The first Asian – Pacific poetry festival will be an opportunity to popularise the Vietnamese poetry, poet Nguyen Quang Thieu has said.

Thieu, who is also Vice President of the Vietnam Writers’ Association (VWA), said that the event themed “ For a peaceful, friendly, cooperative and developed Asia-Pacific” will take place in Ha Long city, the northern province of Quang Ninh on Feb. 2-4, with o ver 100 poets from 27 countries and territories worldwide taking part .

Thieu added that the event also offers a chance to introduce famous works and authors worldwide to Vietnamese audiences.

The event is not only a rare chance for Vietnam to promote its poetry and international exchanges but also creates a particularly important hallmark and foundation for future festivals, Thieu said.

The event is also expected to attract reputable poets in the region, who have made contributions to developing the Vietnamese poetry, nearly 50 domestic poets who won Ho Chi Minh and State Awards and poem lovers across the country.

During the event, the participants will engage in activities such as poem recitals, exchanges with the public, and deliver speeches on the beauty of Asian nature and people in poetry, as well as its mission to popularise that beauty.

This year, the VWA arranged a group of volunteer interpreters who are excellent students from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the University of Languages and International Studies in a bid to ensure that all delegations have interpreters.

Writers and poets with good command of foreign languages such as Phan Trieu Hai, Di Li and Nguyen Que Mai will also work as translators and interpreters.

Additionally, the VWA will collect and translate speeches, works and biographies of poets to make a collection, helping bring vitality of poetry closer to the public./.