Hanoi (VNA) – The memorial site dedicated to great poet Nguyen Du (1🐻765-1820) in Nghi Xuan district in the central province of Ha Tinh will be developed into a national culture and tourism destination under a master plan r💟ecently approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The site spans Tien Dien commune, part of Xuan Giang commune and Nghi Son town in Nghi Son district. Organisers are focusing on preserving and upholding the values of relic sites related to the Nguyen family in Tien Dien commune and traditional cultural facilities of Tien Dien village. The Government will build new public spaces and tourist attractions that enable visitors to explore the local culture. The Nguyen Tien Dien family grave area and worshipping house; Truong Ninh pagoda; Cho Tro communal house; and the memorial house dedicated to Nguyen Du will also be repaired. Nguyen Du’s grave and the garden of the Nguyen family, among others, will be equipped with signs and lighting. Nguyen Du (alias To Nhu), who also went by the penname Thanh Hien, brought Vietnamese poetic language to a new high. In his 55 years of life, the great poet left a monumental legacy that includes three collections in Han (Chinese) script, totalling 250 poems in Thanh Hien Thi Tap (Poems of Thanh Hien), Nam Trung Tap Ngam (Various Poems) and Bac Hanh Tap Luc (Miscellaneous Writings in a Trip to the North), as well as the most well-known, the Tale of Kieu. In 1965, he was honoured as a world cultural celebrity by the World Peace Council, along with eight others, for his devotion to Vietnamese literature and world culture. He was also recognised as a World Cultural Figure by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) at its 37th General Conference session in Paris in 2013. On August 15, 2014, the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee officially approved a plan to celebrate the 250th birth anniversary of Nguyen Du in 2015 – a big opportunity for the country to honour its cultural values and instill national pride in its citizens while integrating into the international community.-VNA