The 8th annual Vietnamese Poetry Day kicked off on February 26 with a special procession of the sacred flame from the Hung Kings’ Temple in Phu Tho province to Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature ) in Hanoi.

As the first cultural activity of the chain of events celebrating the 1,000th  anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, the flame procession aims to honour traditional cultural values in a modern poetry festival as well as encouraging writers to create literary works.

At 12:00 on February 26 (the 13th day of the first lunar month), the traditional flame was taken from the Thuong Temple, which is dedicated to the Hung Kings - the founders of Vietnam--to the Vu The Lang High School in Viet Tri city of Phu Tho province.

The flame will be brought to Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam, the main venue of the Poetry Festival, on February 28.

To honour the event, Van Mieu will have its entrance decorated as a “forest of poems” with each tree carrying a poem representing a city or a province. A display will also be reserved for an exhibition of poetry written on porcelain products made by artisans in the famed Bat Trang pottery village.

In the lead up, on February 26 and 27, the Vietnam Writers’ Association, which initiated National Poetry Day, will honour translated poems at the Russian Cultural Centre, and commemorate poets of the past.(VNA)