President Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended a ceremony held on December 3 in the central province of Nghe An to honour the celebrated female poet Ho Xuan Huong (1822-1822), whose works called for equality for women.
An art performance at the programme to honour Ho Xuan Huong.
Originally born into a scholar family in Nghe An, Ho Xuan Huong grew up in Thang Long and her character was formed from the combination of the two regional cultures.
Her poems, written in vernacular Vietnamese, are not only a voice about women’s sufferings but also a voice calling for freedom and equality in a society where men dominated and women were suppressed.
Ho Xuan Huong’s works have been translated into more than 10 languages and studied widely in both Vietnam and abroad.
In November last year, UNESCO issued a resolution honouring Ho Xuan Huong and Nguyen Dinh Chieu, another celebrated Vietnamese poet, along with dozens of notable cultural figures around the world.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc stated that Ho Xuan Huong is an exceptionally talented poet and a unique phenomenon of Vietnamese literature in the pre-modern period.
Her poems contain many profound and fresh issues of the time, carrying both elegance and rebellion, reflecting a humane spirit, with the struggle for women’s rights to live, love and be happy at the core, said the State leader.
Nghe An Secretary Thai Thanh Quy affirmed that the ceremony is an occasion to further treasure the legacy that Ho Xuan Huong left for the later generations, adding that her ideas should be promoted in the building of an advanced Vietnamese culture, imbued with national identity.
For his part, UNESCO Representative to Vietnam Christian Manhart thanked Nghe An Province for organising a series of events celebrating Ho Xuan Huong and her cultural values to the world.
On the occasion, Manhart handed over the UNESCO resolution on honouring the Vietnamese poet to the leaders of Nghe An Province.
