Foreign poets with a passion for Vietnamese poetry will recite poems in Vietnamese at the Nguyen Tieu Poetry Night at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel on the full moon day of the first lunar calendar month (February 24).

Poet Huu Viet of the Vietnam Writers' Association and member of the organizing committee said the highlight of this year's Vietnam Poetry Day (the 22nd edition) is the presence of international poets at the Full Moon Poetry Night.

This is also a stepping stone to the International Poetry Festival in 2025, which will last about a week and bring together poets from 50 countries and territories.

Artists perform at the Poetry Night of the Vietnam Poetry Day in 2023. Photo: VNA

The Full Moon Poetry Night is the main event of the 22nd Vietnam Poetry Day organized by the Vietnam Writers Association on February 23-24 under the theme "Country Symphony."

This year's Poetry Day is inspired by the spirit of great national unity and the poetry of 54 ethnic groups.

The Poetry Night will begin with a gong performance by the Muong ethnic minority from the northern province of Hoa Binh. The program consists of four parts, introducing stories, poems, and epics in the folk literary treasures of Vietnam's ethnic groups.

In addition, poems by 16 Vietnamese and foreign writers will be recited by the authors or artists. Local poets with works at the Poetry Night include Nong Quoc Chan, Duong Khau Luong (Tay ethnic group); Lo Ngan Sun (Giay ethnic group); Po Sao Min (Pa Di ethnic group), Ly Huu Luong (Dao ethnic group), Kieu Mai Ly (Cham ethnic group), Thach Do Ni (Khmer ethnic group), Thai Hong (Hoa ethnic group); Bui Tuyet Mai (Muong ethnic group); Cam Giang, Bac Van Ui, Do Thi Tac, Nguyen Phuc Loc Thanh (the Kinh) among others.

The main events will be held at the Shinto Axis of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

Le Quy Duong, author of the overall script of the event and general director, said that the theme of the 22nd Vietnam Poetry Day has the power to evoke and inspire both creators and enjoyers. Patterns, motifs, poems, and national cultural materials will be brought into full play during the Poetry Day.

(From left) Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, director Le Quy Duong, and poet Tran Dang Khoa at a press briefing on Vietnam Poetry Day. Photo: Ngo Mnh/The Hanoi Times

The program was held on the day of a full moon, so the moon was chosen as the theme for the art space. The Poetry Gates are new moons on their way to becoming full moons. Passing through the Poetry Gate, there is a Poetry Street decorated with colorfully stylized young leaves in ethnic Vietnamese costumes. A total of 54 verses are written on the leaves, representing as many ethnic groups.

This year, the organizing committee continues to build the Memory House space, a place to display memorabilia, artifacts, and works of 12 typical poets, centered on President Ho Chi Minh, who is also a great poet. The Memory House resembles a traditional long house of the Central Highlands people.

The 22nd Vietnamese Poetry Day was organized by the Vietnam Writers Association in cooperation with the Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center. Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers' Association, presided over the event. Poet Tran Dang Khoa, Vice President of the Vietnam Writers' Association, is in charge of the content. Director Le Quy Duong is responsible for the script and staging. Poet Huu Viet, member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Writers' Association, wrote the literary script for the Poetry Night. Photographer Duong Minh Long is the designer of Poetry Gate, Poetry Street, and Poetry Tree, while the Vietnam Museum of Literature takes care of the Memory House.