativity and think of literature as something sacred can writers overcome obstacles and challenges. To integrate internationally, they must preserve Vietnamese cultural identity and demonstrate their talent, style and courage.
