Top 7 Representative Poetry Collections by Poet Tố Hữu

Ra trận is a highly regarded poetry collection by poet Tố Hữu. The collection consists of 31 poems created over a span of 10 years during the U.S. war in Vietnam (1962-1971). Known for his spirit of love and empathy, Tố Hữu had long wished to write poems celebrating peace. However, as the South and later the entire country were engulfed in fire and turmoil, peace seemed unattainable. The poet devoted much of his energy to praising revolutionary heroism, which gave the collection an epic, heroic tone.

The poems in this collection serve as a battle song, a call to arms, and a powerful rallying cry for the entire nation, uniting both North and South in their struggle. It affirms the profound and noble significance of the resistance against the U.S. in the history of the nation and the era. Tố Hữu’s poems also reflect his thoughts on the Vietnamese people, whom he admires with pride and admiration.

Ra trận (1962-1971) alongside Máu và hoa (1972-1977) were both created during the period when the country was engaged in a fierce struggle to liberate the South and reunify the nation. These two collections embody the resilience of the Vietnamese people and serve as a victorious anthem marking the end of the conflict, uniting North and South into one country.

The Poetry Collection Máu và Hoa (published by NXB Tác phẩm mới, 1977) consists of 13 poems written over six years (1971-1977). The collection summarizes the development of the nation and the Vietnamese Revolution—a journey filled with blood and flowers, fifty years of blood transforming into blossoms.

Máu và Hoa (1972-1977) represents Tố Hữu's poetic journey during the intense and heroic years of Vietnam's resistance against the U.S., culminating in the final victory. The poetry of Tố Hữu during this period is a battle hymn, a command to advance, and a call to action that rallied the entire nation in the fight across both the North and South. His work affirms the profound, noble significance of the resistance against the U.S. in both the historical context of the nation and the era, while also reflecting the poet's new thoughts and insights about the Vietnamese people, whom he celebrated with pride and admiration.

After the release of Máu và Hoa, and at the age of over 70, Tố Hữu continued to publish the poetry collection Một tiếng đờn in 1993, consisting of 72 poems created during the peaceful years between 1978 and 1992. In this collection, Tố Hữu remains true to his poetic voice, reminding people to focus on the great emotions of the nation and the noble goals of the revolution. He remained faithful to the themes of revolutionary life, which were deeply tied to the whole country.

In the face of new realities, a new voice and tone emerged in Tố Hữu's work—one that reflected his emotional responses in a time of peace. With the fires of war extinguished, his poetry took on a fresh and vibrant tone, filled with reflections on everyday life. The themes of his poetry became richer and more diverse: celebrating the beauty of the homeland and its people, the complexities of building a nation, love and human fate, and more. The sound of the poems softened, shifting from outward to inward, sometimes almost touching upon personal moments in the later years of life, such as in the lines: "On New Year's Eve, just one light." In this collection, Tố Hữu returned to an introspective style, reminiscent of his earlier work in "Từ ấy". There is a strong internal struggle expressed in the lines: "At seventy, am I really old?"

Drawing from the same source of inspiration during the peaceful reform period of the country, at the age of 80, the poet affirmed that his poetic spirit still burned with passionate thoughts in the collection Ta với ta. This was also Tố Hữu's final poetry collection, written during the last decade of his life (1993-2001). The tone of the poems is more subdued, filled with introspection and contemplation about the nature of life, the human soul, and the limited span of time, marking the most distinctive feature of his last work. It presents the poet as an individual, rather than as a revolutionary soldier as in his earlier works.

In general, during the period of 1945-1975, Tố Hữu's poetry remained loyal to communist ideals and represented the trend of political lyricism. His poems harmoniously blended revolutionary propaganda with lyrical content. Xuân Diệu emphasized that "Tố Hữu has elevated political poetry to the level of deeply lyrical poetry."

Từ ấy is the debut poetry collection by Tố Hữu. It spans ten years: 1937 – 1946. Ten years of poetry from ten years of revolutionary activity.

At this point, the revolutionary fighter Tố Hữu's engagement with the revolution is simultaneous with his journey into poetry. The first poem in the collection, which also marks the first in Tố Hữu's poetic career – "Mồ côi", published in the Dân newspaper – was written when he had already committed to the revolutionary cause in his hometown, Huế.

This represents a key difference between Tố Hữu and new poets such as Xuân Diệu, Huy Cận, Nguyễn Bính, Anh Thơ (whom you may have studied in the 11th-grade Literature curriculum) or Thế Lữ, Vũ Đình Liên, Tế Hanh (from the 8th-grade curriculum). These poets encountered poetry long before fully embracing the revolutionary movement. Từ ấy contains 72 poems, divided into three sections:

• "Máu lửa", consisting of 29 poems, reflects the period of the Democratic Front, addressing major issues of the time such as fighting fascism, feudalism, advocating for peace, and the struggle for national liberation.
• "Xiềng xích", containing 29 poems, was written while imprisoned and expresses the pain, resolve, and courage of the revolutionary soldier in captivity.
• "Giải phóng", made up of 14 poems, was written after his escape from prison, during the first year after independence, and primarily celebrates the ideals of revolution, the determination to defeat the enemy, liberate the nation, and the joy of victory.

Từ ấy has become one of the cornerstones of Vietnam's revolutionary literature. Tố Hữu managed to merge art and revolution, the fighter and the poet, contributing to the development of modern Vietnamese poetry. The collection can be seen as an anthem of those who knew that fighting was the only way to achieve independence, freedom, and happiness, willing to devote their lives to the “battlefront” without fear of hardship or death. It is a song filled with confidence, optimism, and the certainty that ultimate victory would belong to them.

The poetry collection 'Việt Bắc' was first published in 1954. Most of the poems were written during the years of the resistance against the French. The collection contains 24 poems (including 6 translations and 3 poems written in 1954), with the first poem, 'Cá nước', written in 1947, and concluding with 'Lại về'. Many literary critics have regarded this collection as an epic anthem of the people's resistance throughout the eight years of fighting against foreign invaders.

'Việt Bắc' faithfully reflects the arduous path of struggle and the maturation of the Vietnamese nation through vivid images and milestones of the war of resistance. This collection marked a significant development in Tố Hữu's poetry in terms of tone and language, with deep national character embedded in simple imagery and familiar poetic forms. The collection 'Việt Bắc' was awarded first prize for poetry in the 1954-1955 Literary Awards by the Vietnam Writers' Association.

The poetry collection "Gió lộng" was composed by Tố Hữu over six years, from 1955 to 1961, during a time when the country was focused on two major tasks: building socialism in the North and fighting against the American-backed regime while striving for reunification in the South. In 1954, the North was fully liberated, and the five-year plans for national reconstruction were set in motion. The collection "Gió lộng" expresses the hopeful spirit of those involved in nation-building: 'The wind blows, opening up the vast land and sky.'

The collection delves into grand sources of inspiration, reflecting the dominant emotions in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people at the time: the joy, pride, and confidence in the socialist construction efforts in the North, feelings of solidarity with the South, and the determination to reunify the country. There is also an expansive sense of international proletarian solidarity with fellow socialist nations. It highlights the belief in building a new life under socialism in the North, with deep affection for the South and the determination to unify the nation.

The collection consists of 25 poems, including iconic pieces such as "Người con gái Việt Nam" and "Tiếng chổi tre". The poems are imbued with romantic inspiration, an epic tone, and a strong civic sense of self.