Hoi An launches Haiku poem contest

July 31, 2012 | 10:27

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Hoi An City in Quang Nam province has launched a Haiku poem contest in Vietnamese language to promote ‘Hoi An-Japan cultural exchange’ which is being held for the tenth time from August 22-26 to mark 39 years of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Japan.

The contest will focus on the perception of Japan, its people and cultural exchange tradition of Hoi An-Japan. The form of a Haiku poem in Vietnamese language will consist of three sentences with an order of 5-7-5 syllables.

The deadline for submitting entries is August 15. Poems selected for the final round will be written in calligraphy and displayed in the Vietnam-Japan Cultural Exchange Days.

Haiku poems are a short poetic form of Japanese uniqueness (of 17 syllables, 5-7-5, pauses in three sentences) and are over four centuries old as they developed in the first half of the Edo period (1603-1868) when poet Matsuo Basho described the natural world and traveled around Japan.

Classic haiku must use ‘kigo’ (your word) and a sign that the poem is described in season, remains for the reader to feel or think deeply.

Haiku beginners do not necessarily need to comply with the rigid rules of haiku, which describes what to feel and experience themselves from the world around us by way of creative expression of language. Haiku poetry is now used worldwide in countries like the US, and China and some African nations.

SaigonTimes

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