"Writing about soldiers and war has always been a part of my life..."

QTO - In the final days of 2025, Colonel and poet Nguyen Huu Quy, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association branch in Quang Tri province, excellently won first prize in the poetry writing competition "With the Party, complete faith and love" organized by the Voice of Vietnam Radio. The pride of the nation confidently entering a new era blended with personal joy on the eve of the Lunar New Year 2026 (Year of the Horse). Poet Nguyen Huu Quy took the time to have a friendly exchange with reporters from Quang Tri Newspaper and Radio and Television.

- Interviewer: Congratulations to poet Nguyen Huu Quy on his recent outstanding award. You have won many major awards from the central government, ministries, and departments, but surely this award has brought you very special feelings?

- Poet Nguyen Huu Quy: As a writer, I have won many awards, but this is the first time I have received a literary award from the Voice of Vietnam Radio . The competition was launched with a very timely theme, "With the Party, complete faith and love," right before the 14th National Party Congress—a historical milestone for the nation to enter a new era. It can be said that the competition has given me strong inspiration. From those emotions and my experiences of life in the past and present, I composed and submitted a series of poems titled "The Fatherland as a Mother's Waiting; Our Uncle Ho." And I am very happy that my work was highly appreciated by the judging panel and awarded first prize in this very meaningful writing competition.

Poet Nguyen Huu Quy (second from the right) receives first prize in the poetry writing competition "With the Party, complete faith and love" - ​​Photo courtesy of the author.

- Interviewer: Could the poet share more about the messages conveyed in the award-winning collection of poems mentioned above?

- Poet Nguyen Huu Quy: For me, the Vietnamese Fatherland has gone through fierce wars to regain independence, freedom, and protect the country as it is today. In that struggle, many outstanding sons and daughters fell, and they will never be forgotten; they will live on with the Fatherland, live on in the hearts of the people. And the Fatherland today, the Fatherland tomorrow, is like a mother waiting for her sacrificed children to return. From that idea, from that emotion, I wrote the poem "The Fatherland is like a mother waiting."

The poem connects the past and the present, the heroic years and the tragic years of fighting to win lasting independence and peace for the nation today. And I see that those soldiers still live on and return in our sorrow and pride, in our thoughts and consciousness. “And so there is still a station waiting/for the sons in military uniforms to return/The homeland of tomorrow remains distant in the mother's eyes/gazing to the horizon, waiting for rebirth” (The Homeland as a Mother Awaits).

In the poem "Our Uncle Ho," Uncle Ho is the man of the people, a great leader, yet also incredibly simple and familiar to the Vietnamese people. Therefore, I concluded the poem by writing: "Our Uncle Ho, the man of the people / with his thin hands, who once covered the cannon barrels / who once placed a vast Lantern Festival boat / so that the full moon's light will forever remain."

- Interviewer: After the merger, many opportunities have opened up for writers and poets in Quang Tri in a new creative space. How do you assess these new opportunities for the creative community of your hometown?

- Poet Nguyen Huu Quy: The Vietnam Writers Association branch in Quang Tri province was established by merging the branches of the former Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces. After the merger, not only did the number of members increase, but the creative space also expanded. As we know, Quang Tri is a land with many relics and traces of its historical past, especially the resistance war against the US to save the country. Quang Tri currently possesses strong potential and a powerful outlook towards the future with great confidence.

People, history, the past, and the present are intertwined, and this is the source of inspiration and material for writers and poets to delve into, contemplate, and reflect upon in order to create new works. First, they write about their homeland, then move to a larger space—Vietnam as a whole—and further expand to humanity. From this land, I believe that with the passion and talent of each writer and poet across generations, a "harmonious symphony" of literary creation will be formed.

Portrait of poet Nguyen Huu Quy - Photo courtesy of VNCC

- Interviewer: In reality, while the theme of soldiers has been explored extensively recently, there is a lack of outstanding works that leave a lasting impression, especially among writers in Quang Tri province. As the head of the Vietnam Writers Association branch in Quang Tri province, how do you assess this situation?

- Poet Nguyen Huu Quy: The theme of the armed forces and soldiers is a major one. Although the era of writing about revolutionary war and soldiers becoming the central image of literature may have passed, in reality, this theme still holds appeal. In my opinion, it remains an important theme for Vietnamese literature, especially for writers born in Quang Tri province.

In recent times, there haven't been many works about war and soldiers that have made a deep and outstanding impact on the literary scene. That's not to say there aren't any. For example, there's "The Silent Old Ferry Crossing" by the late writer Xuan Duc, and more recently, the novel "The Tuyến River" by writer Van Xuong... But they still aren't enough to highlight the significance of the war, especially in the heroic land of Quang Tri.

First and foremost, there needs to be a change in the mindset of writers themselves. We should not only write about the battles fought by soldiers in the past, but also about the soldiers who are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the people in the cause of defending the homeland and building the country today. This change must also go hand in hand with a commensurate investment from each writer.

The creative work of writers is unique and individual in nature. However, to produce excellent works about soldiers, support from the government and the military is still essential to create an environment and context that stimulates creativity. This includes the conditions for immersing oneself in reality and researching the subject matter. And when an outstanding work is produced, it deserves timely and appropriate praise.

- Interviewer: Could you please share your upcoming plans, both for yourself and the Quang Tri Provincial Branch of the Vietnam Writers Association?

- Poet Nguyen Huu Quy: In the future, besides expanding on themes about contemporary life, people, and love, I will always pay attention to writing about soldiers, because this theme has become ingrained in my blood and flesh, a part of my life and soul. I will focus on writing about today's soldiers who are protecting the islands and borders, present in the most difficult places, in relation to their love for their country and homeland.

Colonel and poet Nguyen Huu Quy (born 1956), originally from Quang Binh province (formerly), was the Head of the Poetry Department of the Army Literature and Arts Magazine. He currently lives and works in Quang Tri. He has won many awards in major competitions and campaigns, such as: the poem "Aspiration for Truong Son" won second prize (no first prize awarded) in the poetry competition of the Army Literature and Arts Magazine; the poetry collection and epic poem "Red Chapters" won the B prize in the writing competition about wounded soldiers and martyrs organized by the former Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs in coordination with the Vietnam Writers Association...

Following the merger, the Vietnam Writers Association branch in Quang Tri province hopes to receive more attention from the leadership and government, thereby creating better conditions for writers and poets to create. In particular, to produce good works about soldiers, writers need more opportunities to delve deeper into reality. Hopefully, in the future, with a new context, a broader and deeper area of ​​activity, and more material, Quang Tri writers and poets will be enthusiastic and invest appropriately in their creative endeavors.

- Interviewer: Thank you, poet Nguyen Huu Quy, for this interesting interview!

Mai Nhan (compiled)

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/van-hoa/202601/viet-ve-nguoi-linh-ve-chien-war-luon-la-mot-phan-cuoc-song-cua-toi-5d21a83/