The event will bring together prominent contemporary European writers, offering Vietnamese audiences an opportunity to engage with diverse literary voices from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Over the 10-day programme, readers will be invited to explore questions surrounding human connection and isolation, including how loneliness is expressed, how individuals navigate between isolation and connection, and the role of literature in an increasingly fragmented world, according to the organisers Goethe-Institut.

A highlight of the programme is A Summer Night of Literature scheduled for 7:30 PM on May 9 at multiple venues in Hanoi, including the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, the Embassy of the Czech Republic, the Embassy of Ukraine, and the Embassy of Slovakia.

The event will feature live readings of contemporary literary works from Europe and Vietnam, creating a multi-location literary journey. Participants will move between venues, experiencing different cultural and literary spaces, with each location presenting excerpts from works representing distinct national traditions.

Earlier, a panel discussion titled Too Loud a Loneliness will be held at 6:30 PM on May 7 at the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, featuring a range of perspectives from contemporary European authors.

Besides a playwriting workshop How to Start? will be held at the Goethe-Institut Hanoi on May 9 – 10, offering participants an opportunity to explore different approaches to developing ideas and materials for creative work.

Another discussion, Becoming Who We Are, is scheduled for May 12 at the Institut Français in Vietnam in Hue, bringing together five notable voices from contemporary European literature. Participants will explore how to dismantle external impositions and transform incompleteness into an art of living.

The event jointly organised by European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC Vietnam) and the Goethe-Institut is expected to be a cultural highlight for lovers of European literature.

European Literature Days sharing words across three cities

The European Days of Literature 2025 festival continues to be packed with interesting activities and workshops in the three big cities of Ho Chi Minh City, Hue and Hanoi.