Vietnamese writer and translator Kiều Bích Hậu receives “Lifetime Achievement in Culture” Award by Italian Cultural Association Rhegium Julii
Eris White – Multicultural Press
Vietnamese writer and translator Kiều Bích Hậu, a long-standing member of the Vietnam Writers’ Association, has been awarded the 2025 “Lifetime Achievement in Culture” Award by the Italian Cultural Association Rhegium Julii.
Founded in 1968, this highly regarded prize annually recognizes only two cultural figures worldwide, honoring those who have devoted their lives to literature and cultural exchange. The award carries a symbolic value of 1,000 Euros, but its true worth lies in its prestige and the international recognition it bestows. This year, Kiều Bích Hậu is celebrated alongside Portuguese poet Jose Manuel De Vasconselos.
The ceremony took place on August 25, 2025, at the “Rocco Polimeni” Tennis Club in Reggio Calabria, Italy, where she personally received the award, read a selection of her poems, and spoke on contemporary poetry.
For Kiều Bích Hậu, this recognition is both a personal milestone and a collective triumph for Vietnamese literature. Born in Hung Yen Province, she has built a distinguished career not only as a writer but also as a cultural connector. She is the Ambassador of Ukiyoto Publishing (Canada) in Vietnam and the Founder and Head of the Hanoi Female Translators, a group that has become instrumental in bringing Vietnamese authors to the international stage. Over the years, she has received nine national and international literary awards, testament to her creative achievements and her role in cultural diplomacy. She has published 25 books of prose, poetry, and essays in Vietnam and abroad, including titles such as The Unknown, The Insidious Sister, Road of Love, Orphaned Waves, The Weird Dream, From Red River to Blue Danube, and Two Moons. Her works have been translated into 17 languages, from English, Italian, and French to Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Chinese, and Montenegrin.
Her literary journey has been marked by a relentless commitment to translation and international networking. Since 2019, she has collaborated with writers, editors, translators, and publishers from Hungary, Italy, Romania, the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany, Russia, and South Korea. Together, they have built a worldwide network dedicated to exchanging and promoting contemporary literature. Through these efforts, she and the Hanoi Female Translators have helped more than 100 Vietnamese authors see their works translated and published overseas, with nearly 50 full-length Vietnamese poetry and prose books released in countries spanning Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Several Vietnamese writers introduced abroad through these initiatives have even gone on to win international prizes, further underscoring the effectiveness of her cultural advocacy.
Her active engagement in global literary forums has also made her a familiar voice on the international stage. She has been invited repeatedly to the European Poetry Festival in Como, Italy, one of the continent’s most vibrant literary gatherings. Her bilingual poetry collection The Unknown (English–Italian), published in 2020, first brought her to the attention of Italian audiences. Although the COVID-19 pandemic initially forced her participation to be virtual, her works were warmly received, with readings and reflections presented at the festival. In 2023, she finally attended in person, reading her poems to audiences in Como’s historical sites and cultural venues. Italian artists, musicians, and students reimagined her poetry through short films, plays, and songs, showing her the extraordinary ways in which Vietnamese literature could resonate across cultural borders.
Beyond Europe, her work has also found global reach through Ukiyoto Publishing in Canada, which distributes her poetry collection From Red River to Blue Danube worldwide. In 2022, she was appointed Ukiyoto’s Ambassador to Vietnam, a role through which she continues to serve as a literary agent for other Vietnamese authors seeking international publication. She has also represented Vietnam at more than ten international poetry and literary festivals across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, further cementing her place as one of Vietnam’s most prominent cultural ambassadors.
At the heart of her prolific career is a deeply personal relationship with poetry. She has described poetry as the force that once “saved her soul” during a time of mental crisis, and she continues to see it as a golden bridge that connects people across cultures. For her, poetry is both a refuge and a universal language of empathy, one that can illuminate human suffering and resilience while offering readers comfort and hope. This belief in poetry’s power to connect explains her dedication not only to her own creative work but also to building pathways for others.
The Rhegium Julii award is thus more than a personal honor; it is a recognition of the broader Vietnamese literary movement on the world stage. By acknowledging Kiều Bích Hậu’s efforts, Italy has highlighted the role of translators, cultural agents, and visionary writers in shaping the global literary landscape. As she prepares to stand before an international audience in Calabria this August, she does so not just as an individual laureate, but as a representative of Vietnam’s enduring cultural spirit—a voice carrying the Red River’s echoes to distant shores, reminding the world of the richness, resilience, and beauty of Vietnamese literature.
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Read: The song of Red River – Bouquet of Poems from Vietnam
