Many localities nationwide have held a wide range of activities in response to the 15th Vietnam Poetry Day 2017, which opened at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi on February 11 or the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

The area displaying poems by child poets.

In HCM City, on February 11 night, the day was marked with many exciting activities like a playground for young poets, reading poems, drawing portraits of poets. 

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho also held a poetry night at the Binh Thuy communal house in celebration of the Vietnam Poetry Day.

Themed “Homeland and Spring”, the event brought together nearly 70 poets, poet readers, and artists.

The Can Tho Nguyen Tieu poetry night also saw the first-ever space for child poets, helping young poets to exchange ideas with veteran ones.

The same day, the central province of Phu Yen also organised a poetry festival which attracted 380 poems from 184 poets in and outside the locality.

Vietnam Poetry Day opens in Hanoi

Vietnam Poetry Day, the 15th of its kind, opened at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi on February 11 (the 15th day of the first Lunar month), providing a platform for poets from all parts of the country to meet poem lovers. 

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Poet Huu Thinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association, said the event aims to honour and introduce values of Vietnam’s poetry to the public at home and abroad. 

Within the framework of Vietnam Poetry Day, an open-air photo exhibition featuring the establishment and development of the Vietnam Writers’ Association was held in celebration of its 60th anniversary. 

A highlight of the festival was the performance of painting poems on ceramic products by artist Le Thiet Cuong. 

Apart from reciting poems and exchanging with poem lovers, visitors could enjoy a poetry music show. A special space was also designated for children’s poetry clubs. 

A “path of poets” was open for the first time , introducing outstanding Vietnamese poets to the public.

HCM City celebrates Vietnam Poetry Day

Veteran and young poets of HCM City will perform as part of the 15th National Poetry Day. 

Dozens of young poets will present their works at universities and colleges around HCM City on the night of February 11 as part of the opening ceremony for Vietnam Poetry Day held on the 15th day of the first lunar month. 

The theme of this year’s event, called Xuan Nghia Tinh (Sentimental Spring), celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Vietnam Writers Association.   

The poets’ works feature topics about country, life, love and Spring. 

Veteran writers, such as Truc Phuong, Hoai Vu, Huynh Dung Nhan and Tran Le Son Y, will introduce their latest poetry collections at the HCM City Literature and Arts Association in District 3.  

Young poets Tran Da Lu, Pham Quang Tien and Thien Ha have also been invited. 

During the event, poetry clubs from local universities and cultural houses will introduce their new members, while amateur poets will read their works. 

A drama show, called Vong Tay Mua Xuan (The Arms of Spring), will start at 8pm with a special performance by the youngest writers of the Writers Association and actors of the HCM City Traditional Arts Troupe.

The writers Minh Dan, Tieu Quyen and Nguyen Dang Thanh plan to recite and sing their poems about love and family relationships.

US radiosbroadcast a show of Vietnamese poetry to celebrate the National Poetry Day of VN

Nguyen Phan Que Mai

A US radio show aired the poetry of Vietnamese poet Nguyen Phan Que Mai this week to commemorate the 15th Poetry Day of Viet Nam that falls on Saturday.

The poems were read on Melodically Challenged, a weekly radio show aired on WRAS, Georgia State University’s radio station.

In the show, Mai read her poems in Vietnamese, and US english professor K. B. Kincer read each translated poem in English. Throughout the show, audiences hear Vietnamese folksongs, songs and music performed by Vietnamese singer and songwriter Ngô Hồng Quang. This includes the song "Biển," composed from Mai’s poetry.

An official press release published by the station explains the selection:

“We selected to air Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s poetry because of the quality of the poetry. Quế Mai’s poetry evokes the beauty of Việt Nam and its people. At the same time, Quế Mai addresses a turbulent time in the history of both Việt Nam and the US”.

“To be better citizens of America and the world, we believe it’s important to understand other cultures, and there can be no better path to understanding a person’s culture than through their poetry. We hope our show embraces Americans of Vietnamese descent and celebrates Vietnamese people everywhere."

You can listen to Que Mai’s poetry at the following link: https://beta.prx.org/stories/197085

Mai is the author of nine books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. She has received grants, fellowships, scholarships and awards from various Vietnamese and international organisations. 

The Los Angeles Review of Books, in their review of Mai’s The Secret of Hoa Sen, called her "one of Viet Nam’s foremost contemporary poets." Mai writes in Vietnamese as well as in English. 

VNS

VNA