European Literature Days 2026 | A Summer Night of Literature

07 PM – 10 PM, Sat 09 May 2026
* Goethe-Institut Hanoi
58-60 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh
* Embassy of the Czech Republic
13 Chu Van An, Ba Dinh
* Embassy of Ukraine
6 Le Hong Phong, Ba Dinh
* Embassy of the Slovak Republic
12 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan, Ba Dinh
Registration link

From the organizer:

What would it be like if the experience of encountering literature were to move beyond the boundaries of the printed page? And what if poems and passages from novels were to become living sounds resonating through the summer night of Hanoi, breathing in rhythm with the city itself, with moments of gathering and connection unfolding in the most unexpected settings?

Taking place within the framework of European Literature Days, Summer Nights of Literature is an immersive literary experience of reading and listening, in which remarkable works of contemporary European and Vietnamese literature are read aloud across multiple locations over the course of a single evening. Participants are invited to embark on a journey, moving from one site to another. In each space, listeners will encounter a performed reading of an excerpt from a notable literary work rooted in a different cultural context. Walking through shifting physical spaces while simultaneously travelling through diverse literary landscapes promises a truly distinctive experience.

Centered on the theme “Loneliness and Solidarity in Literature”, Summer Nights of Literature presents selected excerpts from European and Vietnamese literary works that explore experiences of solitude and isolation in urban life. How do different cities, shaped by distinct cultural and literary traditions and filtered through the perspectives of individual writers, give rise to both shared and divergent forms of loneliness?

The event is the Vietnamese edition of Dlouhá noc literatury (loosely translated as Long Night of Literature), initiated by Czech Centres Vietnam and co-coordinated with Goethe-Institut Hanoi, with the participation of EUNIC Vietnam member institutions and Ơ Kìa Hà Nội.

Details of performing readers and list of reading excerpts will be updated in the coming weeks. Please follow our website and Facebook page so you don’t miss any important updates and programme announcements.

This event is part of European Literature Days 2026, the annual literary festival organised by the European National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) in Vietnam.

Follow updates on event’s page.