The First Class Medal of Culture, Science, and Art from the State of Palestine was recently granted for Thieu to honor his significant contribution to culture, science, and art and friendship development between the two countries.
At the award ceremony on June 4, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Shtayyeh, on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas, awarded the medal to the Vietnamese poet in the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
 |
| Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Shtayyeh (right), on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas, awarded the medal to poet Nguyen Quang Thieu (left) in the Palestinian city of Ramallah on June 4 (Photo courtesy by Nguyen Quang Thieu). |
"This is a medal for the Vietnamese people who have been supporters of Palestine in its struggle for independence and freedom, in which generations of Vietnamese writers have made significant contributions. I accept this honor on their behalf," exclaimed poet Nguyen Quang Thieu for receiving the prestige medal.
According to Hanoi Times, the Vietnam Writers' Association delegation led by poet Nguyen Quang Thieu is currently visiting Palestine. They are the first Vietnamese writers to visit Palestine at the invitation of the State of Palestine since the establishment of Vietnam-Palestine relations in 1988.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (1988-2023) and the Palestinian Writers' Association invited the leaders of the Vietnamese Writers' Association to visit and exchange with their Palestinian counterparts. The award ceremony was one of the main activities carried out during this visit.
Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu (born in 1957, from Ha Tay (now Ha Noi) is the Chairman of the Vietnamese Writers' Association, and the First Deputy Secretary General of the Association of Asian, African, and Latin American Writers. As Thieu began writing in 1983, he quickly emerged as the leading innovative young poet of his generation. In addition to poetry, Nguyen Quang Thieu has also made his mark in prose, essays, and translation and has significantly contributed to the promotion of Vietnamese literature in the world. From May 10, 2017, he was also appointed Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Writers' Union Publishing House. Before that, he worked for many newspapers such as Van Nghe Weekly, and Viet Nam Week. He held many important positions at the Vietnam Writers Association a member of Vietnam's 7th Poetry Council, Vice Chairman of the Association, Head of the Composition Committee, and Director of the Center Literary Translation of the Vietnam Writers Association, course VIII - IX. The poet worked hard to build a bridge between Vietnamese and American writers, with many anti-war and human rights publications. His books have been translated into many languages, earning him worldwide fame as a peace and human rights writer. Thieu is also a painter, with his first solo exhibition, "The Flute Player" in January 2021. His paintings can be found in many collections both at home and abroad. |
