Vietnamese expatriate author publishes novels dedicated to Hanoi

Last week marked the launch of three novels about Hanoi by writer Le Minh Ha - a Vietnamese expatriate writer living in Germany, titled Gio tu thoi khuat mat (The Wind Hides Its Face), Pho van gio (The Street Is Still Windy), and Nhung ta (Those of Us).

Three novels by Le Minh Ha. Photo the courtesy of the writer

The event was organized by the Publishers Association in collaboration with the Lien Viet Culture and Communication Company.

Among them, The Wind Hides Its Face is Ha's first novel, released 18 years ago, and the 2024 edition is the original, without any editorial revisions.

In the novel The Street Is Still Windy, Ha described her literary work as a serious job. Ha explained that she writes about Hanoi and its current citizens, including those who were born and raised here, as well as those who come from elsewhere.

"Hanoi belongs to those who come to it, live with it, and most importantly, love it, turning it into a value for the masses, not just for an individual," Ha said.

The novel The Street Still Windy is set in Hanoi from the years after the liberation in 1954 to the present day. The contrast between the old and post-war versions of the capital city is an emotionally charged picture that she paints.

The novel Those of Us is the Vietnamese expatriate's latest work set in Hanoi. Ha said that what interests her most and what she always tries to put into her works is human destiny. The fate of people in the changes of history, society, and life. Hanoi is the contextual background for her to accomplish that.

Writer Le Minh Ha. Photo courtesy of the Ưriter

All three novels presented this time are about Hanoi, closely related to Hanoi, enough for readers to see that this is a special land, inseparable in the mind as well as in the creative career of the author.

Perhaps the most striking difference between Le Minh Ha and many other writers who write about Hanoi is her perspective from afar. In her novels, Hanoi is beautiful, pure, and intact memories, the Hanoi that is modern but ancient; the Hanoi of returned journeys, of observation, contemplation, and comparison with new and lost things.

The three novels give the reader the feeling that Ha was born to write about Hanoi.

Born in Hanoi in 1962, Le Minh Ha has been writing for decades. Her first book was published in the US in 1998 - a collection of short stories entitled Trang goa (Widowed Moon). To date, she has published 18 books, including short stories, essays, and novels.