Contemporary Vietnamese Poetry: Both having national spirit and being able to dialogue with the world

According to poet Nguyen Tien Thanh, in a world that is swirling in data, faster than emotions and shorter than a six-eight verse, poetry still finds a way to exist in the human heart.

“In a world run by algorithms, poetry still travels with the heart,” that is the contemplation of poet Nguyen Tien Thanh when talking about contemporary Vietnamese poetry. In a world that is swirling in data, faster than emotions and shorter than a six-eight verse, he believes that poetry still finds a way to exist, like a small speck of dust in the memory of others.

On October 21, the Vietnam Writers Association and the Institute of Literature co-organized the seminar "Nguyen Tien Thanh's poetry in the movement of contemporary Vietnamese poetry" to discuss the poetics of Nguyen Tien Thanh - a writer who is leaving a prominent mark in contemporary poetry.

A poetic voice of 'school youth'

Poet Nguyen Tien Thanh was once a representative face of the student poetry movement at Hanoi University in the late 1980s. His poems were hand-copied and passed around in the lecture halls - simple, natural but filled with emotion and contemplation.

According to Dr. Ha Thanh Van, Vietnam Center for Promotion of Culture and Arts (COPAC), the "school youth" poetry genre once created a generation of poets with their own mark such as Hoang Nhuan Cam, Tran Hoa Binh, Truong Nam Huong, Do Trung Quan... In that poetry genre, Nguyen Tien Thanh is a special case.

Dr. Ha Thanh Van, Vietnam Center for Promotion of Culture and Arts (COPAC) speaks. (Photo: Contributor/Vietnam+)

Coming from the student poetry movement of the late 1980s, he has kept the spirit of "school youth" but not stopped at youth, but has transformed it into a vivid memory, a philosophical mindset of an experienced person.

Ms. Ha Thanh Van believes that studying Nguyen Tien Thanh's poetry is not only to sketch a portrait of a contemporary author, but also to contribute to illuminating the trends of Vietnamese poetry in the new period. That is the tendency of combining the individual and the community, between inner contemplation and social responsibility. This is also the basis to affirm his position in the current flow of poetry, as well as to broaden the perspective on poetry of journalists and cultural managers, a phenomenon that deserves attention in contemporary literary research.

“Nguyen Tien Thanh’s poetry opens up a world that is both intimate and full of thoughts. There, he not only speaks as an individual poet, but also as an echo of someone who has spent three decades in journalism, management, and now stands in the position of a cultural intellectual. His poetic world can be identified through four major streams: personal lyricism, contemplation of life, imbued with the breath of society, and memories of the homeland,” Dr. Ha Thanh Van assessed.

Some works by poet Nguyen Tien Thanh. (Photo: Minh Thu/Vietnam+)

Sharing the same view, poet Nguyen Viet Chien believes that in the history of contemporary literature, many authors have explained the role of poetry, but Nguyen Tien Thanh stands out in that he writes as both a composition, as critical reflection, and as a narrative epic.

“There, poetry is seen as a language of salvation, not for the world, but for the writer himself. The poet is in constant dialogue with memory, with language and existence, considering poetry as an act of survival, a way to hold on to the remaining human part,” said poet Nguyen Viet Chien.

Talking about Nguyen Tien Thanh's poetry, Associate Professor - Doctor Nguyen The Ky, Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, said that it is necessary to respect and encourage modern poets. Vietnamese poetry has the power to penetrate and influence human emotions and personality. Nguyen Tien Thanh's poetry is a special nuance that needs to be clarified by researchers, critics and academics.

How far can poetry go?

For poet Nguyen Tien Thanh, this discussion is not only about the poetry of an individual, but also about the journey of the Vietnamese language in modern times. We are not only preserving the literary heritage, but also challenging the limits of that language by asking the question: Can poetry go beyond the meaning of words?

Poet Nguyen Tien Thanh became famous for his "school youth" poems of the 80s. (Photo: CTV/Vietnam+)

He believed that poetry is not a way of expressing the world, but a way of the world revealing itself through a person trembling before it. Poetry is the moment when reason is forced to bow before an unnamed emotion. It is the moment when the writer is not looking for the truth, but only for a vibration that has not yet been translated into words.

“When the world is noisy, poetry quiets down. When the world is flat, poetry adds depth. When people are busy measuring value by views, poetry quietly preserves the elegance of things that can only be measured by heartbeats,” the poet expressed.

He believes that contemporary Vietnamese poetry is at a very interesting crossroads: it has both memory and technology; it has national spirit and can dialogue with the world. Each poet is a separate frequency channel - some transmit through nostalgia, some through aspiration, some through satire, some through silence. And thanks to that, the appearance of Vietnamese poetry today has become polyphonic, without needing any "mainstream" to still be able to create a flow.

Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association, said that Tien Thanh's poetry is like the agarwood tree - the leaves remain the same, the tree remains the same, but inside the tree's core accumulates a fragrant scent.

Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association, speaks at the seminar. (Photo: Contributor/Vietnam+)

“Tien Thanh’s poetry is like that, he goes through this life, the joys and sorrows, the inspirations, with an open eye to look at this life, giving him experiences and accumulations. It’s still the same style, no change in form, still very traditional but the romance and adventure are still like youth, but each day carries a bigger message, because it flows in the stream of thoughts. That’s why many friends when reading his poems before, received this collection of poems with surprise and contemplation. Poetry has many paths, Tien Thanh chose the path, going underground in life, until the day it was revealed,” commented poet Nguyen Quang Thieu./.

Poet Nguyen Tien Thanh, born in 1968 in Vinh Phuc, is a member of the Vietnam Writers Association and currently holds the position of General Director of the Vietnam Education Publishing House. Graduated from Hanoi University of Science, he taught there before switching to journalism and working for many years in the editing and creative profession.

Over more than three decades of being involved in literature, Nguyen Tien Thanh has published four collections of poetry: "Nameless afternoon like ink marks in the middle of life" (2021), "Chaos in writing" (2021), "Faraway song" (2024), "Eternal secret agreement" (2025); and two collections of essays "Time of the magazine" (2021) and "Poetry verses that do not need to save anyone but save the writer" (2025).

The poetry collection "Vien Ca" won the 2024 Vietnam Writers Association Award and is considered an important milestone in Nguyen Tien Thanh's creative journey.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/tho-viet-duong-dai-vua-co-tinh-than-dan-toc-vua-doi-thoai-duoc-voi-the-gioi-post1071671.vnp