The door to diplomacy from literature

After two times, recently, the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association continued to coordinate with Van Lang University to organize the third Vietnam - Korea Literature Exchange program with the theme of Meeting Vietnamese - Korean poetry. This activity is expected to open doors for peoples to connect and understand each other better.

Connecting souls

The guests participating in the Vietnam - Korea Literature Exchange program this year are two poets Khanh Chi and Le Thieu Nhon; from Korea is poet Ra Heeduk, author of several poetry collections, such as: Remembering those lights, Poetry and material, That place is not far away, The person following the possibility, A plate of poetry, Those words dye the leaves...

This is the fourth time poet Ra Heeduk has come to Vietnam and the second time to Ho Chi Minh City. The last time, in June this year, she attended an exchange program with students at a literary event held in Da Nang .

According to poet Ra Heeduk, participating in the third Vietnam - Korea Literature Exchange program is a valuable opportunity to meet Vietnamese colleagues and colleagues from around the world in general, thereby helping writers understand each other better.

“I feel one thing very clearly, that is the position and standing of poets regardless of country is gradually narrowing. However, through exchanges like this, poets like us have found a common voice, creating a bond of friendship that transcends borders and languages,” poet Ra Heeduk expressed.

From right to left: poets Le Thieu Nhon, Khanh Chi, Ra Heeduk and translator Hien Nguyen at the Vietnam - Korea Literature Exchange program in 2025

Previously, the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association also organized an exchange program between Ho Chi Minh City authors and writer Dong Tay - a prominent contemporary author of Chinese literature. In the program, sharing about the connection through literature, writer Dong Tay said that each writer should write stories in the places where they live, with strong local characteristics. Like him and other writers in Guangxi (China), they often write about this land.

“Guangxi province also has customs and practices quite similar to Vietnam, so the stories we write easily receive sympathy from Vietnamese readers,” writer Dong Tay shared.

The key is translation.

In the story related to the exchange and promotion of works to the outside, one of the key issues is translation. According to translator Hien Nguyen, Chairman of the Literature Translation Council - Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, translation is also a creative process, how to touch the hearts of the recipients, so that they understand and sympathize with the work. Doing a good job of translation is not simply translating a work, but also a bridge to connect cultures, even further, connecting the souls of readers.

“Therefore, in a certain aspect, it can be said that literature is a diplomatic door, helping nations come closer together,” said translator Hien Nguyen.

For a long time, the poetry exchange between Vietnam and Korea has been at the diplomatic level, mainly in joint anthologies, with each person participating in one or two poems. According to poet Le Thieu Nhon, Head of the Young Writers Committee - Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, this is just a handshake, and it is not possible to understand each other in such a joint anthology. From there, he believes that instead of being fragmented and small, we should choose a typical author and translate it into an anthology, helping the public better understand that person's style, thoughts, voice, and soul.

According to poet Le Thieu Nhon, translating from Vietnamese to Korean is still a bit difficult, so Korea can do it first. Each year, introduce a number of authors, one volume per person, so that Vietnamese readers can understand how Koreans think.

“I believe that Vietnamese readers can easily accept contemporary Korea. Because Vietnam and Korea have many cultural similarities, especially the poets’ concerns about human dignity in this era,” poet Le Thieu Nhon shared.

“Recently, with many major awards, Korean literature has somewhat positioned itself on the world literary map. To do that, the role of translation is extremely important. Literary appreciation has no barriers and translation will be an essential bridge to bring the literary values of a country to the world,” poet Ra Heeduk shared.

HO SON

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/canh-cua-ngoai-giao-tu-van-hoc-post805893.html