Asia Pacific Poetry Festival 2015

Last night (March 2) at the Hanoi Opera House, the Vietnam Writers Association opened the 2nd Asia Pacific Poetry Festival.

Female poet from Slovakia reads and translates Ho Xuan Huong's poems

In the form of exchanges and poetry readings, Vietnamese poets such as Y Phuong, Anh Ngoc, Bang Viet, Nguyen Trong Tao... and international poets from Poland, Egypt, China, India, England, Slovakia... presented their works in their mother tongue and in English.

International poets also expressed their admiration for Vietnamese medieval poets such as Ho Xuan Huong, Nguyen Du... by reading some short poems or excerpts in Vietnamese.

Interspersed with poetry readings are traditional music performances with the To Rung zither ensemble, the rice drum dance, and the Ao Dai fashion show, aiming to introduce to international friends the typical, long-standing cultural features of Vietnam.

Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, Vice President of the Vietnam Writers Association, said that in many forms, with many different inspirations and styles, Vietnamese and international poets all express their love of poetry through their tone and language.

According to the poet, although there is still a large language gap, the love of poetry and the desire for peace are still the common spirit of the two poetry nights in Hanoi and Quang Ninh.

Mr. Thieu said: “Every culture or poetry has its own unique beauty. When that beauty comes to another nation, it only makes that nation thicker with another beauty. The spirit of poetry this year, the entire Asia-Pacific Poetry Festival, we will introduce the theme of peace, about the independence and freedom of the Fatherland. Secondly, the poets tonight will present the beauty of life through the beauty of Vietnamese poetic language. And there is compassion, sharing, love, dedication and beautiful dreams for their country.”

The Asia-Pacific Poetry Festival is one of three events, alongside the 3rd Literature Promotion Conference and the 13th Vietnam Poetry Day.

This event was attended by 150 delegates from 41 countries around the world, with the desire to promote Vietnamese literature to many friends around the world through signing, cooperation and translation exchange activities.

Tonight (March 3), the Asia-Pacific Poetry Festival will have an international poetry night in Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province.

According to VOV