The Vietnam Writers’ Association and the Vietnam Institute of Literature under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences co-organized a seminar on “Nguyen Tien Thanh’s Poetry in the Movement of Contemporary Vietnamese Literature” on October 21.
The event gathered prominent poets, critics, and scholars to reflect on the poetic journey of Nguyen Tien Thanh, born in 1968 in the northern province of Phu Tho, now General Director of Vietnam Education Publishing House.
Thanh first gained recognition in the late 1980s as a leading voice in Hanoi’s student poetry scene.
His collection “Vien Ca” (The Distant Song), which won the 2024 Vietnam Writers’ Association Award, is regarded as a milestone in his creative path.
An overview of the seminar on “Nguyen Tien Thanh’s Poetry in the Movement of Contemporary Vietnamese Literature”
Speaking at the seminar, Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association, described Thanh’s verse as “fragrant like an agarwood tree, unchanged in form but rich in inner essence,” praising his subtle reflections and calm wisdom amid life’s turbulence.
Delegates at the seminar
Poet Nguyen Viet Chien noted Thanh’s rare ability to merge creation and criticism, treating poetry as “a language of salvation, not for the world, but for the poet himself.”
Nguyen Tien Thanh speaks at the event.
In his remarks, Nguyen Tien Thanh humbly shared that poetry, to him, belongs not to the writer but to readers’ emotions, where sincerity matters more than form.
The seminar concluded with vibrant exchanges affirming his unique place in contemporary Vietnamese poetry.
Translated by DO HUONG
VNQD