2023 Vietnam Poetry Day opened in Hanoi

Present at the event were Mr. Nguyen Trong Nghia, Head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Information and Education; composer Do Hong Quan, Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations (VULAA); and poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Nguyen Trong Nghia underlined that a number of poets have stood side by side with the whole people in firmly protecting the national sovereignty over sea and islands, natural disaster response, and COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control.

He affirmed that many poets have tried their best to discover different aspects of daily life and social issues to bring their best and meaningful works to local readers.

He hoped that Vietnamese poets' works would reach out beyond the national boundary to match with world literature. Each literary work should be an "ambassador" in the field of Vietnamese literature and arts in the current period; and should be a voice to further popularize the position and image of the country among international friends.

The opening ceremony was divided into major parts: New poetry, poetry in the war against the French colonists, poetry in the war against U.S. imperialists, and poetry in the reform era and young poetry.

In his opening speech, poet Nguyen Quang Thieu held that the Vietnamese poetry history has always been attached to the country's history. Generations of poets have followed the whole people in every period of the nation. Poetry has considerably contributed to popularizing "the flame of people-to-people love."

Translated by Chung Anh