With its new scale and the combined talent of artists and writers from three regions, Ho Chi Minh City's literature and arts are affirming their important role in the cultural flow of the country. Poetry plays a crucial role in this, especially the beauty of poetry connected with modern urban life.
The reality is that, even after 24 years of organization, the Vietnamese Poetry Day still retains its unique characteristics specific to each locality. And the Vietnamese Poetry Day in Ho Chi Minh City, from its very beginning, has had a unique feature not found anywhere else: it's a community cultural event. While the scale and location may vary each year, the distinctive features—from poetry tents and poetry exchanges to poetry performances and theatrical presentations among poetry clubs, groups, and poetry lovers—are always a hallmark of Ho Chi Minh City's Poetry Day.
The Vietnamese Poetry Day in Ho Chi Minh City has revealed a reality: a true poetry day is a festival of poetry. It's not just a place for poets to showcase their rhyming talents, but an opportunity to connect the public with poetry. Therefore, while the "ceremonial" aspect is necessary, the "festival" aspect is the most important. Poetry lovers come to Poetry Day not to expect to find outstanding verses, because such verses, if they exist, wouldn't only appear on Poetry Day. People come to Poetry Day to immerse themselves in the poetic atmosphere, to talk about poetry, to read poetry to fellow poets, and to listen to new poems from their friends. Some have likened the main content of Poetry Day to the poetry itself, while the props are the poets. Although the poets may not be able to "perform" like professional artists, their awkwardness when reading and talking about poetry leaves a unique mark on each Vietnamese Poetry Day in Ho Chi Minh City.
Entering a new era, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture, and the Government issued Decree No. 350/2025/ND-CP on regulations encouraging the development of literature, meaning that Vietnamese Poetry Day deserves even more attention. For Ho Chi Minh City specifically, this year's Poetry Day, besides the excitement of new participants, also reflects an issue that needs consideration. While the number of artists and writers has increased significantly, the venue – the courtyard of the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Literary and Artistic Associations (81 Tran Quoc Thao Street, Xuan Hoa Ward) – has long been overcrowded. Perhaps it's time to consider some new locations that could be used to organize the annual Poetry Day, especially since the city has recently added several parks in very beautiful and convenient locations.
Furthermore, there's another issue that poets and organizers of Poetry Day are reluctant to mention, but which is a major obstacle to organization: funding. A community-based festival receives very modest investment, only a few tens of millions of dong, while the mechanism for social mobilization remains a distant prospect. If Poetry Day is to be considered a socio-cultural event, then the financial problem needs to be addressed fundamentally and thoroughly.
Vietnamese Poetry Day in Ho Chi Minh City has contributed to diversifying and enriching the cultural enjoyment habits of the people in this major southern city. The annual Poetry Day also serves as a profound reminder to poets of their professional responsibility, as Nguyen Du once reminded them: "With a hundred conflicting thoughts in my heart, I must find the most exquisite verses to express my true nature."
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ve-dep-thi-ca-noi-vung-dat-phuong-nam-post840478.html
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