Knowra Vietnamese literature Vietnamese literature Vietnamese literature comprises works written by Vietnamese authors in Vietnamese and literary Chinese, shaped by local traditions and changing political and cultural contexts.
Chữ Nôm : A writing system that used adapted Chinese characters to represent the Vietnamese language. It enabled Vietnamese-language poetry and prose before quốc ngữ became dominant.
Van Lang : A polity described in early Vietnamese historical traditions as an ancestor of later Vietnamese states. Its legendary antiquity became a recurring subject in national historical writing.
Nguyễn Trãi : A fifteenth-century Vietnamese scholar, statesman, and writer known for works in literary Chinese and chữ Nôm. His writing joined political argument, classical learning, and Vietnamese-language poetry.
The Tale of Kiều : A narrative poem by Nguyễn Du, composed in chữ Nôm and based on a Chinese source story. Its artistry and lasting cultural presence make it a defining Vietnamese literary work.
Vietnamese National Revival League : An early twentieth-century Vietnamese nationalist organization associated with reformist and anticolonial activism. Its reform context helped spur debates about education, language, and national culture.
Chữ Hán : The classical Chinese writing system used in Vietnam for administration, scholarship, and literature. Vietnamese authors used it to compose a major body of learned and courtly writing.
Ly Dynasty : A Vietnamese dynasty that ruled from 1009 to 1225 and strengthened an independent court culture. Its Buddhist institutions and court supported early literary production in literary Chinese.
Hồ Xuân Hương : An eighteenth- or early nineteenth-century Vietnamese poet celebrated for chữ Nôm verse. Her poems demonstrate the expressive range and social wit of vernacular writing.
The Proclamation of Independence : A fifteenth-century political text by Nguyễn Trãi affirming Đại Việt's sovereignty after resistance to Ming rule. It exemplifies the literary Chinese tradition's role in political and historical writing.
Tự Lực Văn Đoàn : A Vietnamese literary group active from 1932 that promoted new fiction, journalism, and social reform. It helped professionalize modern writing and expand the readership for quốc ngữ literature.
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