Students will learn important aspects of Vietnamese language 
beyond the basic and intermediate levels.
They will learn about the Vietnamese literary tradition and 
its development over time.
They will learn about the transformation of Vietnamese 
literature from a primarily oral tradition into a 
written medium.

Students will learn about various forms of Vietnamese 
literature, including modern, web-based writing, Vietnamese 
newspapers, folk literature (ca dao), classical and modern 
poetry, short stories, and novels.
	
Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Part 1: Practical Modern Literacy/Literature: 
Newspapers, magazines, the Web
 Letter writing
Week 3: Part 1: Practical Modern Literacy/Literature: 
Newspapers, magazines, the Web
letter writing (cont.)
Week 4: Part 1: Practical Modern Literacy/Literature: 
Newspapers, magazines, the Web
letter writing (cont.)
Week 5: Part 2:  Folk Literature: Ca dao, tuc ngu, thanh ngu
Week 6: Part 2:  Folk Literature: Ca dao, tuc ngu, thanh ngu 
(cont.)
Week 7: Part 2:  Folk Literature: Ca dao, tuc ngu, thanh ngu 
(cont.)
Week 8: Part 3:  Poetry: Classical, Chinese influenced
Week 9: Part 3: Poetry: Colonial era, French influenced
Week 10: Part 3: Poetry: Revolutionary poetry, modern poetry	
Week 11: Part 4: Short stories: Nam Cao “Chi Pheo”
Week 12: Part 4: Short stories: Bao Ninh “A Marker on the Side 
of the Boat”
Week 13: Part 4: Short stories: Le Thi Diem Thuy, “The Gangster 
We Are All Looking For”
Week 14: Part 4: Books (excerpts): Nguyen Du “The Tale of Kieu”
Week 15: Part 4: Books (excerpts): Dang Thuy Tram “Last Night I 
Dreamed of Peace”