Ms. Tran Thi Dieu Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, performed the ceremonial drum beating to officially open the event.
Speaking at the ceremony, writer Bich Ngan, Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers’ Association, stated that following the merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria–Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City has taken on the stature of an internationally scaled metropolis. The convergence of diverse advantages, she noted, has generated new visions, renewed efforts, fresh hopes, and aspirations for a dynamic urban center now home to over 14 million inhabitants.
In that spirit, the Ho Chi Minh City Writers’ Association selected the theme “The Call of the New Urban Space” for this year’s Vietnam Poetry Day, reflecting the city’s evolving identity and development trajectory.
She expressed the aspiration that poetry would raise a resonant call for solidarity and compassion among all residents of Ho Chi Minh City. The poetic spirit, she emphasized, should not be confined to high-rise buildings in the urban core but should extend and connect newly merged localities—from communities surrounding Dau Tieng Lake to fishing villages along the coast of Xuyen Moc, from rubber plantations in Ba Ria to traditional craft villages in Lai Thieu.
For 24 consecutive years, Vietnam Poetry Day has steadily affirmed its position as a meaningful cultural rendezvous for the people of Ho Chi Minh City in particular and citizens across the country in general on the occasion of the first full moon of the lunar year.
Within that continuum, urban poetry has evolved in parallel with the development of urban civilization, contributing daily to enriching and diversifying the creative, generous, and compassionate identity of the city.
With the theme “The Call of the New Urban Space,” the festival aspires to convey a positive message affirming the city’s recent consolidation and its confident stride into a new era of development.
Earlier, Vietnam Poetry Day 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City unfolded with a continuous series of activities beginning on February 27. Highlights included the seminar “Urban Poetry,” bringing together distinguished poets and scholars from multiple generations; the translated poetry exhibition “Soul Tree,” showcasing Vietnamese poems rendered into English, French, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese; and an exhibition of 12 posters honoring 12 exemplary poets associated with the city’s 40 years of renewal and development.
The program also featured a poetry camp presenting 20 poetry tents organized by 12 poetry clubs across the city, creating an engaging cultural space for exchange and creative inspiration within the literary community.
Immediately after the conclusion of Vietnam Poetry Day 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City Writers’ Association officially launched the poetry contest “The Call of the New Urban Space,” with the accompaniment of the Poetry Affection Fund. The contest runs from March 1 to December 31, with an award ceremony expected to take place on the occasion of Vietnam Poetry Day 2027.
With a total prize value of VND100 million (US$3,842), the competition is open to all Vietnamese citizens living, studying, and working both domestically and overseas.
Eligible entries must be previously unpublished in mass media and should reflect the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people in the new era, upholding respect for traditional culture and national identity. Notably, works portraying the dynamic, compassionate vitality of Ho Chi Minh City today are particularly encouraged. Submissions may be sent via email to: nhannghiaphuongnam2@gmail.com.
