Published:  00:00 Friday - February 26, 2010

A procession carrying a sacred flame from the Hung Kings Temple to the Temple of Literature in Hanoi took place on February 25, officially opening the 8th Vietnam Poetry Day – the first cultural event in celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Poetry Day was created to uphold and preserve traditional cultural values and encourage young poets and poetry-lovers to contribute more to the nation’s renovation process.

According to poet Huu Thinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association, the main ceremony of Vietnam Poetry Day will take place on February 28 in the Temple of Literature, which was the country’s first university.