The Vietnamese Haiku Poetry Club - Hue Ancient Capital is a place for Haiku poetry lovers to meet, share their creations and together spread the Vietnamese - Japanese cultural bridge.

Bringing Hue and Vietnam into Haiku poetry

During a poetry exchange between the Huong Giang Poetry Club, Hue and the Haiku Poetry Club of Vietnam - Hanoi , Mr. Dinh Nhat Hanh, Chairman of the Haiku Poetry Club of Vietnam - Hanoi, introduced a very short but evocative poetry form. He said, reading Haiku seems simple, but "the more you think about it, the more interesting it becomes", the more you listen, the more depth it opens up. It was from that meeting that the idea of ​​establishing the Haiku Poetry Club of Vietnam - Hue Ancient Capital was inspired.

At the end of 2020, the club was established with 27 members. To date, the club has 56 members, including teachers, doctors, engineers, artists, students... The diversity of members creates a colorful community of poetry lovers.

Not only a place for composing and sharing, the Club also published 5 books about Haiku, of which the most prominent is “Lighting the Torch by the Perfume River”. This is the first book of poems to affirm the presence of Haiku in the ancient capital. It is expected that by the end of this year, the Club will release the yearbook Haiku Viet - Hue, recording the creative journey and achievements of its members.

Mr. Le Ba Duc, Chairman of the Club, shared: “At first, I was just curious when reading some Haiku poems. But the more I learned, the more I was attracted by the conciseness and sophistication. I wanted to try to put Hue and Vietnam into Haiku poetry to see how the very familiar things could be expressed in such a short form.”

In addition to the theme of friendship, the Haiku Club of Vietnam - Hue Ancient Capital also depicts nature and daily life. Familiar images such as the moon on Ngu Binh peak, the distant sound of bells, the figure of an old mother... are introduced into Haiku with a simple yet profound language, making the poetry of the land of cherry blossoms become closer to the Vietnamese soul.

Continuing the bridge

If the older members find peace in Haiku, the younger members come with eagerness to explore . Tran Thi Phuong Thuong, a young member of the Haiku Poetry Club of Vietnam - Hue Ancient Capital, confided: "I love learning new things. When I heard about the Haiku poetry form, I wondered why this poetry form was so special. Curiosity brought me to the Club, and then I realized that this poetry form is extremely short but full of meaning."

Through these activities, Phuong Thuong learned more about Japanese culture, and at the same time, contemplated more deeply about Hue and Vietnamese culture. For Thuong, Haiku is both a “relaxing playground” and a place to practice her talents. “I hope that in the future, more people will know about Haiku, helping them understand more about Japan and become more attached to their homeland,” Thuong said.

Not only Phuong Thuong, many other young people also find newness in Haiku. They compose, share, and experiment with their own ways of expression, making the Haiku poetry in Hue increasingly polyphonic. Meanwhile, dedicated members like Mr. Nguyen Dac Trung consider the extremely short Japanese poetry as a spiritual support. He confided: "Each Haiku poem opens up a moment of silence for contemplation, helping me maintain balance in modern life."

After 5 years, the Haiku movement in Hue has proven its enduring vitality. From a few dozen initial members, the Club has now become a close-knit community, where poetry lovers come to share, to calm down and to build cultural bridges together. Not only members directly in Hue, the Club also has members participating online from many other localities, creating a wide connection and helping Haiku poetry spread more strongly.

In Hue, where the Perfume River and Ngu Mountain have left their mark on Vietnamese poetry, Haiku poetry quietly “blossoms”. These short, delicate verses contribute to enriching the homeland’s literature, and at the same time become a lasting “bridge” connecting the two cultures of Vietnam and Japan.

During its operation, the Haiku Poetry Club of Vietnam - Hue Ancient Capital has been recognized many times. On the occasion of the 2nd anniversary of its establishment, the Club and its Chairman Le Ba Duc were awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association of the city. In January 2024, the Club continued to be awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Union of Friendship Organizations of the province (now Hue City). Ms. Do Thi My Chau, President of the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association of Hue City, commented: "The Haiku Poetry Club of Vietnam - Hue Ancient Capital has shown enthusiasm and perseverance. Not only composing, the Club members also actively contribute to friendly exchanges, building a cultural bridge between the two countries".

Bach Chau

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/noi-nhip-cau-van-hoa-viet-nhat-158657.html