A literary life dedicated entirely to childhood.

On the day of the awards ceremony, while listening to the comments on my work, I was deeply impressed by her gentle, encouraging, and insightful reading voice. Later, when I worked at VOV, she became a regular contributor to the children's arts and culture programs I was in charge of, helping me to understand more about her life and her writings.

Writer Le Phuong Lien during a Q&A session with children at the "Reading with Your Child" Club.

People of Hang Street

In intimate conversations with writer Le Phuong Lien, she often mentioned her maternal grandmother, a woman from Hanoi who once lived on Hang Bac Street. This street was once famous for its silver trading, associated with the saying: "A girl from Hang Bac Street is worth half the price," reflecting the refined and thoughtful nature of Hanoi women of the past. Memories of her grandmother's demeanor and lifestyle were deeply ingrained in her mind and significantly influenced her personality and thinking.

“My family lived on the busiest street in Hanoi at the time, but our lifestyle was very simple. My maternal grandmother, a native Hanoi woman, was widowed in her early thirties and single-handedly raised seven children by trading back and forth. All of her children were raised and educated successfully; her two sons became government officials, and her daughters became teachers. She was very literate but possessed an extraordinary literary talent; she knew “The Tale of Kieu” by heart and often lulled her grandchildren to sleep with verses from it…” – writer Le Phuong Lien began her story about her grandmother in this way.

Thus, Lien's childhood was spent living near her grandmother, being cared for and taught by her. During the war against the Americans, when she was just over ten years old, Lien had to evacuate with her grandmother, and after her mother's early death, her maternal grandmother became an even greater source of emotional support for Le Phuong Lien.

In writer Le Phuong Lien's memory, her grandmother was always a quintessential Hanoi woman. No matter the circumstances, she always managed to provide her family with an orderly life. Even in difficult times, she always wore an ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) when going out, and always brought back sugarcane or rice crackers from the market as gifts for her grandchildren. This fairy-like grandmother also personally prepared delicious and appealing dishes such as salted eggs, shrimp paste, Northern-style fish soup, pickled cucumbers and eggplants, and glutinous rice balls and vegetarian cakes for the Cold Food Festival, then packed them into lunchboxes for her children to take home...

It was the years spent with her beloved grandmother that shaped the lifestyle and way of thinking of writer Le Phuong Lien. Therefore, she always maintained her thoughtfulness, warmth, love, and loyalty not only to her family but also to her students, colleagues, and everyone around her.

Nurturing a love for literature that grows stronger.

During her years at Nguyen Du Primary School (Ly Thai To Street, Hoan Kiem District) and Trung Vuong Secondary School (Hang Bai Street, Hoan Kiem District), Le Phuong Lien was always an all-around excellent student (A1) and was once praised by President Ho Chi Minh. At the age of 14, she left her childhood home on Hang Bac Street to evacuate and then attended Thuan Thanh High School ( Bac Ninh Province ).

In the 1967-1968 school year, she won an honorable mention in the Northern region's national literature competition for gifted students. In 1971, after graduating with honors in Mathematics and Physics from Hanoi Teacher Training College, the young woman from Hang Street became a teacher, assigned to teach at Yen So Secondary School in Thanh Tri District, on the outskirts of Hanoi.

From her years at Hanoi Teacher Training College, Le Phuong Lien seriously nurtured her passion for writing. At just 18 years old, she submitted the manuscript of her short story "Courage" to Kim Dong Publishing House. In 1970, while still a final-year student, she was introduced by Kim Dong Publishing House to participate in the Ministry of Education 's literary writing camp.

It was here that the future young teacher wrote two works: the novella "The First Rays of Sunshine" (Kim Dong Publishing House, 1971) and the short story "A Child's Question" - a work that later won second prize (no first prize awarded) in the writing contest on "The Teacher and the Socialist School".

After becoming a teacher at Yen So Secondary School, her years spent in this suburban area became the inspiration for her novella "Wildflowers," first published in 2005 and reprinted in 2016.

Not stopping there, during her time teaching at Yen So Secondary School, she continued to write and her novella "When Spring Comes" was published by Kim Dong Publishing House (1973). A year later, Le Phuong Lien officially became a member of the Hanoi Literary and Artistic Association - the predecessor of the Hanoi Writers Association, now the Hanoi Union of Literature and Arts.

Later, she was sent to study at the School for Young Writers organized by the Vietnam Writers Association. During this time, she wrote the short story "The White Powder Flower," which was later published in the Literature and Arts Newspaper and won an Encouragement Prize in the 1975 short story competition.

The fact that a secondary school teacher consecutively received many prestigious literary awards made her a "phenomenon" in the literary circles of the time. After 9 years working at Yen So Secondary School, in 1980, Le Phuong Lien officially transferred to Kim Dong Publishing House, under the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, as an editor.

Just one year later, she was awarded the "For the Young Generation" Medal by the Central Committee of the Youth Union for her two works, "The First Rays of Sunshine" and "When Spring Comes." That same year, she became a member of the Vietnam Writers Association.

From 1995 to 2010, writer Le Phuong Lien held many important roles at the Vietnam Writers Association, successively serving as a member of the Children's Literature Committee, Deputy Head, and then Head of the Children's Literature Committee, continuously contributing to the development of children's literature.

"Direct your gaze and thoughts towards beauty."

Looking back at the tireless contributions of writer Le Phuong Lien to teaching and literary creation, it is clear that she always possessed a spirit of learning and a relentless drive for progress.

In 1982, immediately after completing a training course in Child Psychology and Education in the German Democratic Republic, she passed the entrance exam and enrolled in a part-time program in Literature at Hanoi University. Despite being busy with her professional work and family, she continued to write diligently.

During the 1980s and 1990s, she published several short story collections such as "The White Powder Flower," "The Painting Still to Be Painted," "Little Swallow," and the novella "Wildflower." Entering the 21st century, even though she is over 50 years old, she continues to explore and expand the scope of her writing.

Besides traditional short story collections like "The Day I Go to School" and "Autumn Stream," she also tried her hand at novels and fantasy stories. Representative works from this period include: "The Song of Happiness," "The Adventures of the Puppet," and "The Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree and Three Children."

In 2007, after leaving her editorial job at Kim Dong Publishing House, she continued to be involved in activities for children, serving as the Executive Director of the "Doraemon Children's Education Support Fund" for nearly 20 years (1996 - 2015).

After retiring, she continued to hold many important positions in the Vietnam Writers Association: 5 years as a member of the Specialized Literature Committee (in charge of children's literature), 5 years as Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Children's Literature Committee, and from 2022 to the present as a member of the Children's Literature Council.

At the age of 70, writer Le Phuong Lien released her historical novel "Female Writers in Times of Turmoil" (Women's Publishing House), a significant milestone in her tireless creative journey.

With a mindset focused on beauty, writer Le Phuong Lien left behind literary works rich in poetry, promoting goodness and brimming with love for nature and humanity. She once shared: "For me, nature is a support for the soul. In all my works, I allow people to harmonize with nature and the earth."

In 2025, at the age of 74, writer Le Phuong Lien continues to write diligently and actively participate in the activities of the Vietnam Writers Association. She also regularly updates her personal page with her thoughts, reflections, and beautiful moments of nature.

Having dedicated her entire life to children's literature, the precious gift that writer Le Phuong Lien received in return was a soul that remained youthful, intelligent, gentle, and pure, and the pages of her writing that have accompanied her through the years of her life...

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nha-van-le-phuong-lien-mot-doi-van-danh-tron-cho-tuoi-tho-697402.html