Francophone Comics Festival

9:00AM - 6:00PM, 04.04.2026
Sofitel Saigon Plaza| 17 Lê Duẩn, Saigon Ward, HCMC
Simultaneous Vietnamese - French interpretation available | Traduction simultanée vietnamien - français
Free admission | Entrée libre
(en français plus bas)

A day dedicated to comic lovers, as well as to those who wish to explore more deeply the ninth art.

The French Institute in Vietnam and the French Institute in Cambodia, in collaboration with France Livre, the Wallonie Bruxelles Delegation, and major partners in the publishing industry from France, Cambodia, and Vietnam, are organizing a special day dedicated to Francophone comics.

This event marks an important milestone for the comics industry and publishing collaboration between France, Belgium, Vietnam, and Cambodia, combining professional networking opportunities and a public festival.

Guest Authors
The festival brings together many prominent figures from French, Belgian, and Vietnamese comics:

• Marguerite Abouet
• Clément Baloup
• Marcelino Truong
• Vincent Lefrançois
• Eddy Coubeaux
• Hải Anh
• Nguyễn Thành Phong
• Tạ Huy Long
• Fabien Lotz
• Nguyễn Duy Hải
• Thân Trọng Thanh Quỳnh
• Thierry Nguyen

Explore the event’s highlighted schedule:

• 9:30 AM: Opening ceremony.
• 9:45 AM: Award ceremony for the 2025 Comics Creation Competition (in collaboration with Kim Đồng Publishing House) and launch of the third competition season.
• 10:00 AM: Presentation “The World of Comics - An Overview of French Comics” by Yann Dong (Dargaud Shanghai).
• 11:00 AM: Panel discussion “Comics Without Borders” featuring Marcelino Truong, Marguerite Abouet, Vincent Lefrançois, and Nguyễn Thành Phong, discussing comics as a universal language.
• 2:30 PM: Presentation “Why Do We Need to Understand Comics?” by Thanh Quỳnh, Editor-in-Chief of Du Bút.
• 3:00 PM: Forum “Comics and the Screen” with Clément Baloup, Hải Anh, Tạ Huy Long, Fabien Lotz (POPS), and Thierry Nguyễn (VAVA), exploring how comic works can be adapted into films, animation, or video games and vice versa.

Throughout the day:

• Reading space with IDECAF
• Book signing sessions at publisher booths: Kim Đồng, Nhã Nam, Du Bút, First News, C Books…
• Exhibition “JOURNEY THROUGH THE NINTH SPACE - WALLONIE-BRUXELLES COMICS ART”
• Honoring iconic characters of French-speaking Belgian comics - a field that has developed strongly for over a century.
• 2:00PM - 6:00PM | Creative Workshops (pre-registration required)

Led by international comic authors and illustrators: Nguyễn Thành Phong, Vincent Lefrançois, Marcelino Truong, Eddy Coubeaux, and Clément Baloup. The workshops focus on essential elements of comics such as character creation, speech bubble usage, panel layout, visual rhythm, and the art of visual storytelling. A dedicated workshop for children will guide participants in creating a complete comic page.