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This trend received a boost with the implementation of đổi mới ('Renovation') in 1986, which afforded Vietnamese writers a measure of creative freedom, allowing them to look at life from an individual point of view rather than focusing on the role of society as a whole. Since that time Vietnamese writers have begun to question established views and to tackle such sensitive issues as the enormous cost of victory in terms of human suffering, the problem of official corruption, the disappointments of the post-war era and the social effects of the change from a subsidised to a market economy, including 'social evils' such as prostitution and drug addiction. Such themes have provided the raw material for some of the most exciting contemporary literature emanating from modern Việt Nam, though to date only a handful of the works which tackle them have been translated into other languages.

A small group of contemporary Vietnamese prose writers has already achieved considerable success internationally. This group includes Nguyễn Huy Thiệp (b 1950), author of several important short stories including Tướng về hưu ('The Retired General'), Những ngọn gio Hua Tat ('The Winds of Hua Tat') and Con gai thủy thần ('Daughter of the Sea Gods'); novelist and short story writer Phạm Thị Hoai (b 1960), now resident in Germany, whose best-known works include the novels Thien sứ ('The Crystal Messenger') and Marie Sến; Dương Thu Hương (b 1947), who attracted wide international attention for her novels Ben kia bờ ảo vọng ('Beyond Illusions'), Những thien đường mu ('Paradise of the Blind'), Tiểu thuyết vo đề ('Novel Without a Name') and Hồi quang của mua xuan ('Memories of a Pure Spring'); Hồ Anh Thai (b 1960), author of the acclaimed novels Trong sương hồng hiện ra ('Beyond the Red Mist') and Người đan ba tren đảo ('The Women on the Island'); and Bảo Ninh (b 1952), whose complex, dream-like work Than phận của tinh yeu ('Destiny of Love', 1987, republished in 1991 as Nỗi buồn chiến tranh or 'The Sorrow of War') transformed writing about human conflict.

However, a much larger body of work by talented contemporary Vietnamese writers has yet to be made available to a wider international audience. Foremost amongst the older generation of prose writers referred to earlier whose work still attracts a large readership are Ngo Ngọc Bội, writer of short stories and author of the novels Ao lang ('Village Pond'), Ac mộng ('Nightmare'), Gio đưa canh truc ('The Wind Carries the Bamboo Branch') and Menh mang cổng trời ('Infinite Gate of Heaven'); the late Nguyễn Minh Chau, whose works include the novels Những người đi từ trong rừng ra ('Coming Out of the Forest'), Mảnh đất tinh yeu ('Land of Love') and Cỏ lau ('Reeds') plus numerous short stories; and short story writer Nguyễn Khải, whose best works were published in a collection entitled Truyện ngắn Nguyễn Khải.

Other important contemporary Vietnamese prose writers include the afore-mentioned Ma Văn Khang (b 1936), whose works include the short story collection Truyện ngắn Ma Văn Khang and the award-winning novel Mua la rụng trong vườn ('Season of Falling Leaves'); short story writer and novelist Nguyễn Mạnh Tuấn (b 1947), whose best-known works include Cu lao tram ('Melaleuca Tree Island') and Đứng trước biển ('Standing Before the Sea'); Le Lựu (b 1942), short story writer and author of the novels Thời xa vắng ('A Time Far Past') and Song ở đay song ('Waves on the River Bed'); short story writer and novelist Dương Hương (b 1949), whose works include Bến khong chồng ('Haven for Single Women') and Trần gian người đời ('This World of People'); and Tạ Duy Anh (b 1959), author of numerous short stories and novels including Lao khổ ('The Miserable Old Man') and Luan hồi ('Karma').

The contribution of women writers to the development of the short story as a distinctive Vietnamese literary medium has been especially noteworthy; in addition to the afore-mentioned Phạm Thị Hoai, leading contemporary female short story writers include Dạ Ngan (Le Hồng Nga, b 1952), playwright and theatre director Nguyễn Thị Minh Ngọc (b 1953), Ly Lan (b 1957), Vo Thị Xuan Ha (b 1959), Phạm Thị Minh Thư (b 1956), Y Ban (Phạm Thị Xuan Ban, b 1961), Nguyễn Thị Thu Huệ (b 1966), Phan Thị Vang Anh (b 1968) and Trần Thanh Ha (b 1971). However, perhaps the best known female short story writers currently working in Việt Nam are Le Minh Khue (b 1949), whose works have been published in the award-winning anthology Truyện ngắn Le Minh Khue, and Vo Thị Hảo (b 1956), author of the highly popular short stories Biển cứu rỗi ('Sea of Saving') and Người sống sot rừng cười ('Survivor of the Laughing Forest') and the collected works Truyện ngắn chọn lọc Vo Thị Hảo: Một trăm cai dại của đan ong ('Selected Short Stories of Vo Thị Hảo: One Hundred Stupidities of Men').

Leading Vietnamese poets of the past 25 years such as Phạm Tiến Duật, Nguyễn Duy, Hoang Nhuận Cầm, Bằng Việt, Hữu Thỉnh, Phạm Ngọc Cảnh, Anh Ngọc and Nguyễn Đức Mậu continue to play an important role in today's literary scene. Other important contemporary poets include Việt Nam Writers’ Association Awards winners Quần Phương (Ngọc Vũ, b 1940), Thanh Thảo (Hồ Thanh Cong, b 1946) and Nguyễn Quang Thiều (b 1957); and Văn nghệ (Literary Arts) Newspaper Awards winners Hoang Trần Cương (b 1948), Văn Le (Le Chi Thụy, b 1949), Trần Mạnh Hảo (b 1949) and Trần Đăng Khoa (b 1958).

During the past 25 years women poets have also truly come into their own. One of Việt Nam's best-known modern female poets, Xuan Quỳnh (Nguyễn Thị Xuan Quỳnh, 1942-1988), was tragically killed in 1988 in a car accident along with her playwright husband Lưu Quang Vũ. Amongst the most exciting contemporary women poets are Phan Thị Thanh Nhan (b 1943), Thảo Phương (Nguyễn Mai Hương, b 1949), Phạm Thị Ngọc Lien (b 1952), Giang Van (b 1958), Thanh Nguyen (b 1962), Phan Huyền Thư (b 1972), Ngan Hoa (b 1973) and Ly Hoang Ly (b 1975), Văn nghệ (Literary Arts) Newspaper Awards winners Nguyễn Thị Hồng Ngat (b 1950) and Nguyễn Khanh Chi (b 1965) and Việt Nam Writers Association Awards winners Y Nhi (Hoang Thị Y Nhi, b 1944), Lam Thị Mỹ Dạ (b 1949), Le Thị May (Phạm Tuyết Hoa, b 1949) and Le Thị Kim (b 1950). The Women's Publishing House recently published an excellent collection of poems by 150 women poets, around half of whom were born since the end of the American War.

At the turn of the new millennium a literary group known as Vong tron Sau mặt (Six Faced Circle) emerged in the southern capital of Hồ Chi Minh City, attracting recognition from leading Vietnamese intellectuals. In 2001 four young writers from this group - Ly Đợi (1978), Bui Chat (1979), Khuc Duy (1976) and Nguyễn Quan (1977) - formed the Mở Miệng (‘Open Mouth’) underground poetry movement. In recent years this group has held regular poetry readings and its work has become increasingly linked with contemporary developments in performance art.

Over the past quarter century the Việt Nam Writers’ Association, the Ha Nội Writers’ Association, the Hồ Chi Minh City Writers’ Association and several other literary organisations have continued to promote the development of creative writing through their annual awards for the best prose, poetry, theory and criticism and translated works. There has also been corresponding development in the field of literary criticism and literary research. Mention should also be made of the Nguyễn Du School of Writing, Ha Nội, modelled on the Pushkin Institute in Moscow, which was established in 1981 by the Ha Nội University of Culture with the aim of training writers in the two key areas of prose and poetry.