On the evening of 20/9 in Moscow (Russia), Duc Phuc triumphed over 22 contestants to win the Intervision Song Contest with the song "Phu Dong Thien Vuong" (composed by Ho Hoai Anh). On the international stage, the singer presented melodies and imagery steeped in Vietnamese culture. He opened with four lines from Nguyen Duy's poem "Bamboo Vietnam":

"Green bamboo

Green since when

Stories of old… already had green bamboo banks

Slender body, delicate leaves

But how you form ramparts and citadels, oh bamboo?"

Composer Ho Hoai Anh said Nguyen Duy's verse immediately came to mind when he thought of bamboo. “The poem is deeply ingrained in my subconscious, and it inspired me to compose ‘Phu Dong Thien Vuong’," he said. He wanted to use the image of bamboo to represent the Vietnamese youth, both gentle and resilient, possessing a vibrant spirit.

The poem evoked memories for many. Once featured in primary school Vietnamese textbooks, it is widely loved for its simple language and emotional depth. In a post about the poem on a community page, Ha Thi Huong, 46, said she still remembers it vividly, while Ha Le, 55, reminisced: “In school, we memorized it and recited it in front of the class.”

* The poem "Bamboo Vietnam"

Bamboo, with its slender stalks, thin leaves, and upright growth, forms "ramparts and citadels," thriving in any terrain, even "barren gravel and lime soil." Describing the plant's characteristics, the author evokes admirable qualities of the Vietnamese people. Lines like "Roots diligent, unafraid of poor soil/ As many roots as bamboo, so much diligence/ Stretching in the wind, bamboo sways/ The hardy plant still lulls its leaves and branches" portray a hardworking nature, unyielding in the face of hardship to survive and thrive. Bamboo grows in clumps, not individually, so "In storms, bodies shield one another/ Hands clasp hands, drawing bamboo closer," symbolizing the Vietnamese spirit of unity and mutual support in times of difficulty.

Familiar green bamboo groves in the Vietnamese countryside. Photo: Hanoi National University of Education

"Bamboo Vietnam" was written in 1969 when Nguyen Duy was a private in the signal corps. Three years into his service, he constantly missed the bamboo groves and riverbanks of Vu Village (Do Len, Ha Trung, Thanh Hoa), his hometown. Sitting in a bunker beneath old bamboo, roots poking his head as he leaned against the wall, he penned the first verses. “I wrote what I thought, without any technique, but many readers memorized and remembered it," the poet recalled.

When the opening lines were featured in Duc Phuc's performance, the poet said he was "moved to tears." Despite his frail health, he followed the news and praised the singer and Ho Hoai Anh. "I believe art today needs to combine the old and the new, embracing national identity while remaining internationally relevant," he said.

According to young poet Nguyen Nhu (Le Ngoc Dung), a member of the Vietnam Writers' Association, the poem's ideological value is profound. Nguyen Duy imbued the image of bamboo with human qualities. The verses also evoke love for one's homeland.

Artistically, Nguyen Duy not only utilizes familiar elements of six-eight meter verse but also innovates in word usage, rhythm, and rhyme, such as "Green bamboo/ Green since when" or "Future/ future/ future/ Green land, bamboo forever green, bamboo's color." "The highest artistic value of poetry lies in its simple beauty, the harmony of language and emotion, thought and rhythm. The poem has inspired generations of Vietnamese artists," Nguyen Nhu said.

Poet Nguyen Duy, whose real name is Nguyen Duy Nhue, was born in 1948 and enlisted in 1966. He fought for years on battlefields like Khe Sanh, Route 9 - Southern Laos, later in the Southern and Northern fronts (1979). After his discharge, he worked at the Van Nghe weekly and the Vietnam Writers' Association.

He began writing poetry early, his first work being "On the Schoolyard" in the early 1960s. However, it was in 1973 that he gained recognition with the award-winning poems "The Warmth of the Straw Nest," "Square Sky," and "Bamboo Vietnam."

Poet Nguyen Duy at a seminar commemorating the 50th anniversary of national reunification in April in Hanoi. Photo: Fanpage of the Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities

Intervision, originally the Intervision Song Contest, was initiated by the International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT). In its early years (1965-1968), it took place in Czechoslovak cities like Prague, Bratislava, and Karlovy Vary. From 1977 to 1980, Intervision was revived in Sopot (Poland), replacing the Sopot International Song Festival. After 1980, the contest was discontinued.

Returning after over 40 years, the competition attracted contestants from Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, China, Egypt, the US, Kenya, Kazakhstan, UAE, Russia, Brazil, Tajikistan, Qatar, Madagascar, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Ethiopia, Venezuela, Serbia, South Africa, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Phuong Linh