(VOVWORLD) - Vietnamese Poetry Day 2025 was held in the ancient capital city of Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh province on Wednesday, at the first full moon of the new lunar year.
 An art performance at the opening ceremony of the Vietnamese Poetry Day 2025 (Photo: baoninhbinh.org.vn) |
The theme of Vietnam’s 23rd Poetry Day, “The Fatherland Soaring”, was inspired by the poem “The Stature of Vietnam” by poet and war martyr Le Anh Xuan.
Nguyen Quang Thieu, president of the Vietnam Writers' Association, said, “This year's Poetry Day has a special meaning. The word ‘soaring’ in the theme refers to the human spirit waking up, stepping forward, and starting to make the Vietnamese nation more complete in politics, economics, and culture, including poetry.”
Poetry Night, the central activity of Vietnam Poetry Day, included poetry recitations in praise of the nation and patriotism, with a special appearance by US veteran and poet Bruce Weigl, who read a poem he wrote and dedicated to a Vietnamese mother.
 Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, president of the Vietnam Writers' Association, speaks at the opening ceremony. (Photo: baoninhbinh.org.vn) |
Poet Nguyen Manh Cuong of the Ninh Binh Literature and Arts Association said he was impressed by the theme ‘The Fatherland Soaring’ and the reading of poems from our ancestors to today.
“The poems that impressed me most were the ‘Country’ section from the epic poem by Nguyen Khoa Diem and the poem by a foreign poet about a mother in the words of her adopted daughter. The poem is so profound that I had to ponder it for a while to understand it,” said Cuong.
In addition to poetry readings, some well-known songs were performed whose lyrics were originally published as poems.