The paper inherits the views of Kevin Kenny, Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, Michelle Janette, and Viet Thanh Nguyen to analyze the development of diasporic Vietnamese literature written in English in the US based on expressions of identity. Firstly, from generation 1 (writers who came to the US when they were adults and predominantly wrote in Vietnamese) to generations 1.5 and 2 (writers who came to the US as young ages or were born in the US, primarily wrote in English), their works covered subjects ranging from collective identity to personal identity. Secondly, the paper emphasizes that traumatic identity is characteristic of diasporic literature, regardless of the generation of their authors. Thirdly, it examines the way establishing hybrid identity became a discourse of resistance from American racial prejudice. In the case of Viet Thanh Nguyen, belonging to generation 1.5, he can be considered the most famous Vietnamese diasporic writer in the US to date, further evidenced by his winning the 2016 Pulitzer Prize. In that context, the paper analyzes his ideological contributions in two aspects: Firstly, the writer redefines the ethnic identity and nationalism of the Vietnamese immigrant community; secondly, the writer provides new perspectives on Vietnam War. The research results are: clarifying the role of diasporic Vietnamese literature in English in the US, and affirming the way the writings of Viet Thanh Nguyen set a development milestone for this minority literature in general and for the topic of the Vietnam War in particular in the history of world literature.

Authors:
Hong Anh Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, Vietnam
Thu Van Phan, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, Vietnam

About the Presenter(s)
Ms Hong Anh Nguyen is a University Doctoral Student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education in Vietnam

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