The southern province of Ben Tre held a ceremony on July 1 to mark the 195th birth anniversary of poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu and receive a certificate recognising his tomb and monument as a special national historical relic site.

Nguyen Dinh Chieu tomb and monument site

Nguyen Dinh Chieu, also known as teacher Chieu, Trong Phu and Hoi Trai, was born on July 1, 1822, Binh Duong district, Gia Dinh province (now District 1, Ho Chi Minh City). 

After his mother died, he contracted an eye infection and went blind. Despite these hardships, Chieu was committed to helping people. He opened a small school to teach students moral principles and was also a popular medical practitioner in Gia Dinh.

He then moved to live in Can Giuoc, Long An province and finally Bao An district, Long An province (now Ba Tri district, Ben Tre province) where he passed away. 

Nguyen Dinh Chieu was a patriotic teacher, doctor and poet of the south of Vietnam in the second half of the 19th century.

The poet’s two most famous poems are “Luc Van Tien” (The Tale of Luc Van Tien) - one of the two most celebrated Vietnamese epic poems, along with Nguyen Du’s “The Tale of Kieu” – and “Van Te nghia si Can Giuoc” (Funeral Oration for the Partisans of Can Giuoc).

To recognise his contributions to the nation, a temple was built in Ben Tre in his honour in 1972. The site was recognised as a national relic site in 1990. It was re-built in 2000 on an additional land area of 13,000 sq.m where there sit the tomb and monument of the late poet.

VNA