"Keeping the flame of literature alive" for the younger generation.

Writer Nguyen Hien Luong - former Vice Chairman of the Yen Bai (old) Union of Literature and Arts Associations, currently the Head of the Poetry Branch of Lao Cai Province. Besides his writing activities, he diligently "keeps the flame" of literature alive in young hearts by accompanying students through various training courses.

At the Youth Literature Creation Training Classes organized by the Provincial Literature and Arts Association, students are not pressured by scores or constrained by standard writings. This is where they can write with their true feelings, share their thoughts about life and people, freely create their own world through their writings and listen to sincere comments from writers.

In charge of introducing local literature and sharing experiences in writing stories, memoirs and poems, writer Nguyen Hien Luong helped students gain a closer look at the province’s literary development journey. Through simple yet profound professional stories, he inspired many creative ideas in the students.

Writer Nguyen Hien Luong poses for a photo with students at the Young Writers' Creative Writing Training Course of the Provincial Association of Literature and Arts in 2025.

In each class, he imparted writing techniques and told stories about his life and career. Those were difficult days of writing, manuscripts full of crosses and erasures, and happy moments when he found words that touched his emotions. He taught that literature is first and foremost honesty - honesty with one's own experiences and personality. Literary creation is a difficult job, requiring passion, perseverance, and thoughtfulness.

He shared: “I advise you when you first write, don’t choose a topic that is too big, don’t try to imagine emotions. Write about things that are close to you: family, village, school, teachers, friends. If you write poetry, choose an appropriate poetic form. For those of you who are ethnic minorities, exploit the cultural identity, speech, way of thinking, and way of feeling of your people.”

With each student's essay, he patiently reads, comments on, and corrects them. Even though the writing may sometimes be clumsy and the ideas immature, he understands that behind it all is a growing soul. What he does is tap into the right emotional chord so that the students can find their own unique voice.

Thanks to thorough analysis and dedicated guidance, many students, after the class, were able to write mature sentences that touched the reader's emotions and conveyed profound messages about life, people, and their homeland.

Closing ceremony of the 2025 Young Writers' Training Course.

Writer Nguyen Hien Luong has devoted more than half of his life to literature and the province's literary and artistic activities. While in office, he was famous for being careful in his writing and serious in his management. Now, he continues to "keep the fire" of literature alive as a teacher - a responsibility that he considers sacred for writers to the younger generation.

I want to share my writing experience, hoping to inspire emotions and ignite a passion for creativity and a love of literature in the students.

Writer Nguyen Hien Luong

The reality is that fewer and fewer students view writing as a hobby. Amidst a turbulent life, academic pressure, and the explosion of technology, the time available for reading and writing is shrinking. Therefore, according to him, maintaining classes to nurture young writers is extremely valuable.

There, students are understood, share, and express their emotions freely. From this, they develop self-discipline in literary research and creation, form reading groups, exchange manuscripts, and share favorite passages. Literature, therefore, is transmitted naturally, without coercion.

The time spent in class may not have been enough for him to fully convey his passion. But it is certain that from those simple lessons, young people will emerge who know how to live beautifully, how to love, and how to see the world with an open heart.

For writer Nguyen Hien Luong, “keeping the flame of literature alive” is not a big deal. It is simply doing what you believe is right, with dedication and never-ending passion. It is that dedication that continues to ignite humanistic emotions in the hearts of students – the baggage for them to confidently step into the future.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/giu-lua-van-chuong-cho-the-he-tre-post888431.html