The 16th Vietnam Poetry Day officially opens at Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) in Hanoi on March 2. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA)– The 16th Vietnam Poetry Day officially opened at Van Mieu - QuocTu Giam (Temple of Literature) in Hanoi on March 2.
Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association Huu Thinh said this year’s poetry daycoincides with the 70th anniversary of the birth of famous poem “NguyenTieu” (the 15th day of the first lunar month) written by latePresident Ho Chi Minh.
The organising board of the event is working to turn the Poetry Day into afestival for literature in general, he said.
Since its debut on Nguyen Tieu (the 15th day of the first lunar month) in 2003,the Vietnam Poetry Day, the biggest poetry festival in the country, has becomea national tradition, often taking place in the spring.
Starting out as an initiative of the Vietnam Writers' Association, the PoetryDay has been organised in many provinces and cities to honour poetry, which hasbeen an integral part of Vietnamese culture for thousands of years.
This year’s event, themed “Literature accompanying the nation”, started onFebruary 27 with a workshop featuring Vietnam’s current poetic issues and then adiscussion on fiction reform on February 28.
1,500 more invitations were delivered to members of poetry clubs while fourmembers from Japan’s poets association have been invited to exchange withVietnamese poetry lovers on the occasion.
A photo exhibitionon Vietnamese writers who participated in the Tet Offensive in 1968 Spring willbe held on the margin of the event.
‘Sail of poems’ has been selected as a symbol of this year’s event.-VNA
VNA
