The European Days of Literature 2025 is active in three cities of Việt Nam. Photo of Goethe-Institut Hanoi

HÀ NỘI — The European Days of Literature 2025 festival continues to be packed with interesting activities and workshops in the three big cities of HCM City, Huế and Hà Nội.

Themed 'Roots and Routes: Vietnamese-European Diasporic Stories' it began on May 5 in HCM City and will end on May 12 in Hà Nội.

Diaspora literature, particularly the works of European writers of Vietnamese origin, is gaining growing recognition in both Việt Nam and Europe.

Their stories, which often explore themes of identity, intergenerational conflict, and the search for belonging, bring fresh and diverse voices to European literature. Beyond offering personal narratives, these writers challenge conventional literary boundaries, expanding the form through fiction, poetry, theater, film, journalism and multimedia storytelling.

The European Literature Days 2025 showcases the significant contributions of Vietnamese-born writers to contemporary European literature.

Over the course of a week, acclaimed authors, invited by cultural institutions and embassies from Germany, France, the UK, Spain, the Czech Republic and Việt Nam, have gathered together for a series of discussions.

These conversations explore diverse themes, from the introspective nature of diasporic writing to gender perspectives in women’s literature.

The event fosters meaningful exchange: Vietnamese audiences and writers engage directly with their diasporic counterparts in panel discussion and intimate workshops, creating space for interdisciplinary dialogue on craft, identity, and the evolving landscape of literary creation.

On May 5, a roundtable of Literary Influences and the Voices behind Them was held at the HCM City's University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Writers, commentators and literary critics sat down with renowned authors to explore the books, writers and oral traditions that shaped their writing. They discussed about particular story structures, character voices, or tropes that stuck with them and how these influences, whether childhood myths, classic novels, or unexpected gems which shaped their work, consciously or unconsciously.

A workshop of crafting compelling podcasts led by acclaimed journalist and podcaster Vanessa Vũ helped participants explore the intersection of journalism and podcasting.

It also included the exploration of the spoken word and how to craft a compelling podcast. -- Photo courtesy of the Goethe-Institut Hanoi

Participants learnt how to use journalistic techniques to create podcast narratives that resonate with listeners.

This session was ideal for individuals who want to produce professional podcasts that combine journalistic integrity with compelling storytelling, focusing on content creation rather than technical aspects.

This activity will be held again at the Hà Nội's Goethe-Institut on May 12.

On May 6, a discussion entitled Unveiling Hidden Histories through Diasporic Literature was held at the Deutsches Haus.

History was not only written in grand events, it breathed in the quiet, often unseen stories of ordinary lives. Drawing from their experiences, panelists, acclaimed Vietnamese-European writers, explored how these realities have informed their literary works.

On May 7, delegates and participants discusses about Roots and Routes: Diasporic Vietnamese Narratives at the French Institute of Huế.

In this panel, writers, who navigate multiple cultural worlds, talked about how their diasporic journeys have quietly molded their literary voices. When identity is woven from movement and exchange and what unique patterns emerge in their writing and what threads connect their works and where those threads lead.

There are many activities in Hà Nội, starting with a discussion Voices of Resiliences: Female Vietnamese Writers in the Diaspora at the Goethe-Institut on May 8.

In their works, there are struggles of identity, efforts to transcend the binaries of tradition and modernity, of expectations and aspirations, and of rigid definitions of womanhood.

A workshop The Novel-Writing Journey: From Idea to Completion will be hosted at the British Council on May 9.

Cecile Pin will share her journey to becoming a novelist - from finding inspiration for her debut novel to the publication process. Through writing exercises and lively discussions, she will introduce participants to key elements of fiction writing, including plot structure, character development and voice. 

A poster of the Screenwriting: A Creative Journey. -- Photo courtesy of the Goethe-Institut Hanoi

Screenwriter and director Nghiêm Quỳnh Trang will guide participants in developing a film idea into a screenplay at the workshop entitled Screenwriting: A Creative Journey at the Embassy of Czech Republic on May 10. Through a series of writing exercises and group discussions, participants will learn how to critically reflect on their own work and improve their scripts through successive drafts.

The Enjoying Film: Let’s Watch and Create Animation Together! workshop will also take place at the embassy.

Participants will enjoy a selection of Czech animated films, explore the history of cinema in conversation with directors Đỗ Văn Hoàng and Trang, and discover how a literary work can be adapted into film. They will also get the chance to experiment and create their own short animated film.

Other events include a workshop: Integrating Journalism Technique into Fiction Writing with award-winning author Khuê Phạm and a discussion Literary Conversations: Voices Behind the Pages on May 10 at the Goethe-Institut.

There will also be a panel discussion: 'Graphic Novel: When Literature and History Intertwined with Illustration' at the Kim Đồng Publishing House on May 11 and a discussion 'Diasporic Identities and Intergenerational Trauma: Stories of Vietnamese - European diasporic Literature' at the Goethe-Institut on the same day. VNS