Returning from a journey to visit the army and people in Truong Sa archipelago as a journalist, along with writing articles, reporting about life, activities, practicing and fighting to protect the sea and sky on remote islands, poet Ho Huy Son converted memories and emotions about Truong Sa into 26 pure and innocent poems for children, to keep the image of Truong Sa so close and sparkling in his heart.
With a young poetic perspective and heart, poet Ho Huy Son has turned the images and objects that have become familiar through articles and reports about the sea and islands into four poems with strong suggestion, painting a simple but poetic and colorful picture of Truong Sa archipelago.
The poet cleverly interwoven personal emotions and love for the Fatherland, conveying the love of the homeland in a natural and sincere way.
The Heart of the Island is a collection of poems that expresses what the author has seen, touched and felt about Truong Sa archipelago, that is the image of the shipmen, families, classrooms, pagodas on the island, that is also the square banyan tree, the three-season, the storm, the lighthouses, the vegetable garden, the boat dock, and more symmetrically, it is also clear that it is... a memory.
Only those who have been to Truong Sa can understand the joy of "Dwards on Co Lin Island", or know that the sand beach on An Bang Island moves from the South to the West coast and then through the East coast with each wind season...
And perhaps only those who have been to Truong Sa like poet Ho Huy Son, immersing themselves in the children who are growing up here every day, can recognize them as truly special.
There are many, many more images, verses, and stories that poets Ho Huy Son and two artists Hau Phan and Thao Vo invite their children to accompany and touch when turning each page of the poem "Heart of the Island".
Poet Ho Huy Son shared that, Since I had the idea of a poetry collection, I wanted The Heart of the Island to be a gift to the children in Truong Sa in particular and children across the country in general.
I would like to tell you about the things I had the opportunity to experience when I arrived in Truong Sa archipelago. And more importantly, I would like to send the children a simple message: Truong Sa is a sacred part of the blood of our Fatherland!".
"The Heart of the Island" by poet Ho Huy Son continues to enrich the books in the Vietnam Bookshelf of the Sea and Islands of Kim Dong Publishing House, extending it after typical works such as: "Dao Nhap" (Tran Dang Khoa), "I told you the story of Truong Sa" (Nguyen Xuan Thuy), "Combining you to learn about Hoang Sa - Truong Sa" (Nguyen Nhu Mai, Nguyen Huy Thang, Nguyen Quoc Tin)...
It is known that The Heart of the Island is also a collection of poems from a series of works participating in the first Golden Dong Literature Awards. The award will end with entries on March 31, 2025.
