The Vietnam Poem Day opened this morning, February 9 (the 15th day of the first lunar month), at Hanoi-based Van Mieu (the Temple of Literature).

The Vietnam Poetry Day in HCM City.

The event started at 8.30am by the Poetry Flag hoisting ceremony. Late President Ho Chi Minh’s “Night of the 15^th day of the first lunar month” was performed with a lantern dance. The program will include poet performances and workshops.

There are three major topics for the Vietnam Poetry Day: celebrating the 50^th year of the Truong Son trail, 1,000^th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi, and 40^th year implementing late President Ho Chi Minh’s testament.

In the 7^th Vietnam Poetry Day, 11 young poets will present their works. Among them, Thuy Anh has just returned to Vietnam after over ten years in Russia. Do Tri Vuong and Lu Thi Mai are university students. Nguyen Anh Vu is a short-story and poem writer, a stage designer, and book cover designer.

Young poets will present poems under a script written by poets Phan Huyen Thu and Da Thao Phuong. The MC of the poetry show for young writer is writer Phong Diep. Hip-hop singer Kim Jojo, 18, and singer Ton That Son, 16, will join the show.

Around 20 posters are arranged at Van Mieu introducing recently emerging poets, including Trang Thanh, Tran Tuan, Tran Le Son Y, Nguyen Thi Tu Huy, Duong Anh Xuan, Chinh Le, Do Doan Phuong, and Nguyet Pham.

The organizing board from the Vietnam Writers’ Association has selected 50 excellent lines of poetry by 50 poets to release to the sky.

The 50 poets include great poets and heroes of Vietnam from the past to the present, namely: Nguyen Du, Nguyen Trai, Tran Nhan Tong, Cao Ba Quat, Tu Xuong, Han Mac Tu, Che Lan Vien, Nguyen Dinh Thi,

Xuan Dieu, Huy Can, To Huu, Viet Phuong, Hai Nhu, Lien Nam, Tran Dang Khoa, Huong Trieu, Thu Bon, Do Trung Lai, Lam Xuan Vi, Pham Tien Duat, Nguyen Khoa Diem,

Nguyen Duy, Trinh Duong, Quang Huy, Tran Le Van, Xuan Quynh, Luu Quang Vu, Le Dinh Canh, Tran Nhat Thu, Vu Quan Phuong, Nguyen Trong Tao, Vuong Trong, Tran Nhuan Minh, Nguyen Quang Thieu,

Hoang Tran Cuong, Le Xuan Do, Dong Duc Bon, Le Huy Quang, Tran Quang Quy, Tran Kim Hoa, Tran Quang Dao, Tran Anh Thai, Nguyen Thi Mai, Truong Nam Huong, Nguyen Viet Chien, Dang Huy Giang, Chu Van Long, Thu Nguyet.

Among them, there are two foreign poets – Felix Rodriguez from Cuba and Gomez Braga of Brazil.

The 44 largest calligraphic works on timber by poet Do Trung Lai will be on display at Van Mieu. A workshop on poems for children and children’s poems will be held at 2.30pm. A playground for children allows children to meet with famous poets.

After the Vietnam Poetry Day at Van Mieu, the Hanoi Writers’ Association, some universities, and foreign cultural organizations will hold poetry programs.

The Vietnam Poetry Day not only takes place at Van Mieu, but in various provinces and cities in Vietnam. In HCM City, the Vietnam Poetry Day was organized on February 8 at the Bach Tung Diep Park, featuring the topic “Roots – Integration – Creativeness”.

VietNamNet/TN/TP