The event attracted the participation of 150 representatives from 30 countries and more than 200 domestic and foreign writers, translators and journalists.

Addressing the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan, who is also Minister of Education and Training, said that the conference aims to help foreign translators, researchers and publishers understand the history, values and development of Vietnamese literature, as a foundation for them to choose authors and works for translation to introduce them to international readers.

Thanks to the contributions made by generations of Vietnamese translators, most of the world’s outstanding literary works have been translated into Vietnamese and published in Vietnam. According to preliminary statistics, by 2007, about 13,700 such works had been translated and published. On the local book market, 25 of every 100 books are translations written by foreign authors.

However, the statistics also showed that so far only 570 Vietnamese literary works had been translated into foreign languages. Since the first international conference on Vietnamese literature was held in 2002 in Hanoi, more and more works have been introduced in foreign countries. Notably, “Prison Diary” poems written by the late President Ho Chi Minh, was translated into four foreign languages. Classical works created by famous poets, such as Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Du, Ho Xuan Huong and Le Quy Don, were introduced in France, the Republic of Korea, Poland, Italy and Sweden. Nowadays, many contemporary literary works are translated and published in the US, China, India, Norway, Denmark, Canada, Finland, Japan and Thailand.

Writer Huu Thinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association, emphasised that it is essential to have an overall plan on promoting Vietnamese literature in foreign countries and boosting overseas literary exchange. It is also necessary to honour outstanding translators and establish a translation centre under the management of the Vietnam Writers’ Association, he added.