On the afternoon of June 9, at the special national relic of Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam (Hanoi), the Center for Scientific and Cultural Activities of Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam in collaboration with the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Conservation Support Fund and Senhouse Vietnam Company organized a thematic exhibition “Sen and Kieu Cultural Space”. The exhibition will take place from June 9 to June 15, 2025.

This is a practical activity to honor the humanistic values ​​in the thoughts of the Great Poet Nguyen Du and the Vietnamese cultural identity imbued with the image of the lotus flower.

The exhibition space introduces 32 calligraphy works, most of which express unique verses in Nguyen Du’s Tale of Kieu, especially those that use or evoke the image of the lotus flower. The works are expressed on many materials, combining traditional linguistic and visual arts, contributing to spreading the profound humanistic and aesthetic values ​​in Vietnam’s medieval literary heritage.

In addition, the exhibition also introduces a portrait of the great poet Nguyen Du made from dried lotus leaves, placed in a space simulating a traditional Confucian scholar’s study. Many handicraft products inspired by the lotus image were also introduced to the public, thereby demonstrating the spread of “lotus culture” in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people.

Congratulating the event, Mr. Le Xuan Kieu, Director of the Center for Scientific and Cultural Activities of the Temple of Literature – Quoc Tu Giam, highly appreciated the harmonious combination of traditional values ​​and contemporary elements in the exhibition “Sen and Kieu Cultural Space”, and expressed his wish to continue to have more creative cultural products imbued with Vietnamese identity.

Throughout the history of the monarchy in Vietnam, many elegant literati have borrowed the image of the lotus flower to express their thoughts and temperament through poetic works of many different genres. Among the most prominent figures, we must mention the great poet Nguyen Du (1766 – 1820), author of the literary masterpiece Truyen Kieu, expressed in 3,254 six-eight verses in Nom script. Nguyen Du skillfully applied the poetic storytelling method, making it easy for many generations of readers to learn and remember, with countless metaphors showing the immense expressive power of the six-eight verse form, which is imbued with Vietnamese identity. And the lotus is one of the metaphors that the great poet used quite often in his classic work.

The exhibition “Sen and Kieu Cultural Space” is an activity in response to the lotus blooming season in Hanoi, while contributing to promoting traditional cultural values ​​to the community, especially the young generation. Through this, the public has more opportunities to approach and feel the profound humanistic and artistic values ​​in the national cultural heritage.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, Chairman of Senhouse Vietnam Company, this is the first step in the journey to promote Kieu culture, thereby organizing heritage tours to bring students and the public to Nguyen Du’s homeland to better understand the value of the Tale of Kieu. During the exhibition, calligraphers also organized workshops to teach how to write Kieu verses in calligraphy, draw lotus paintings, etc. She expressed her hope that in the near future, the cultural space “Sen and Kieu” and lotus embroidered ao dai can be brought to countries around the world.

Mr. Nguyen Hai Nam, Chairman of the Nguyen Tien Dien Family Council, was moved to share that the event was a meaningful gratitude activity to celebrate the 260th anniversary of the birth of the great poet Nguyen Du. He hopes that the “Sen and Kieu Cultural Space” will be a heritage bridge between Thang Long and Nghe An, contributing to spreading Kieu culture to the public.

Organizing thematic cultural spaces such as “Sen and Kieu” not only contributes to enriching the spiritual life of the people of the capital, but also creates a highlight in the work of preserving and promoting heritage values ​​at key national historical and cultural relics./.

Tuyet Mai/TTXVN

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