Poetry Day - a beauty in Vietnamese culture

Art performance at the opening ceremony of Vietnam Poetry Day 2018

For nearly two decades, every time a new year is welcomed, poetry lovers have flocked to the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam as well as Poetry Day venues across the country. However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam Poetry Day has not been held in the past two years (2020, 2021).

This year, with the theme “Live and Hope”, the 20th Vietnam Poetry Day will be held again, but online.

Cultivate faith and hope

2021 is an extremely difficult, challenging and even loss-making year for the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in the midst of these difficulties, challenges and losses, the Vietnamese spirit once again emerges with its noble cultural beauty and strong will to live as has been proven throughout the nation's history.

It is the love for humanity, the dedication to the community, the consensus between the government and the people for the peace of the people and the development of the country, especially the great hope of the Vietnamese people for a better future. Because of that, the Vietnam Writers Association chose the theme of the 20th Poetry Day as "Live and Hope".

However, due to the epidemic situation and for the safety of each citizen and the whole society, the Vietnam Writers Association recommends that the Provincial Party Committee, People's Committee, and Literature and Arts Association of provinces and cities base on the specific epidemic situation in their localities to have the most suitable and safest way to organize Poetry Day. In the capital Hanoi, the 20th Poetry Day will not be held at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam as usual but will be converted to an online format.

Although each year Vietnam Poetry Day is held with a different theme and each theme has its own meaning, Vietnam Poetry Day always brings together profound humanistic thoughts and inspires the entire public. Up to now, Vietnam Poetry Day has been further improved in the direction of diversifying its content and festivizing its organization method, attracting millions of poets and poetry lovers at home and abroad to participate.

It can be said that Vietnam Poetry Day has partly met the people's need to enjoy poetry. This is not only a festival but also a useful playground for all ages. It is not only to stir up and stimulate the poetry atmosphere, turning it into a festival in the activities, creation and enjoyment, exchange of the public and poets, but it is also to recreate, integrate, continue and enhance, and make visible the values ​​of poetry, folk festivals, and traditional cultural activities of the nation since ancient times.

Poetry Day is also a way to show gratitude to our ancestors, honor past poetry and look forward to the renewal of future poetry.

The first Vietnam Poetry Day was held in the year of Quy Mui 2003 at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, and received enthusiastic response from many poets and poetry lovers.

Poetry in Vietnamese life

For generations, poetry has always played an indispensable role as spiritual food in life. Poetry is the "voice of the soul", the "windy sail" that gives wings to dreams and ambitions to reach far. That role is not only shown through entertainment needs but also in the fields of study, labor and combat, becoming a beautiful, unique and indispensable cultural feature of our nation.

Since ancient times, when there was no written language, poetry has appeared in the lives of Vietnamese people. Many folk songs and proverbs with rhymes, easy to remember, and easy to learn are still preserved, exist and used in daily life. When writing was invented, poetry further developed, from the ancient poetry forms of Co Phong, Duong Luat to the genres of Han Luat, Luc Bat, Song That Luc Bat, and then to modern, free verse poetry today.

Poetry is the best, if not the only, method to demonstrate intellectual talent and express the poet's feelings. That is why the ancient examinations only focused on poetry commentary and poetry composition. The most famous people mentioned by later generations were either generals or poets. Most of them were a combination of both. Everyone knows the name of Grand Chancellor Ly Thuong Kiet, besides the battle on the Nhu Nguyet River, is also associated with the divine poem "Nam Quoc Son Ha". The poetry in "Binh Ngo Dai Cao" by Nguyen Trai is even more famous than the battles of Ham Tu and Chi Lang. And King Quang Trung-Nguyen Hue with "Hich xuat quan", President Ho Chi Minh with "Nguyen tieu" and many other poems all show how well the heroes of the past used poetry as a weapon and how important poetry is in the flow of national history.

Famous authors of the past from Le Thanh Tong, Truong Han Sieu, Mac Dinh Chi, Le Quy Don, Nguyen Binh Khiem, Nguyen Du, Ho Xuan Huong, Doan Thi Diem... to later modern poets such as Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chu Trinh, Tu Xuong, Nguyen Khuyen, Tan Da... and modern poets such as Nguyen Binh, Che Lan Vien, To Huu, Xuan Dieu, Han Mac Tu, Xuan Quynh, Luu Quang Vu... all have a long-lasting, solemn place in the hearts of many Vietnamese people.

Poetry is also the material for musicians to compose timeless songs... The songs "Boat and the Sea", "Love Poems at the End of Autumn", composed by musician Phan Huynh Dieu from the works of poet Xuan Quynh, have left a strong impression on the public. Musician Phu Quang also has many famous songs composed from poetry such as "The Sea of ​​Memories and You" adapted from the poem "Poetry Written on the Sea" by poet Huu Thinh, "Dau Phai Due Mua Thu" adapted from the poem "Yen Tinh" by poet Giang Van and the song "Em Oi Ha Noi Pho" adapted from the poem "Em Oi Ha Noi Pho" by Phan Vu. "Truong Son Dong, Truong Son Tay" by musician Hoang Hiep is also adapted from the poem of the same name by poet Pham Tien Duat; the song "Light Up the Fire, Em" by musician Huy Du is adapted from the poem "Squadron of Glassless Vehicles" also by poet Pham Tien Duat.

Poetry always resonates in any situation, in loss, pain, or joy, hope. After two years of being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, poetry seems to develop and flourish more. In newspapers and magazines, poems are continuously published. Poetry collections are also published regularly. On social networks, poems spread strongly, have a rich life. Not only poets who are members of the Vietnam Writers Association but also students, intellectuals, workers... also enter this world, using poetry to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas. In particular, there are poems, collections of poems, and even epic poems on the topic of COVID prevention and control, talking about Vietnamese people, their bravery, attitude towards life, and the way each person behaves when facing the pandemic.

Poetry is born from the demands of life and of course poetry returns to life. For true poets, each verse carries the experience of a lifetime, hidden deep within each word. This proves that poetry occupies an extremely important position in the lives of Vietnamese people and having a festival to honor poetry in the country of “Sword on the back, soft hand with flower pen”, the second most poetry loving country in the world is a unique and exclusive thing.

According to VNA