The 24th Vietnam Poetry Day is held in Ha Long and Bai Chay wards on March 3, 2026 (ie, the full moon of the first lunar month) with the theme "Before the big sea".
The 24th Vietnam Poetry Day includes many programs and events. In which, on the morning of March 3, there was a seminar "The Dignity of Poetry" at the Grand Ha Long Hotel, Bai Chay ward, Quang Ninh province; in the afternoon of the same day, poets went on field trips, exchanged, and recited poetry with readers in some localities and units in the province; at 8:00 PM on March 3, the Poetry Night "Before the Big Sea" took place at the Provincial Planning, Fair and Exhibition Palace, Ha Long ward.
According to the Organizing Committee, in the Poetry Night, some famous songs about the sea, originally set to music from excellent poems, will be performed according to a special structure: The poet will directly share about the circumstances of their birth and read the original poem, then the public will enjoy the poem set to music.
The poetry night gathers poets of many generations, creating a multi-voice picture of contemporary Vietnamese poetry.
This year's Poetry Day continues to have the participation of American poet Bruce Weigl - one of the two American veterans who were directly awarded the Friendship Medal in 2024 by General Secretary To Lam for their active contributions to promoting and introducing Vietnamese literature to the world and contributing to building a bridge of friendship between Vietnam and the United States.
The 24th Vietnam Poetry Day will not be in the closed space of the hall and stage, but will directly come to life.
Accordingly, groups of poets will go to mines, schools, factories, and military units to giao lưu, read poetry, and chat with the public. According to the plan, a group of poets will go to the coal mining tunnel of Ha Lam Coal Joint Stock Company - one of the deepest underground coal mines of TKV in the Ha Long area.
The 24th Vietnam Poetry Day also has an open art space, where 50 good poems about the sea are selected from ancient, medieval to modern poetry, presented on the "sail of poetry".
This space was designed by photographer Duong Minh Long.
On this occasion, the Organizing Committee also launched the poetry collection "Before the Great Sea", selecting typical works associated with the theme, contributing to preserving the imprint of Poetry Day 2026.
Regarding the academic seminar "The Dignity of Poetry", held on the morning of March 3, poets and researchers exchanged and debated on the issue of how to help writers maintain their bravery, personality, protect and create true poetic values, thereby creating the dignity of poets in the new era.
In 1988, Quang Ninh was the first locality to organize Poetry Day on a provincial scale, to celebrate the 520th anniversary of King Le Thanh Tong writing poetry on Bai Tho mountain cliff. Quang Ninh Poetry Day along with the Nhan Mountain Poetry Night (formerly Phu Yen province, now Dak Lak) were the premises for the birth of Vietnam Poetry Day nationwide in 2003, chaired by the Vietnam Writers' Association.
