Hanoi (VNA) ༺- The UNESCO Secretariat will officially adopt a resolution on the celebration of Vietnamese poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu’s 200th birth anniversary (1822-1888) at the General Conference of UNESCO slated for November this year, according to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Chi Ben.

Co-recommendation of four countries

In a recent interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Ben - former Director of the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies, said the Secretariat of UNESCO adopted a document on the patriotic poet’s 200th birth anniversary. According Ben, Vietnam’s proposal on the celebration has been co-recommended by the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan, Thailand and India. An official ceremony will take place in Vietnam on July 1, 2022. Notably, scientists from the four foreign countries will attend the event. In the framework of the celebration, an exhibition on the blind poet’s life and career, and an international seminar with the participation of scholars from many countries will be arranged. Since 1956, UNESCO has been participating in the commemoration of historic events and in the anniversaries of prominent personalities celebrated by its members, aiming to honour individuals and events that have greatly contributed to cultural development and promotion of international understanding in order to create closeness between people and countries. Every two years, UNESCO members submit proposals (up to two nominations) to the organisation for the celebration of anniversaries to which UNESCO could be associated for the forthcoming biennium. The nomination of each country must be co-recommended by at least two UNESCO members. The final approval of the nominations goes to the General Conference of UNESCO, which gives decision on the basis of the recommendations of the Executive Board of UNESCO. Vietnam’s nomination focuses on describing influence of the thought in Nguyen Dinh Chieu’s poetry on the region and the world, explaining why he deserves admiration form Vietnamese and international peoples. Nguyen Dinh Chieu (1822-1888) was a Vietnamese poet not only known for his nationalist and anti-colonial writings against the French colonisation of Cochinchina and his exemplary teaching, but also a popular medical practitioner. He is a typical example for people with disabilities around the world. Despite the blindness, he studied Confucianism and Oriental medicine from relatives. His typical works of Luc Van Tien (The Tale of Luc Van Tien) is an epic poem written in nom (the old Chinese-based Vietnamese script) in the 1850s. It is regarded as one of the two most recognisable and influential epic poems in Vietnamese history, besides Truyen Kieu (The Tale of Kieu) by great poet Nguyen Du. His poems tell about the people’s worries in the wartime, their war injuries and losses. French linguist G.Aubaret, a naval officer, said that Luc Van Tien contains love and inspiration that have not found in Chinese spirit. Nguyen Dinh Chieu, also known as teacher Chieu, Trong Phu and Hoi Trai, (1822 – 1888) was born in Binh Duong district, Gia Dinh province (now District 1, Ho Chi Minh City). He was a patriotic teacher, physician and poet of the south of Vietnam in the second half of the 19th century. The poet is an example for disabled people in the region and the world. He did not succumb to unlucky fate. Nguyen Dinh Chieu is also an example embodying UNESCO’s "lifelong learning" spirit. According to Ben, Nguyen Dinh Chieu is a culturalist whose philosophy was written into books. His philosophy is partly Confucian. It represents the life philosophy of the southerners in particular and the Vietnamese people in general. “I prepared a science report on Nguyen Dinh Chieu with comments from scientists in the country,” Ben said. The English version of the report was revised by experts from the Culture Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, he noted. “I think the role played by Vietnamese Ambassador to UNESCO Le Thi Hong Van is also very important in this process. She introduced my two books about Nguyen Dinh Chieu in Vietnamese, English, French and Russian languages. This is the basis for the Ambassadors of other countries and the Secretariat of UNESCO to better understand Vietnam’s celebrity,” Ben said. So far, UNESCO has commemorated birth anniversaries of five Vietnamese celebrities, namely President Ho Chi Minh, educator Chu Van An, and poets Nguyen Du, Nguyen Trai and Nguyen Dinh Chieu./.