Vietnamese literature seeks a path to the international stage.

Bringing Vietnamese literature to the international stage requires the combined efforts of many factors, including publishers, book companies, translators, and the authors themselves.

Writer Nguyen Khac Ngan Vi was a speaker at a literary seminar within the framework of a writing program in Shanghai last year - Photo: Provided by the author.

Author Nguyen Nhat Anh has had many of his books licensed and published in various languages.

During a networking event, he revealed that previously, all his works translated into other languages ​​were initiated by international publishers or translators. With "I See Yellow Flowers on Green Grass ," however, Tre Publishing House took the initiative.

According to him, in order to have the opportunity to reach a global audience, domestic publishing houses need determination and effort to find opportunities.

Books selected for translation based on personal interest.

Hiền Nguyễn, Chairwoman of the Literature Translation Council (Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association), has translated short stories by many Vietnamese writers and poets such as Nguyễn Huy Thiệp, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, Lê Minh Khuê, Nguyễn Quang Thiều, Trịnh Bích Ngân, etc., and her works have been selected for publication in Korean literary magazines.

Ms. Hien told Tuoi Tre newspaper : "Vietnamese literature is introduced in South Korea mainly thanks to Korean translators who have studied Vietnamese literature, such as Professor Bae Yang Soo, Professor Ahn Kyung Hwan, Professor Jeon Hye Kyung, translator Ha Jae Hong and Kim Joo Yeong... who have made connections."

A Korean translator once confided in me that because translators work independently and receive virtually no support from either Vietnam or Korea, the works they choose to translate are primarily based on personal preference or the translator-author relationship, making it very difficult to find a publisher for official release.

Chinese translations of *Crossing Through the Clouds* and * Hanoi People: Stories of Eating and Drinking in a Bygone Era* - Photo: Publishing House

At the 31st Beijing International Book Fair recently held in China, Chibooks Director Nguyen Le Chi, along with publishing houses from other Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia, signed a project to translate Southeast Asian literature with the Chinese publishing house Li Jiang Publishing House (Guangxi Province).

Literary works from the signatory countries will be selected and translated into Chinese through the signatory publishing houses.

This is the first project to introduce Vietnamese literary books to the Chinese market.

The project began with two books: *Crossing Through the Clouds* (by Do Quang Tuan Hoang) and * Hanoi People, Stories of Eating and Drinking in a Bygone Era * (by Vu The Long).

"Chibooks' investment in promoting Vietnamese books abroad is entirely funded by the company itself, so it's still limited. We don't have a lot of money to undertake mass translations of our favorite works like other countries do."

"Without translations in commonly used languages ​​like English and Chinese, it's very difficult to convince foreign publishing partners to cooperate," Ms. Chi said.

For me, focus on writing well, and "good fortune will come." Otherwise, all efforts will be in vain. But for a book to reach its readers, it still requires strategy, connections from the publisher, and dedicated intermediaries.

Writer Nguyen Ngoc Thuan

Knowing a foreign language helps you improve your skills.

Writer Nguyen Ngoc Thuan confided to Tuoi Tre newspaper that his works are usually translated directly from Vietnamese. However, the Hungarian translation of his book "Open the Window, Eyes Closed," published in 2020 by Európa Publishing House, was translated through the English version.

Hay János – a renowned Hungarian writer, poet, and playwright who translated * While Closing Your Eyes, Opening the Window * – recounts that he came across the book in the library of a hotel in a city in central Vietnam:

Hungarian translation of the book "Closing Your Eyes While Opening the Window"

"For weeks I didn't read anything, just skimmed through some soulless travel books."

I began to feel like I was also drifting in a peculiar country, but in a state of despair, and then I happened to start reading this novel.

I read it straight through from beginning to end."

"The efforts of Tre Publishing House in bringing the book ' Open the window, eyes closed' to international book fairs to introduce it were considerable."

The book's translation into Swedish paved the way for it to win the Peter Pan Prize in Sweden in 2008.

Writer Ho Anh Thai also serves as an important bridge, something very few Vietnamese publishers have been able to do.

"Many Vietnamese writers have brought their books abroad thanks to his efforts," Thuan said.

As the first Vietnamese writer to participate in the Shanghai Writers Association's writing program, Nguyen Khac Ngan Vi said that this experience opened up opportunities for her to connect with leading publishers in Shanghai in particular and China in general.

Ngan Vi has just signed a contract with Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House to publish her book " Ten Thousand Colors of Emptiness ," which is expected to be released in China this year. Having earned a master's degree from Fudan University and being fluent in Chinese has greatly helped Ngan Vi in participating in writing programs and finding opportunities.

She hopes that the younger generation of Vietnamese writers of her time will find more opportunities to gain experience abroad, such as residency programs, writing camps, book fairs, and cultural exchanges. Ngân Vi shared that Vietnamese literature is not a powerful literary tradition that compels outsiders to prioritize listening to it.

She argued: "The Vietnamese publishing industry should have a more flexible marketing strategy. To market effectively, you need a good translation. We writers don't have the resources to proactively do this; it depends on policies and investment from book companies and publishers. And above all, writers still need a professional writing attitude."

English translations of the two books "Sitting and Crying on a Tree" and "Have a Good Day" - Photo: Publisher

Throughout her 25 years working in publishing and striving to introduce Vietnamese cultural books to the international community, Ms. Le Chi frankly shared the reality that very few foreign publishers have a need for Vietnamese books.

She said the biggest challenge for a publishing house selling books is the limited budget allocated to manuscript translation.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/van-chuong-viet-tim-duong-ra-quoc-te-20250705095013481.htm