Vietnam to host international poetry festival

Eighty poets from 27 countries are expected to join 40 Vietnamese colleagues to take part in the first Asia-Pacific poetry festival in the northern province of Quang Ninh from February 1-3.
This information was announced by Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, Vice President of the Vietnam Writers’ Association, at a press briefing in Hanoi on January 6.
Among them are poet Ahn Kyung Hwan who translated the late President Ho Chi Minh’s poems into Korean, and poet Soukhee Norasilp from Laos, both familiar to many Vietnamese poetry lovers.
According to Thieu, the Asia Pacific Poetry Festival will be held at nearly the same time as the 10th Vietnam Poetry Day, which is on February 5.
The event aims to promote literature exchange and highlight people’s beauty via poems.
On the occasion, a seminar will also be held under the theme “Poetry for peace, friendship and development in the Asia Pacific region.”.