Let Earth bear witness, let the world now see —

Across all continents, one truth unfurls:

The Spring of Great and Glorious Victory

Resounds from Vietnam to all the world!

Thanh Thuong, a seasoned poetess from Vietnam, shares her poetry

Thanh Thuong (Full name Nguyen Thanh Thuong) is a poetess from Vietnam, a country known as the Land of Blue Dragon. Born on May 11, 1968, she is a teacher by profession, and lives in Hanoi city. She wrote many poems published in newspapers and in literary magazines. She is Vice President of the Vietnam Poetry Club.

THE GREAT VICTORIOUS SPRING

Fifty years — the heavens lift their veil,

As spring returns with drums of glory loud.

The Nation’s name, like thunder, rends the clouds,

While banners bloom and eyes with pride prevail.

 

In sacred songs, the soul of heroes wakes,

From every street, bright rivers flow with flame.

Hanoi, adorned, in floral light proclaims —

Saigon ascends, her every heartbeat shakes.

 

One dream, one land, one voice, one mighty will,

A million hearts converge in solemn grace.

The people rise, united in one place —

A Festival where time itself stands still.

 

Upon the grand Parade, proud soldiers stride,

Each marching step resounds with land’s heartbeat.

Their banners flare — ancestral flames repeat,

The spirit passed through blood shall never hide.

 

From shattered jungles, scorched by war’s cruel cry,

To trumpets now that stir the vaults of stars —

O City of Uncle Ho! Your summons far

Awakens souls and lifts them to the sky!

 

The sweat of toil becomes a stream of flowers,

The blood once shed — now glory’s crimson hue.

O Vietnam! A dream made firm and true —

Unbroken, brave, through countless testing hours.

 

O ancient land — four thousand years you burn

With sacred light no tyrant’s hand could dim.

Now unified, in brotherhood we sing,

As Southern fields in radiant colors turn.

 

Let Earth bear witness, let the world now see —

Across all continents, one truth unfurls:

The Spring of Great and Glorious Victory

Resounds from Vietnam to all the world!

***

TAN DA NIGHT

I return to Tan Da in the hushed twilight,

Where early summer scents the flowered way.

Suoi Bon Lake ripples with bygone light,

Leaves whisper soft of our love from yesterday.

 

The violet ao dai* — my faithful hue,

Still pure, still true through time’s unspoken flow.

Silken hem stirred by breeze and memory too,

I step into a night where verses glow.

 

I read your poems — solemn, deep, and slow,

My voice, like wind, stirs branches with its grace.

Steam curls from tea; moonrise begins to show,

Chrysanthemums still golden in my gaze.

 

Who truly knows in words so richly spun,

Lie steadfast years that never fade nor fall.

I guard each line as though it were the sun,

To warm my heart at every morning call.

 

They praise me — graceful, gifted, fair of form,

My tender words, my eyes serene and clear.

But deep within, beyond the outward norm,

There lives one love — for you alone, sincere.

 

Tan Da stands — green peaks, blue water still,

Leans gently now in silence just for me.

Its thermal streams my quiet senses fill,

Its breezes stir a dream where love is true.

 

Though life may cast us far to paths unknown,

I’ll still be me — in violet softly worn.

Still knowing by heart the lines you once wrote,

Still treasuring love through the world’s transform…

*ao dai is traditional costume of Vietnamese women

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Read: Remember together – A Poem from Vietnam