Full text of President Vo Van Thuong's speech at the first conference of Vietnamese veteran writers

President Vo Van Thuong delivers a speech at the Conference. Photo: Huyen Thuong

Dear veteran writers,

Dear delegates,

I am very excited to attend the first conference of Vietnamese veteran writers . organized by the Party Committee and the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Writers Association .

On behalf of the Party and State leaders and with love and respect for writers, I would like to send my best regards and best wishes to veteran writers and distinguished delegates .

Dear veteran writers and delegates ,

Our Party and State always pay attention to, care for, and promote the important role and position of culture and art in general and literature in particular in the cause of national liberation, national unification, and national construction and defense. In that process, artists and writers are always placed in the central position, playing a decisive role in creating noble spiritual values for society.

Vietnamese writers through each generation, especially veteran writers, have not failed the trust of the People, the Country and the Party, have been present in every step of the country's ups and downs, sympathized with every joy and sorrow of the People, created works that last forever, contributed to creating genuine literature, and made great contributions to the building and development of Vietnamese culture and people in the Ho Chi Minh era.

Each page, each work of the writers carries the heartbeat of their nation, of their era and at the same time reflects truthfully and deeply about humanity; contributing to affirming that the Vietnamese people are a nation with a long-standing culture, with boundless love for humanity, with a great desire for peace and an indomitable will, ready to sacrifice everything for the independence of the nation, for the freedom and happiness of the people.

At this Conference, we are extremely excited to meet veteran writers, many of whom were “warrior writers”, going through arduous and sacrificial resistance wars, creating works that bear the mark of the times, like special “armies” carrying the immortal Vietnamese spiritual strength, making an important contribution to the overall victory of the nation.

We are moved to remember and pay tribute to the deceased writers, especially the writers and poets who sacrificed their lives in the great resistance wars for independence, freedom and national reunification such as Nam Cao, Tham Tam, Tran Dang, Le Anh Xuan, Nguyen Thi, Chu Cam Phong, Nguyen My, Nguyen Trong Dinh, Tran Quang Long, Duong Thi Xuan Quy..., people whose lives and works live forever with the Fatherland and the People.

Dear veteran writers,

At the National Cultural Conference in November 1946, President Ho Chi Minh said: " Culture lights the way for the nation to go ". 75 years later, at the National Cultural Conference in November 2021, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong continued to affirm: " Culture exists , the nation exists ". That shows that culture is the survival of a nation. Without culture , every person and every nation anywhere, in any era cannot find their true purpose and value in life. And literature is one of the extremely important elements that create the beauty of Vietnamese culture , spreading that beauty in life , awakening the love and responsibility of every Vietnamese person for their Fatherland.

The greatest enemy of the nation in war is the invaders in the form of specific, clearly defined people, but the most dangerous enemy of the nation in peace is not easy to identify. It is indifference, selfishness, hedonism, greed, falsehood and cruelty, corruption, negativity, destruction of nature, destruction of culture and going against the trend of the times... Therefore, the mission and responsibility of Vietnamese writers at this time is even greater and more demanding. The people and the country need the voice of love for humanity, honesty and courage from writers in this struggle.

Vietnamese writers have always been pioneers in the fight against evil and protecting human dignity through the miraculous path of literature, sowing the seeds of beauty into the human soul. Only when people carry within their souls the beauty of humanity can they overcome the temptation of base desires and dedicate themselves to humanity and the nation.

For nearly 50 years , since the country's reunification, with their conscientious and intellectual writings, Vietnamese writers have made important contributions to the work of healing the wounds of war, building and developing the country, national reconciliation , protecting national sovereignty, introducing the image of Vietnam to the world, especially protecting the culture of the nation , affirming traditional values and opening up new beauties in the culture and soul of the Vietnamese people .

Dear veteran writers,

I realize that the lives and works of veteran writers are beautiful symbols of unity in ideals and actions, full of love for the Fatherland, attached and close to the People, immersing themselves in the flow of life, with great aspirations, putting the interests of the Fatherland and the People above all, first and foremost.

With their experiences through the years of hardship, sacrifice but heroic and glorious years of the nation, veteran writers continue to be a solid and reliable spiritual support, inspiring, sharing life and creative experiences, encouraging creative personalities and supporting new things for young writers , in line with the national cultural tradition, with the trend of the times, always aiming towards, following the path for Beauty, for People and for the Nation ; helping young writers and readers understand more deeply the value of peace that the country has today; seeing more clearly the great achievements that our people have won in building and defending the Fatherland in recent years .

I hope there will be a more special connection between veteran writers and young writers. It is a connection of love, understanding, respect for creative personality and for a common great mission of creating good works, contributing to enriching and beautifying the spiritual life of society, building Vietnamese people in the new era. The selfless dedication and creations of veteran writers for the nation have become invaluable heritages in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people and are an important part of the luggage of young generations of writers on their creative path.

I believe that, with the foundations that veteran writers have built for Vietnamese literature and culture, young writers will not lose their way, will have enough courage, alertness and bravery to commit, be passionate, explore and create, seek new values, and produce top-notch works that touch the public's emotions, works worthy of the Fatherland and the Vietnamese people.

The Party and State will continue to create the best conditions for writers to create, as well as publish and honor valuable literary works that make positive contributions to the cause of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland, striving for the goal of "rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, and civilization".

I would like to repeat the words of President Ho Chi Minh - a world cultural celebrity - a great writer and poet of our country: "A nation, a party and each person, yesterday was great, had great appeal, not necessarily today and tomorrow still be loved and praised by everyone, if the heart is no longer pure, if it falls into individualism "

Time will be the most reliable witness to the path that the nation has been, is and will continue to walk. On the path of the nation, there are persistent and tireless footprints of writers - those who, with their intelligence, courage, love for humanity and professional inspiration, will build a portrait of the Vietnamese people, a portrait of the Vietnamese nation with the desire for independence, freedom, happiness, with pride and an indomitable spirit in the face of all difficulties and challenges.

Once again, I wish the veteran writers always good health, full of creative inspiration, and more excellent works carrying the voice of the People and of their Nation.

Thank you very much !

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