Photo: Library of Congress Life / CC0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Born on March 13, 1971 in Buôn Ma Thuột, Vietnam, Viet Thanh Nguyen is a novelist, literary scholar and writer. That puts Viet Thanh Nguyen at 55 years old in 2026. Schooling on record includes University of California, Berkeley. Recorded honors include MacArthur Fellows Program (2017), Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2018), Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature (2016, 2018) and 3 more. Credited works include The Sympathizer.
My Take
Viet Thanh Nguyen is one of the writers I most admire working today. Born in Buon Ma Thuot and brought to America as a refugee, he transformed that displacement into The Sympathizer, a novel of such moral and formal daring that it swept the Pulitzer, the Edgar for best first novel, and a MacArthur Fellowship. What I value is that he refuses to let the refugee remain a footnote in someone else's story; he insists on centering the voices war tends to erase. As both a Berkeley-trained scholar and a novelist, he pairs intellectual rigor with genuine memory. That combination commands my deep respect.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Viet Thanh Nguyen
- Name (Japanese)
- ヴィエット・タン・グエン
- Reading
- ゔぃえっと・たん・ぐえん
- Born
- March 13, 1971 (age 55)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Boar
- Origin
- Buôn Ma Thuột, Vietnam
- Occupation
- novelist / literary scholar / writer / Americanist / ethnologist
2. Background
- University
- University of California, Berkeley
Awards & achievements
- 2017 MacArthur Fellows Program
- 2018 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 2018 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature
- 2016 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature
- 2017 Guggenheim Fellowship
- 2018 German Crime Fiction Award
- 2016 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel
3. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Sympathizer | — |
4. Links
- Official sitehttps://vietnguyen.info/
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viet%20Thanh%20Nguyen
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23887092
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Viet Thanh Nguyen born?
Born March 13, 1971 (age 55).
Where is Viet Thanh Nguyen from?
Viet Thanh Nguyen is from Buôn Ma Thuột, Vietnam.
What does Viet Thanh Nguyen do?
Viet Thanh Nguyen works as novelist, literary scholar, writer, Americanist, ethnologist.
What is Viet Thanh Nguyen known for?
Notable works include The Sympathizer.