Exhibition of Classical Vietnamese Zen Poetry at Van Lang University

Speaking at the event, Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thi My Dieu – Principal of Van Lang University – emphasized the role of the school in nurturing a generation of well-rounded citizens. She said that the exhibition was carried out with care in every detail, aiming to fully convey the spirit of Zen poetry and spread the message of responsibility to preserve and promote Vietnamese cultural values to the world .

The exhibition featured the presence of poet Nguyen Duy – a great writer of contemporary literature, currently working at Van Lang University. Accompanying him was Professor, poet Nguyen Ba Chung – a Vietnamese-American critic and translator, who has been devoted to the project for the past 20 years. In addition, the event also featured researcher Duong Trung Quoc, an influential scholar in the history community, and writer and director Nguyen Thi Kim Phuong – who has made many contributions to Vietnamese literature and cinema.

The exhibition not only displays poetry but also evokes the spirit of Zen, Eastern philosophical values and humanistic philosophy of life in the context of modernization. The exhibition introduces 30 copies of valuable poetry pages from two outstanding poetry collections:

Ly - Tran Zen Poetry (2000–2005): Selected and translated into Quoc Ngu by Nguyen Duy and Nguyen Ba Chung, translated into English by Nguyen Ba Chung and American poet Kevin Bowen.

Le - Nguyen Zen Poetry (2007–2019): Selected and translated into Vietnamese by Nguyen Duy and Nguyen Ba Chung, translated into English by Nguyen Ba Chung and American poet Sam Hamill.

This unique anthology introduces more than 60 Zen poems, selected from the treasure of more than 1,000 years of Vietnamese literature, and translated from Chinese into the lục bát form - a poetic form with national identity, expressing the spirit of Zen in modern life. The project is the result of a process of artistic labor and cross-national cultural exchange.

The highlight of the exhibition is the large-format collection of Ly-Tran Zen poems (80x110 cm, 80 pages thick), a unique publication hand-printed on traditional Do paper. Each page of poetry is accompanied by illustrations made by poet Nguyen Duy himself at sacred places such as Yen Tu bamboo forest - where King Tran Nhan Tong practiced. Each page of poetry - each frame is a slice of culture, evoking the harmonious and profound philosophy of life of the Vietnamese people.

Over the past two decades, from the first exhibition at the Ho Chi Minh City General Science Library (May 19, 2025) to the Temple of Literature (Hanoi), from Boston (USA) to Potsdam (Germany), classical Vietnamese Zen poetry has transcended all geographical boundaries, telling the profound story of the nation in the language of silence, enlightenment and compassion.

This exhibition at Van Lang University not only continues that journey, but also marks a new development step to spread the Zen spirit throughout theeducational space, contributing to fostering cultural depth and shaping the personality of the young generation.

Poet Nguyen Duy shared: “I hope the exhibition will bring Van Lang University students an understanding of national culture, which will gradually permeate into action. Respecting nature, respecting people and respecting cultural lifestyles – that is how one becomes a complete human being. The spirit of Zen is a spirit of culture and order.”

Established in 1995 and named after the first national name of the Vietnamese people, Van Lang University is steadfast in its philosophy of “learning through experience”, aiming to train comprehensive learners – with ethics, lifelong learning, influence and positive contributions to society. Every year, the University organizes nearly 1,000 academic, artistic and community service activities – many of which arouse and spread Vietnamese cultural values. Students have the opportunity to approach and experience intangible cultural heritages such as Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs, Southern amateur music, Thai Xoe, and Central Highlands gongs through regularly organized thematic exchange programs. These activities not only recreate traditional cultural spaces but also contribute to preserving and promoting heritage values in the university environment.
Van Lang University is one of the largest private universities in the country, with more than 145,000 students choosing to study here in the past 30 years. The school currently has more than 130 training programs from undergraduate to doctoral levels, in a variety of fields such as Business & Management, Arts - Design, Law - Social Sciences - Humanities - Communication, Technology - Engineering, Architecture, Tourism and Health Sciences; and a wide network of international partners in 25 countries, 04 continents.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Chuyen-dong-van-hoa/trien-lam-tho-thien-co-dien-viet-nam-tai-truong-dai-hoc-van-lang-i768941/