Che Lan Vien

Chế Lan Viên was a prominent Vietnamese poet known for his contributions to modern Vietnamese literature. Born in 1920 in Đông Hà, Central Vietnam, he grew up in Quy Nhơn and began writing poetry at a young age. His first collection, published at seventeen, established him as a poet with original and profound sensibilities. He was actively involved in the August Revolution of 1945 and supported the Việt Minh's movement against French rule. After the Geneva Agreements of 1954, he moved to Hà Nội and became a leading member of the Writers' Association of Viet Nam. Following the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, he lived and worked in Hồ Chí Minh City, producing poetry, essays, memoirs, and commentary until his death in 1989. He was posthumously awarded the Hồ Chí Minh Prize for Literature and Art in 1996.