The story of the artifacts of writer Nguyen Huy Thiep that will be in the Vietnam Literature Museum

Representatives of the Vietnam Literature Museum came to receive a number of artifacts and memorabilia associated with the life and literary career of writer Nguyen Huy Thiep, donated by his family today, September 12, to display at the museum.

Writer Nguyen Huy Thiep (right) with director Dang Nhat Minh (left), painter Le Thiet Cuong, one of the photos sent to the Vietnam Literature Museum - Photo: Gallery G39

The staff of the Vietnam Literature Museum's professional department received many artifacts used by the writer during his lifetime, such as a felt hat, a stainless steel cane, a palm leaf fan, a palm leaf hat, reading glasses, pens and paints, medical records, and a walking aid that the writer used at the end of his life, after a stroke...

Some artifacts related to the writer's literary work such as pens and ink, membership card of the Vietnam Writers Association , some handwritten manuscripts of unpublished novels by Nguyen Huy Thiep, speech at the Hoang Ngoc Hien conference in June 2012.

Along with some handwritten letters exchanged about publishing Nguyen Huy Thiep's literature, some photos of Nguyen Huy Thiep with literary friends, a ceramic plate painted by writer Nguyen Huy Thiep, on which there is only the word "Thiep"...

Each of these artifacts has an interesting story.

Relics and documents donated by writer Nguyen Huy Thiep's family to the Vietnam Literature Museum - Photo: T.DIEU

Hats and sticks are filled with cultural talk.

The old felt hat was the one writer Nguyen Huy Thiep bought in Italy when he received the Premio Nonino literary award in 2008. The hat was used by the writer many years later, during formal meetings with friends.

The cane has been the thing that has supported the writer's steps around Hoan Kiem Lake since 2015 when he suffered from a herniated disc.

When writer Nguyen Huy Thiep was still alive, the friendship between him and folk poet Bao Sinh became a legend in the literary world. For decades, the two friends would walk around Hoan Kiem Lake every afternoon after finishing their "Hang Hanh Coffee" (the name of a short story by Nguyen Huy Thiep) session on nearby Hang Hanh Street.

The felt hat Nguyen Huy Thiep bought as a souvenir during his trip to receive a literary award in Italy in 2008 - Photo: T.DIEU

A cultural meeting of Nguyen Huy Thiep and friends at Nhan Coffee on Hang Hanh Street. From left to right: Dao Hai Phong, Dang Nhat Minh, Hoang Phuong Vy, Ngo Tan Trong Nghia, Nguyen Huy Thiep - Photo: LE THIET CUONG

For decades, Nguyen Huy Thiep's fixed schedule was to go from home to Nhan Coffee Shop on Hanh Hanh Street in the afternoon to meet literary friends. The shop reserved a table for writer Nguyen Huy Thiep to receive his friends.

After the literary and life conversations over a hot cup of tea, when the meeting ended and everyone left, it was time for Nguyen Huy Thiep and Bao Sinh to continue their endless stories while walking around Hoan Kiem Lake.

In the beginning, when both were healthy, they walked around the lake twice. When Nguyen Huy Thiep became weaker, the distance was reduced by half. The two men kept that routine for many years without changing. In 2015, Nguyen Huy Thiep suffered a herniated disc, making it more difficult for him to walk, so he used a cane to help, but did not abandon his old routine.

The stick that has listened to many stories of two close friends, along with gossips about the streets, was donated by the family to the Vietnam Literature Museum on this occasion.

The cane that helped writer Nguyen Huy Thiep walk around Hoan Kiem Lake when he was old - Photo: T.DIEU

It is also the old palm leaf fan and conical hat that have been with Nguyen Huy Thiep for many years in his house with a large garden in Co village (the old name of the place where the writer lived, when it was still a village on the To Lich river).

Nguyen Huy Thiep was a writer with a peasant appearance, but he also maintained simple habits in his lifestyle. He liked to wear a conical hat in addition to the felt hat he wore on formal occasions, and liked to fan himself with a fan woven from bamboo or sedge while sitting on the porch or in the yard or garden with grass and trees.

The writer's walker when he suffered a stroke at the end of his life is also an emotional keepsake of Nguyen Huy Thiep's determination to fight his illness when he witnessed the sincere and great affection his family and friends had for him when he was sick.

The conical hat and sedge fan that writer Nguyen Huy Thiep often used during his lifetime - Photo: T.DIEU

The writer's card and unpublished manuscripts

The membership card of the Vietnam Writers Association issued to writer Nguyen Huy Thiep in 2003 is also an interesting artifact of the literary world. Having become famous at home and abroad since the late 1980s, it was not until 2003 that Nguyen Huy Thiep joined the Vietnam Writers Association.

The reason he joined the association at that time, as his family said, was to facilitate his participation in literary exchange activities abroad organized by the Vietnam Writers Association.

Among the family photos sent to the Vietnam Literature Museum this time are many precious photos that the family has just received.

These are photos showing Nguyen Huy Thiep's enthusiastic participation in the atmosphere of literary and artistic innovation that was taking place strongly in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Some handwritten manuscript pages of Nguyen Huy Thiep's unpublished novel are also a thought-provoking souvenir for those who love the author's literature . Readers hope that the work will soon be published, and Nguyen Huy Thiep's posthumous works will soon be announced.

Presented to the Vietnam Literature Museum this time are precious photos - Photo: T.DIEU

Previously, Tuoi Tre Online asked the director of the Vietnam Literature Museum - writer Nguyen Thi Thu Hue why this Museum does not have exhibition space for Nguyen Huy Thiep, Bao Ninh...

Writer Nguyen Thi Thu Hue said that according to regulations, the Vietnam Literature Museum only exhibits writers who have received the Ho Chi Minh Prize and the State Prize. At that time, Nguyen Huy Thiep had not yet received the State Prize.

The representative of the Vietnam Literature Museum added that not all writers who have won the Ho Chi Minh Prize or the State Prize are on display at the museum. Because it depends on whether the museum has collected rich and attractive sources of documents and artifacts related to the writer's life and career or not...

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chuyen-ve-nhung-hien-vat-cua-nha-van-nguyen-huy-thiep-se-vao-bao-tang-van-hoc-viet-nam-20250912210845974.htm