The feudal society in Vietnam was very conservative. Girls had to live in a patriarchal system. They had to live in strict rituals, with unreasonable social standards imposed on them. They had no right to choose what they liked and couldn’t go to school. Society at that time also believed that school was not for women. Being a mother, a housewife, and staying at home to take care of a husband and children was their duty. There was a girl who refused to succumb to fate—overcoming the prejudices of that time and becoming the first female poet of Vietnam. Poet Ho Xuan Huong dared to speak out strongly for women’s rights, the right to live, and the right to equality, through her poetry. However, due to insufficient data and lack of clarification, there was still much debate about the existence of Ho Xuan Huong. And there were also some people speculating that she was just a myth.
The life of Ho Xuan Huong
After over 250 years of research, those questions have been clarified through the book “Decoding the Mystery of Ho Xuan Huong”. According to research, Ho Xuan Huong was born in Quynh Doi village, Nghe An province. She sometimes lived in Thang Long, Hanoi with her well-off family. She was the daughter of well-educated parents with a love of studying. Unlike other girls, she was exposed to books and poetry since she was a child. She had a full and peaceful life until her parents passed away. Her life changed, gradually becoming more difficult.
Her style of writing
The challenges and difficulties in life couldn’t stop her creative path. Instead, they contributed to her having famous poems. And people call her the queen of Nom poetry. With her creative wordplay and skillful use of words, she could easily write in Han and Nom characters. Through her keen eyes, life’s problems and social evils are expressed through poetry in a very delicate way. Her poetry is not bound by old-fashioned ideas and unwritten rules. The content of her poems often reflected the evils of society, expressed views that others dared not say, and was a strong voice speaking about the miserable fate of women. At that time, she emerged as a phenomenon, blowing a new, liberal breeze among the traditional, stereotyped poems. She successfully opened a prosperous period of Vietnamese literature.
Poet Ho Xuan Huong was a beautiful woman who has proven to everyone that women are talented and can do great things. Now, the voices of women everywhere are more and more valuable. We can work, vote, and be financially independent. To have equality and freedom like today, women have fought very hard to challenge the prejudice of society. So, I feel lucky and grateful to live in this era. I can choose my path, study, and do what I like, not worrying about being imposed by prejudices and strict rules of society. Today, there is a special holiday in March to honor the contributions of women who have stood up to fight and contributed to the development of the world. All women in the world deserve respect and praise.
