Proposal for a poetry street in Ho Chi Minh City.

On the morning of February 25th, at a press conference in Ho Chi Minh City to inform the public about Vietnam Poetry Day 2026, the Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, Trinh Bich Ngan, raised the issue of whether we should have a poetry street in Ho Chi Minh City.

Poems by poet Chế Lan Viên have been selected for design and display on the poetry street during Vietnam Poetry Day 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The 2026 Vietnam Poetry Day in Ho Chi Minh City, organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, has the theme "The Call of the New City ". The event will take place over three days, February 27th, 28th, and March 1st, at 81 Tran Quoc Thao Street, Xuan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.

Poetry brings cultural values.

This year marks the fourth time the organizers have maintained the poetry street as part of the activities for Vietnam Poetry Day. The President of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, Trinh Bich Ngan, regretted that the limited space meant only 12 poetry posters could be placed along the street.

These poems are a selection of representative works by 12 authors from the đổi mới (renovation) period, including Chế Lan Viên, Đỗ Nam Cao, Lê Xuân Đố, Nguyễn Thái Sơn, and others.

Ms. Trinh Bich Ngan hopes to have a poetry street in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: LINH DOAN

The organizers put in a lot of effort, from selecting the poems and designing the posters to printing them, but according to Ms. Ngan, it would be a waste to display them for only a few days and then put them away.

Ms. Ngan hopes we can make a plan, for example, to create a poetry street in Ho Chi Minh City for residents and tourists, which would be wonderful.

"Why don't we do it? For example, the poetry of Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Du, Ho Xuan Huong, Nguyen Dinh Chieu... many of their works have become cultural masterpieces of the world ."

"We can design these poems into bilingual versions, translating Vietnamese into English, French, Korean, or Chinese, which will further contribute to introducing cultural heritage to the public and tourists," Ms. Ngan emphasized.

Ms. Ngan said this isn't difficult, but if it can be done, it would be very useful. If tourists simply know a poem by Nguyen Du, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, etc., then we would have contributed to restoring a part of our culture that we sometimes forget, or that we sometimes don't have the opportunity to access.

The poem by poet Nguyen Thai Son is designed to be placed in the poetry section.

A call from the heart

Speaking to the press on the morning of February 25th, the organizing committee stated that 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of Saigon being renamed Ho Chi Minh City, and the 40th anniversary of the country's reform, with Ho Chi Minh City considered a prime example. Beyond economic reform, Ho Chi Minh City is also a land of innovation in literature and art, including many achievements in poetic innovation.

After the merger, Ho Chi Minh City has become a megacity, and the number of members of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers' Association has also increased to about 600, so many changes are sure to occur.

The call of the new urban center is not only related to geographical names but also implies a call from the heart, a call to literature, a call to artists and writers in a new phase of learning to harmonize with the community's rhythm, taking responsibility for society and the city's development.

As part of the Poetry Day event, a panel discussion on "Urban Poetry" will take place at 9:00 AM on February 27th, discussing the characteristics of poetry in Ho Chi Minh City.

Simultaneously, the seminar proposed solutions to make poetry more accessible to the public and to translate it internationally. The seminar brought together many familiar faces from various generations of poetry writers and researchers.

The "Tree of the Soul" translated poetry exhibition began on the morning of February 28th, showcasing poems translated into English, French, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and other languages. In addition, there will be a Q&A session with the translators.

The poetry camp showcases 36 poetry camps from clubs across Ho Chi Minh City, including clubs from the former Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces.

The camp took place from the afternoon of February 28th until March 1st. There were exchanges between clubs, awards for the most impressive poetry camps, and outstanding performances.

The "Call of the New City" poetry and music program took place on Sunday morning, March 1st, showcasing poems and songs set to poetry. The program was co-produced by the Ho Chi Minh City Drama Theatre and featured performances by singers Thanh Ngoc, Quoc Dai, Pham Khanh Ngoc, Lam Tuyen, and the Lac Viet group…

Following the poetry day, the organizers also launched a poetry competition with the theme "The Call of the New City ."

LINH DOAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/de-xuat-duong-tho-o-tphcm-20260225151332353.htm