Writer Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong has passed away.

On July 25th, the Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association, Nguyen Quang Thieu, announced the passing of writer Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong on July 24th, just a few days after the death of his wife, poet Lam Thi My Da. He was 87 years old.

Writer Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong was born on September 9, 1937, in Hue City. His ancestral home is in Bich Khe village, Trieu Long commune, Trieu Phong district, Quang Tri province.

After completing his secondary education in Hue, in 1960 he graduated from the first class of the Vietnamese-Chinese Studies program at Saigon Teacher Training University. In 1964, Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the Faculty of Literature at Hue University. From 1960 to 1966, he taught at Quoc Hoc Hue High School for the Gifted.

In 1978, he was admitted to the Vietnam Writers Association. He served as the General Secretary of the Binh Tri Thien-Hue Literature and Arts Association, the President of the Binh Tri Thien Literature and Arts Association, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Cua Viet magazine.

Writer Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong is the author of famous collections of essays such asMany lights(Vietnam Writers Association Award 1980-1981)The Mountain of Illusions, Peach Blossom Wine That Makes You Intoxicated Before Drinking, Fragrant Grassland(Awards from the National Committee of the Vietnam Union of Literary and Artistic Associations (1999, 2002, 2007)).

His most famous work isWho named the river?Written in Hue in 1981, it was once included in the high school literature curriculum.

In 2007, he was awarded the State Prize for Literature and Arts, along with his wife, the poet Lam Thi My Da.

In a general assessment of Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong's literary career, the Literature textbook for grade 12 states:Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong is one of the writers specializing in essays. A distinctive feature of his writing is the skillful combination of intellectual and lyrical elements, of sharp argumentation with multifaceted reflections synthesized from a rich knowledge of philosophy, culture, history, and geography... All of this is expressed through an introspective, concise, captivating, and masterful writing style.

Poet Ngo Minh remarked that Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong is one of the very few renowned essayists in our country in the last few decades:"Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong's essays captivate readers with their profound humanism, erudite intellect, and the enchanting, poetic essence of Hue. These are pages written with talent, artistry, and skill... In fact, Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong's essays are essentially captivating prose poems... Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong's poetry is the beauty of nostalgic sadness, philosophical anxieties, echoing from the depths of time and the land in the reader's heart."