50-30: Beyond Legacy, Beyond Memory — South Vietnamese Literature from the Fall into the Future

April 30, 2025 — Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures John Phan leads a discussion focused on literary production in the Republic of Vietnam. Two prominent Republic writers, Nhã Ca and Phan Nhật Nam, contribute prerecorded video appearances.

Chair and Moderator: John Phan, Columbia University

Speakers:
Thuý Đinh, editor, literary translator, critic; Co-editor, Da Màu, Editor-at-Large, Asymptote; freelance critic, NPR Books
Olga Dror, Professor, Department of History, Texas A&M University
Trinh Luu, U.S.-Vietnam Research Center, University of Oregon
Nu-Anh Tran, Associate Professor, Department of History & Asian and Asian American Studies Institute, University of Connecticut

Video appearances by:
Phan Nhật Nam, soldier, writer, critic, former officer in the Republic of Vietnam’s Airborne Division and author of "War's Embers" (Dấu binh lửa), among other works chronicling war and exile

Nhã Ca, poet and novelist, author of "Mourning Headband for Hue" (Giải khăn sô cho Huế), among many other works

Co-hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and the Columbia Journalism School, this program was part of the three-day series "50-30: From War to Peace in Vietnam and the United States," held at Columbia University from April 30 – May 2, 2025.