Many authors voiced their hesitations in creative writing at a conference titled "50 Years of Vietnamese Literature Since 1975: Perspectives of Young Writers."

Over the past 50 years, domestic literature has consistently explored themes of war, post-war life, the human condition, rural areas, and mountainous regions. After 1975, a generation of writers laid the groundwork for new writing styles, including Nguyen Huy Thiep, Tran Dan, Mai Van Phan, Nguyen Binh Phuong, Nguyen Ngoc Tu, Nguyen Ngoc Thuan, and Phan Viet.

However, according to young writer Tran Van Thien, his generation has not produced many works that transcend contemporary thought or pioneered new paths as their predecessors did.

Tran Van Thien pointed out that some literary competitions, traditionally seen as platforms for new generations of writers, currently honor works with outdated ideas and styles. This has led to a loss of public trust in the quality of national literature. Writers often avoid challenging subjects, opting for safer themes. Some embrace market-driven writing to ensure easier publication. Experimental and investigative works, however, find very few outlets for publication.

"Living fully by writing has its own difficulties in any era. But in the current context, making a living as a writer is almost impossible," the author observed.

Echoing this sentiment, editor Nguyen Hoang Dieu Thuy noted that while the literary scene has many "fliers," they lack "horizons," evidenced by modest publication figures. Specifically, one-half of the industry's total revenue comes from textbooks and educational materials, with the remainder comprising non-fiction and comics. Works by contemporary Vietnamese writers, especially young ones, typically see print runs of only 1,000 to 2,000 copies and are rarely reprinted. Furthermore, investing in printing and translating Vietnamese works for international markets is challenging, causing many authors to hesitate.

Author Tran Van Thien at the conference organized by the Vietnam Writers' Association, on 15/11. *Photo: Cong Bac*

Beyond objective reasons, many writers also believe that, internally, the most important thing is for writers to maintain self-generated literary strength. They must dedicate time to experience, learn, and research materials from books and life to produce quality manuscripts that endure. Authors need to "untie themselves" from cliches and embrace exploratory works that engage with global literature.

For example, in the field of mountainous region literature, writer Phung Thi Huong Ly identified bottlenecks, primarily in themes. Many young writers still choose to write about forests, villages, festivals, indigo colors, stilt houses, and streams – beautiful images that are easily repetitive and fall into stereotypes. According to her, delving into changing agricultural methods and cultural interactions would help ethnic literature keep pace with the times.

Author Le Thi Ngoc Tram at the event. *Photo: Cong Bac*

Another "bottleneck" is access to opportunities, as most ethnic minority authors write in solitude, with few chances for publication or participation in academic forums, essentially lacking a critical environment. Many young people remain fixated on an "ethnic" language style, which sometimes makes their works constrained and lacking contemporary flair.

Author Le Thi Ngoc Tram likened literature to a forest, where "ancient trees" and "young saplings" stretch their branches. Young writers are trying to overcome their fears through various approaches, such as creating a glamorous facade with covers more attractive than the content, imitating the writing styles of predecessors, or borrowing emotions. However, the true strength of a writer's pen must come from intrinsic writing ability and language.

She suggested that the "shadow" of the previous generation can easily overwhelm young writers, raising the question: "What path can young writers take to overcome these shadows?"

Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers' Association, stated that the association acknowledged the feedback from 11 presentations and would consider ways to address the aspirations of young authors.

Phuong Linh