Writer Nguyen Huy Thiep (right) with director Dang Nhat Minh (left), and painter Le Thiet Cuong, one of the photos sent to the Vietnam Literature Museum - Photo: Gallery G39
The staff of the Vietnam Literature Museum's professional department received many artifacts used by the writer during his lifetime, such as a felt hat, a stainless steel cane, a leaf fan, a conical hat, reading glasses, pens and paints, medical records, and the walking aid the writer used in his final days after suffering a stroke…
Some artifacts related to the writer's literary work include ink pens, a membership card of the Vietnam Writers Association , some unpublished handwritten manuscripts of Nguyen Huy Thiep's novels, and a speech given at the Hoang Ngoc Hien seminar in June 2012.
Along with some handwritten letters exchanging information about publishing Nguyen Huy Thiep's literary works, some photographs of Nguyen Huy Thiep with his literary friends, and a ceramic plate painted by the writer Nguyen Huy Thiep, bearing only the word "Thiep"...
Each of these artifacts has a fascinating story to tell.
Family mementos and documents donated by writer Nguyen Huy Thiep to the Vietnam Literature Museum - Photo: T. DIEU
The hats and walking sticks were steeped in literary and artistic conversations.
The old felt hat is the one writer Nguyen Huy Thiep bought in Italy when he received the Premio Nonino literary award in 2008. He used that hat for many years afterward, at formal gatherings with friends.
And the walking stick is what has supported the writer's steps around Hoan Kiem Lake since 2015 when he suffered from a herniated disc.
During the lifetime of writer Nguyen Huy Thiep, the friendship between him and folk poet Bao Sinh became a legend in the literary world. For decades, the two friends would stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake every afternoon after finishing their "Hang Hanh coffee" (the title of a short story by Nguyen Huy Thiep), on Hang Hanh Street nearby.
The fedora hat that Nguyen Huy Thiep bought as a souvenir during his trip to Italy in 2008 to receive a literary award - Photo: T. DIEU
A literary gathering of Nguyen Huy Thiep and friends at Nhan Cafe on Hang Hanh Street. From left to right: Dao Hai Phong, Dang Nhat Minh, Hoang Phuong Vy, Ngo Tan Trong Nghia, Nguyen Huy Thiep - Photo: LE THIET CUONG
For decades, Nguyen Huy Thiep's fixed routine was to go from his house to Nhan Cafe on Hanh Hanh Street every afternoon to meet with his literary friends. The cafe reserved a table specifically for the writer Nguyen Huy Thiep to entertain his guests.
After literary conversations and discussions about life over a warm cup of tea, as everyone dispersed, Nguyen Huy Thiep and Bao Sinh continued their endless conversations as they strolled around Hoan Kiem Lake.
In the beginning, when both were healthy, they would walk twice around the lake. When Nguyen Huy Thiep's health deteriorated, the distance was halved. They maintained this routine for many years without change. In 2015, Nguyen Huy Thiep suffered from a herniated disc, making walking more difficult, so he used a walking stick for support, but he didn't abandon his old routine.
The walking stick, which had heard countless stories of two close friends and the whispers of the streets, was donated to the Vietnam Literature Museum by the family on this occasion.
The walking stick helps writer Nguyen Huy Thiep walk around Ho Guom Lake in his old age - Photo: T. DIEU
It also included the old leaf fan and worn-out leaf hat that had been with Nguyen Huy Thiep for many years in his spacious house with a large garden in Co village (the old name of where the writer lived, when it was still a village on the To Lich River).
Nguyen Huy Thiep was a writer whose appearance resembled that of a farmer, and in his lifestyle, he also maintained simple, down-to-earth habits. He liked to wear a straw hat in addition to the felt hat he wore on formal occasions, and enjoyed fanning himself with a fan woven from bamboo or rush fibers while sitting on the porch or in the yard or garden surrounded by plants and trees.
The walker that the writer used when he suffered a stroke at the end of his life is also a touching memento of Nguyen Huy Thiep's resilience in battling illness, as he witnessed the sincere and profound affection of his family and friends for him during his illness.
The straw hat and sedge fan that writer Nguyen Huy Thiep often used during his lifetime - Photo: T. DIEU
The writer's card and unpublished manuscripts.
The membership card of the Vietnam Writers Association issued to writer Nguyen Huy Thiep in 2003 is also an interesting artifact about the literary world. Having achieved fame and recognition both domestically and internationally since the late 1980s, Nguyen Huy Thiep only joined the Vietnam Writers Association in 2003.
According to his family, the reason he joined the association at that time was to facilitate his participation in literary exchange activities abroad organized by the Vietnam Writers Association.
Among the family photos donated to the Vietnam Literature Museum this time are many precious photos that the family had recently received as gifts.
These photographs show Nguyen Huy Thiep's enthusiastic participation in the vibrant literary and artistic reform movement that was taking place in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Some handwritten manuscript pages of Nguyen Huy Thiep's unpublished novel are also a thought-provoking memento for those who admire the literary works of the author of "The Retired General." Readers eagerly await the publication of the work and the public release of Nguyen Huy Thiep's posthumous writings.
The donation to the Vietnam Literature Museum this time includes some valuable photographs - Photo: T. ĐIỂU
Previously, Tuoi Tre Online questioned the director of the Vietnam Literature Museum, writer Nguyen Thi Thu Hue, about why the museum did not have exhibition spaces for works by Nguyen Huy Thiep, Bao Ninh, and others.
Writer Nguyen Thi Thu Hue stated that, according to regulations, the Vietnam Literature Museum only displays works by writers who have received the Ho Chi Minh Prize and the State Prize. At that time, Nguyen Huy Thiep had not yet been awarded the State Prize.
A representative from the Vietnam Literature Museum added that not every writer who receives the Ho Chi Minh Prize or the State Prize is necessarily exhibited at the museum. This depends on whether the museum has collected a rich and engaging source of materials and artifacts related to the writer's life and career.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chuyen-ve-nhung-hien-vat-cua-nha-van-nguyen-huy-thiep-se-vao-bao-tang-van-hoc-viet-nam-20250912210845974.htm
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