Top 10 Most Famous Female Poets in Vietnam

Lâm Thị Mỹ Dạ was born in Lệ Thủy, Quảng Bình province. She worked at the Quảng Bình Cultural Department from 1978 to 1983 before attending the Nguyễn Du Writing School. Later, she became a reporter and editor for the Sông Hương magazine under the Thừa Thiên Huế Union of Literature and Arts. She was also a member of the executive board of the Thừa Thiên Huế Literary and Art Association, a member of the Vietnamese Writers' Association, and served on the poetry board of the Writers' Association of Vietnam. Currently, she resides in Huế, Thừa Thiên Huế. Her husband, Hoàng Phủ Ngọc Tường, is also a renowned poet and writer in Vietnam.

Lâm Thị Mỹ Dạ has received numerous accolades including the A Prize for Poetry from the National Writers' Association of Vietnam in 1999, the First Prize for Poetry from the Văn Nghệ Newspaper Poetry Contest (1971-1973), the A Prize for Poetry at the Thừa Thiên Huế Literary and Arts Festival (1998-2004), and the Vietnam Writers' Association Literary Award for her collection *Bài Thơ Không Năm Tháng*. In 2007, she was awarded the State Prize for Literature and Arts by the President of Vietnam for three poetry collections: *Cốm Non*, *Đề Tặng Một Giấc Mơ*, and *Bài Thơ Không Năm Tháng*. In 2005, her collection *Cốm Non* (Green Rice) was translated into English and published in the United States.

Xuân Quỳnh (1942-1988) was a renowned Vietnamese poet in the 20th century. She is best known for her heartfelt love poems, including *Sóng* (Waves), *Thuyền và Biển* (The Boat and the Sea), *Thơ Tình Cuối Mùa Thu* (Autumn Love Poems), and *Tiếng Gà Trưa* (The Noon Rooster). Born Nguyễn Thị Xuân Quỳnh on October 6, 1942, in La Khê Village, Văn Khê Commune, Hà Tây Province, she came from a civil servant family. After losing her mother at an early age and with her father often away on work, she was raised by her grandmother until adulthood.

Xuân Quỳnh's poetry is rich in emotion, capturing the various emotional depths she herself experienced. Her works, at times full of joyous passion and at others marked by sorrow and reflection, resonate deeply with readers. Her writing is known for its sensitivity and the warmth of a woman's perspective. Many of Xuân Quỳnh's poems have become iconic, such as *Hoa Cỏ May* (The May Grass), *Thuyền và Biển* (The Boat and the Sea), *Tự Hát* (Singing to Myself), and *Nói Cùng Anh* (Speaking to You). Some of her poems, including *Chuyện Cổ Tích Về Loài Người* (A Fairytale About Humans) and *Sóng* (Waves), are included in the Vietnamese high school curriculum, while others have been set to music by composer Phan Huỳnh Điểu.

Anh Thơ, born Vương Kiều Ân in 1921, was from Ninh Giang town in Hải Dương province, in a family with a strong Confucian tradition. At the age of twelve, her father brought her to her maternal hometown, Phủ Lạng Thương, a peaceful and poetic town by the Thương River, where her poetic journey began. Anh Thơ soon became one of the most prominent female poets of her time.

Her first poetry collection, *Bức Tranh Quê* (The Rural Painting), won an encouragement prize from the Tự Lực Văn Đoàn literary group, marking the beginning of a unique and influential approach to poetry that shaped Vietnamese literature in the 20th century. With this debut success, Anh Thơ became the first female poet to receive a major literary award and was often compared to a still-life painting in poetry before the revolution.

Some of her key works throughout her career include *Răng Đen* (Black Teeth), *Cuối Mùa Hoa* (End of the Flower Season), *Bức Tranh Quê* (The Rural Painting), *Từ Bến Sông Thương* (From the Thương River Dock), and *Tiếng Chim Tu Hú* (The Call of the Cuckoo). She was celebrated for her contributions to the New Poetry movement and was renowned as one of the most famous female poets from Kinh Bắc.

Phan Thị Thanh Nhàn was a prominent Vietnamese poet of the 20th century, born in Tứ Liên village, Tây Hồ district, Hanoi. She was a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam and an active member of the Vietnam Writers' Association, serving as a board member from 2001 to 2005. Phan Thị Thanh Nhàn began writing poetry at a young age, with her works appearing in newspapers as early as the 1990s. She gained widespread recognition for her poem *Hương Thầm* (Secret Fragrance), which was set to music by composer Vũ Hoàng in 1984. In addition to poetry, she wrote for newspapers, children's stories, and short fiction.

Phan Thị Thanh Nhàn's achievements include winning the A Prize from the Hanoi Literary and Art Association in 1974, the second prize in the *Văn Nghệ* poetry contest in 1969, the A Prize from Kim Đồng Publishing House in 1995 for *Bỏ Trốn* (The Escape), and the C Prize from the same publisher in 1982 for *Tuổi Trăng Rằm* (The Full Moon Age). Notable works by Phan Thị Thanh Nhàn include *Làm Anh* (Being the Brother), *Hương Thầm* (Secret Fragrance), *Xóm Đê Ngày Ấy* (That Day at the Dike Village), *Bỏ* (The Escape, a children's story), and *Con Đường ?* (The Path?).

Poet Ý Nhi, whose real name is Hoàng Thị Ý Nhi, was born in 1944 in Hội An town, Quảng Nam province, into a family with a strong cultural and artistic tradition. She graduated from the Faculty of Literature at Hanoi University in 1968 and worked as an editor at the Vietnam Writers' Association Publishing House. She currently resides in Ho Chi Minh City, where she continues her literary career.

Ý Nhi received the Vietnam Writers' Association Award in 1985 for her work *Người Đàn Bà Ngồi Đan* (The Woman Sitting and Knitting). Along with poets Nguyễn Duy and Thanh Thảo, Ý Nhi was part of a generation of poets who emerged during the American War but gained prominence after the war for modernizing and rejuvenating Vietnamese poetry both in content and form. Her poetry, while simple, carries a deep intellectual resonance, with a calm, heartfelt, and contemplative tone. Her works often feature philosophical language. Some of her notable works include *Ngày Thường* (Ordinary Days), *Cây Trong Phố Chờ Trăng* (The Tree in the Street Waiting for the Moon), *Nỗi Nhớ Con Đường* (The Longing for the Path), and *Đến Với Dòng Sông* (Coming to the River, 1978).

Đoàn Thị Lam Luyến was born in 1953 and is a poet as well as a member of the Vietnam Writers' Association. She hails from Anh Dũng village, Phù Tiên district, now part of Tiên Lữ district in Hưng Yên province. She is currently the secretary-general of the Vietnam Copyright Association. Lam Luyến first gained recognition in the 1980s and 1990s with her debut poetry collection *Lỡ Một Người Con Gái*, which was warmly embraced by readers.

Her accolades include the 1995 Poetry Award from the Vietnam Writers' Association Publishing House and a prize from the 1989-1990 *Văn Nghệ* poetry competition. Some of her notable poems include *Đa Mang*, *Đà Nẵng*, *Đàn Bà*, *Đêm Cành Đa*, and *Ốc Đảo*.

Ngân Giang (1916–2002), born as Đỗ Thị Quế, was a renowned Vietnamese poet. She is known for her numerous poems in the style of classical Chinese poetry, including well-regarded works like *Xuân Chiến Dịch*, *Trưng Nữ Vương*, and *Bạch Đằng Giang*. Born into a Confucian family in the Hàng Trống neighborhood of Hanoi, her ancestral home was in Hướng Dương village, Thường Tín district, in the former Hà Tây province.

While many poets of her time were influenced by Western literature, Ngân Giang remained committed to the classical *Đường* poetry style and forms with strong national and rural roots. Her poetry evokes deep emotions with themes of nostalgia and longing for home, reflected in works such as *Xóm Làng*, *Đất Lạnh*, *Chợ Chiều*, and *Quạnh*. Notable works include *Tiếng Vọng Sông Ngân*, *Những Ngày Trong Hiến Binh Nhật*, *Giọt Lệ Xuân* (under the pen name Hạnh Liên), and three collections published under the name Ngân Giang.

Hồ Xuân Hương is one of the most famous poets of the Nôm poetry tradition. She is known for her distinctive style, blending elegance with the vulgar, and has earned the title of the Queen of Nôm Poetry. Often regarded as one of the most unique and important poets in Vietnamese literature, she stands out for her one-of-a-kind contributions to the history of Vietnamese poetry.

Many of her works have been lost over time, and only a few remain, mainly in the form of orally transmitted Nôm poems. Her collection *Lưu Hương Kí* reflects themes of love for homeland, family, and country, but it doesn't capture the bold personality that defined Hồ Xuân Hương. Consequently, much of the research on her poetic value is focused on the iconic Nôm poems that have been passed down through generations.

Hồ Xuân Hương's poetry is never indifferent or cold. Her words always come from a heart full of passion and emotion, as though expressing her deepest feelings. When angry, she could be scornful, even shouting out. Some of her most notable works include *Tự Tình*, *Bánh Trôi Nước*, and *Mời Trầu*.

Bà Huyện Thanh Quan, born Nguyễn Thị Hinh (1805-1848), was a renowned female poet from Vietnam's early modern period. She was from the Nghi Tàm area of Vĩnh Thuận, which is now part of Hanoi. Her father, Nguyễn Lý (1755-1837), was a distinguished scholar who passed the royal exams in 1783 during the reign of King Lê Hiển Tông. Bà Huyện Thanh Quan was a student of the famous scholar Phạm Quý Thích (1760-1825), and she was married to Lưu Nghị (1804-1847), a scholar who served as a district official in Thanh Quan, now part of Thái Bình province. After his early death at just 43, she became widely known by his title, Bà Huyện Thanh Quan.

During the reign of Emperor Minh Mạng, she was invited to the royal court to teach the princesses and concubines. However, after her husband's death, she returned to Nghi Tàm with her children, citing illness, and continued her life there until her passing. Some of her most famous works include *Chiều Hôm Nhớ Nhà*, *Qua Đèo Ngang*, *Cảnh Hương Sơn*, and *Tức Cảnh Chiều Thu*.

Sương Nguyệt Anh, born Nguyễn Thị Khuê in 1864 and passing away in 1921, was a pioneering female poet and editor in Vietnam. In addition to her pen name, she was also known by several other aliases, including Nguyệt Nga, Xuân Khuê, and Nguyệt Anh. She holds the distinction of being the first female editor-in-chief in Vietnamese literature. As the editor of the first women's publication *Nữ Giới Chung*, which began in 1918, Sương Nguyệt Anh helped bring attention to issues affecting women and played a role in elevating women's status in society. Born in An Đức, Ba Tri, Bến Tre, she was the fourth daughter of the famous poet Nguyễn Đình Chiểu and Lê Thị Điền, both from Thanh Ba in Cần Giuộc.

In 1917, a group of nationalists invited her to lead *Nữ Giới Chung*, which aimed to improve public awareness, promote the development of agriculture, commerce, and industry, and, most notably, to highlight the role of women in society. While she wrote numerous literary works, many were not collected into a single volume. Some of her scattered poems include *Vịnh Ni Cô*, *Đoan Ngọ Nhật Điếu Khuất Nguyên*, *Chinh Phụ Thi*, and *Tức Sự*. She also penned several folk verses like *Vè Thầy Hỷ*, *Vè Tiểu Yêu*, and *Vè Đánh Đề*.