Võ Phiến (October 20, 1925 – September 28, 2015) was a Vietnamese archivist, editor and author of short stories, novels, essays, poems, and literary criticism. An influential writer in the

Vietnamese diaspora Overseas Vietnamese (, , or ) refers to the Vietnamese diaspora living outside of Vietnam. The global overseas Vietnamese population is estimated at 5 to 6 million people. The largest communities are in the United States, with over 2.3 million ...

, Phiến’s writings deal with themes relating to

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

, war, and modern life. He was already an established writer in Vietnam before seeking refuge in the United States after the

fall of Saigon The fall of Saigon, known in Vietnam as Reunification Day (), was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by North Vietnam on 30 April 1975. As part of the 1975 spring offensive, this decisive event led to the collapse of the So ...

in 1975, where he lived and continued to write until his death in 2015. Phiến’s work was written entirely in Vietnamese, and very few of his works have been translated into English. He died at his home in Santa Ana, California on September 28, 2015, at the age of 90.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vo, Phien 1925 births 2015 deaths Vietnamese writers Vietnamese refugees Vietnamese emigrants to the United States People from Bình Định province