"Playground" for those who love Tang Dynasty poetry Thanh Nam

Tang poetry is considered a "scholarly" form of poetry because of its strict rules on structure (mostly seven-word eight-line verse, seven-word quatrain), rhyme, rhythm, and antithesis. The composer must be able to play with words, use metaphors, symbols, and other figures of speech subtly, understand the rules of phonetics, and have the ability to create within the strict limits of the genre. Over the years, the Nam Dinh City Tang Poetry Association has had many practical activities, connecting like-minded poetic souls, meeting the needs and aspirations, and becoming a playground for those who are passionate about this form of poetry.

Works by members of the Nam Dinh City Tang Luat Poetry Association are displayed in the space of Vietnam Poetry Day in Nam Dinh province in 2025.

Mr. Le Van Nhuong, Chairman of the Nam Dinh City Tang Luat Poetry Association, said: The predecessor of the Association is the Nam Dinh City Tang Luat Poetry Club, established in 2005. Currently, the Association has 16 members, most of whom are retired officials, civil servants, and teachers, the oldest of whom is 90 years old. The Association maintains regular monthly meetings, shares newly composed works, comments, and gives each other feedback, contributing to improving the quality of art. The creative themes are free and diverse, about people, nature, life, outlook on life, philosophy of life, history, and love for the country. The Club also launches creative campaigns associated with events: celebrating the Party, celebrating spring, celebrating the renewal of the homeland, major national holidays, political and cultural events of the province and city, etc. for members to express their thoughts and feelings through verses, joining the development flow of the homeland and the country; Encourage members to participate in composing for the internal magazine of the Provincial Tang Luat Poetry Association; the anthology of Vietnamese Tang Luat Poetry; the special magazine of the Vietnamese Tang Luat Poetry Association. Organize training classes and field trips for practical composition so that members can experience and inspire their writing. In addition, the Association regularly organizes exchange activities with the Tang Luat Poetry Associations of localities in the province; creates conditions for members to participate in the annual National Tang Luat Poetry Festival in provinces and cities; participates in displaying works at the Tet Market "A Glimpse of Thanh Nam", Vietnam Poetry Day of Nam Dinh province, etc.

Teacher and poet Pham Hong Quang is one of the senior members of the Association. At the age of 88, he has composed more than 1,500 works of Tang poetry with themes: celebrating the Party, celebrating spring, celebrating the renewal of the homeland, events through each historical period of the country, family affection, life ideals... In 2015, he published the collection of poems "Non nuoc tinh doi" (Literature Publishing House). In 2023, teacher and poet Pham Hong Quang was honored by the Vietnam Tang Poetry Association as a member with over 1,000 Tang poetry poems. Mr. Tran Van Quy, born in 1949, is a lover of literature and art, spending a lot of time researching genres: novels, stage plays, short stories, essays, poems... He has composed over 2,000 poems of various genres, including nearly 1,000 Tang poetry poems. Mr. Quy shared: "The more I learn about Tang poetry, the more I see its high value in terms of art, philosophy, education, culture, history, spirit and emotion. Within the strict framework, each seven-word eight-line poem has 56 words, which are 56 sparkling gems that encapsulate important historical events, social issues, expressing the author's deep emotions and thoughts. Therefore, Tang poetry is more selective about its creators and perceivers than other genres". Mr. Tran Van Trung, born in 1955, is the youngest member of the Association. In 2019, he had the opportunity to meet some people who share the same passion for Tang poetry and officially became a member of the Nam Dinh City Tang Poetry Association. Joining the Association helped Mr. Trung meet and interact with senior members who are experienced, knowledgeable, have life experiences, love poetry and are willing to share and help new members, thereby helping him have more inspiration to compose and have quality works. Many members actively participate in activities, compose enthusiastically, contributing to preserving and promoting the movement of composing Tang poetry in Nam Dinh city such as Mr. Nguyen Dinh, Nguyen Tat Tinh, Pham Huy Nghi, Nguyen The Khanh, Doan Hong Van, Nguyen Van Tieu or Ms. Ngo Kim Thanh, Tran Thi Nga, Phan Thi Ngoc Hoi... Up to now, the Association has published 7 poetry collections.

For many years, the Nam Dinh City Tang Luat Poetry Association has been recognized by the Vietnam Tang Luat Poetry Association as a typical grassroots association for its outstanding achievements in building the association, promoting the movement of composing, promoting and preserving Vietnamese Tang Luat poetry. In addition to sharing the passion for composing Tang Luat poetry, the association is also a second "home" for members to share and encourage each other in times of illness, joy, and sadness, encouraging each other to "live happily, live healthily, and live usefully".

Article and photos: Dieu Linh

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202503/san-choi-cho-nhung-nguoi-yeu-tho-duong-luat-thanhnam-4237ee4/