Author Lam Long Ho breaks free from his own limitations.

Lam Long Ho, a young poet from An Giang, has just released his poetry collection "Fragrance" (Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House), featuring concise, meaningful poems with multiple layers of emotion. Reporters from Can Tho Newspaper and Radio & Television had a conversation with Lam Long Ho about this collection.

Photo: DUY KHOI

Lam Long Ho specializes in Haiku poetry and achieved success with his first collection, "Look at Me with Closed Eyes." With "Fragrance," the essence of Haiku poetry seems even more profound?

- Honestly, Haiku poetry has helped me learn how to condense and refine details and imagery when incorporating them into poetry; to grasp precious poetic images. This genre of poetry has also trained me to write in a simple, unpretentious way, yet with multiple layers of meaning. Haiku poetry is like a pair of eyes that allows me to observe the world around me, seeing things that others often overlook or disregard.

I write very slowly. This poetry collection is a milestone marking over 10 years of writing, a memento of my own experiences, with both good and bad moments, and even some regrets. This collection is not only my own effort but also the effort of the Union of Literature and Arts Associations of An Giang Province to fulfill its responsibility to its members and the local community.

In "Fragrance," there's a touch of contemplation, a glimpse into life with thoughts that seem to want to break free from all constraints, and perhaps a hint of rebelliousness?

- The narrator in the collection "Fragrance" constantly seeks to break free from themselves, from the constraints of genre and form. The "eccentricity" of the narrator can be understood as an unwavering sincerity to the very core of their being. Faced with outdated stereotypes, prejudices, and preconceived notions, the narrator seeks to transcend, to escape these obsolete constraints in order to create truly valuable works of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. This is also the individual's style, expressed to affirm their value and personal imprint in each page of their writing.

But behind that lies a lonely self, in need of listening and understanding. In a rapidly developing society, the inner life of individuals seems to be overwhelmed by material comforts. This could also be understood as a deep sigh of relief, a way to regain balance and continue living.

"Fragrance" evokes a wide range of emotions, giving the feeling of owning a unique, limited-edition poetic work. On this occasion, as a young author, could Lam Long Ho share some of his perspectives on young authors working with AI in poetry?

- Undeniably, in creative writing, AI is becoming increasingly "intelligent" and skilled. However, for a human writer, you can fool everyone else, but you can't fool yourself. I once used AI to write a political essay, and the feeling of being condemned by my conscience still lingers.

As the poet Xuan Dieu wrote: "I am One, I am Unique, I am the First," each person is a unique entity with no duplicates. When a distinctive style is created and writing is achieved, I believe each author becomes a very unique individual, unlike anyone else. Artificial intelligence can read, learn, and create copies, but it cannot express "eccentricity," "pain," and many other forms of emotion.

Furthermore, if AI could also write what I write, then I would lack individuality and uniqueness. Facing products signed with my name but not written by me would be unpleasant!

Author Lam Long Ho, born in 1989, currently works at Chieu Anh Cac Magazine (An Giang province). He won first prize in the 2019 Vietnam-Japan Haiku Poetry Writing Contest. His poetry collection "Fragrance" contains 70 poems, including "Occasionally," which recently won first prize in the Poetry and Songwriting Contest on Vietnamese Poetry Day 2026, organized by the Union of Literature and Arts Associations of An Giang province.

Thank you, Lam Long Ho!

DANG HUYNH (Compiled)

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/tac-gia-lam-long-ho-but-pha-khoi-gioi-han-ban-than-a203650.html