Goethe-Institut Prague Dedicates Autumn Programme to Vietnamese-Central European Cultural Relations

From mid-September, the Goethe-Institut Prague will focus on the experiences of the Vietnamese diaspora in Central Europe. An exhibition, discussions, films and workshops will explore identity, migration and cultural exchange.

The Goethe-Institut Prague is dedicating its autumn programme to the cultural connections between Vietnam, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany. At the centre is the exhibition “Unspoken Names”, which will be on display from 15 September.

Curated by Tamara Moyzes from Artivist Lab, the exhibition presents works by second-generation Vietnamese artists living in the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia. It will be accompanied by a panel discussion, film screenings and culinary workshops.

“It is relatively little known, but since the 1970s, the former German Democratic Republic and Czechoslovakia shared, among other things, a remarkable cultural phenomenon: the Vietnamese community,” explains Anaïs Boelicke, Director of the Goethe-Institut Prague. Particularly interesting, she says, is the question of what significance the interplay of Vietnamese, Czech and German influences continues to have today.

Photo: Goethe-Institut Prague

Shared European History at the Centre

The exhibition explores the personal, family and artistic stories of people of Vietnamese origin and their connection to the post-socialist history of Central and Eastern Europe.

“It is an exhibition about a shared European history that has not yet been fully named,” says curator Tamara Moyzes. The Vietnamese presence in Europe has been shaped over decades by different forms of mobility – from work and study to artistic and intellectual exchange.

After the end of socialism, however, earlier ideas of solidarity were often replaced by uncertainty, administrative pressure and social exclusion. The title “Unspoken Names” refers, among other things, to the treatment of Vietnamese names in Czech, Slovak and German society. Vietnamese people have been pressured in various situations to simplify or adapt their names, or to replace them with Czech or German names.

Artists from the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia

The featured artists include Kvet Nguyễn, Minh Duc Pham, Lê Thị Hoài, Duc Minh Vu and Quỳnh Trang Trần. The works on display include ceramic sculptures as well as sound and digital art. They address memory, migration and relations between Vietnam and Central and Eastern Europe. Migration is not viewed as an isolated phenomenon, but as part of a longer political, cultural, educational and personal history.

Photo: Goethe-Institut Prague

The public opening will take place on 15 September at 6 p.m. at the Goethe-Institut. This will be followed by a tour with the exhibiting artists.

On 16 September at 6 p.m., a panel discussion will follow on the experiences of the Vietnamese diaspora in post-socialist Europe. Participants include Kvet Nguyễn, Minh Duc Pham, Tereza Freidingerová and Kien Nghi Ha. The event will be moderated by cultural anthropologist Jakub Grygar. The discussion will take place in Czech and German with simultaneous interpretation.

Workshops on Vietnamese Coffee

The accompanying programme also includes the event series “The Story of a Coffee That Can Bring People Together”. On 24 September, 8 October, 22 October and 5 November, each from 5 p.m., the history and taste of Vietnamese coffee will take centre stage.

In addition to tastings, meetings with members of the Vietnamese community are planned. The workshops are being organised together with The Latt, a young Czech-Vietnamese team from Prague’s Sapa district.

The exhibition “Unspoken Names” will be on display from 15 September to 14 November 2026 at the Goethe-Institut, Masarykovo nábřeží 32, Prague 1. Admission is free. The exhibition is accessible in Czech, German and English.

Goethe-Institut Prague
Masarykovo nábřeží 32, Praha 1
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