HCM CITY – President of the Việt Nam Writers' Association Nguyễn Quang Thiều has announced that writer Hoàng Phủ Ngọc Tường passed away on July 24 in HCM City, at the age of 87.

Writer Hoàng Phủ Ngọc Tường. Photo Thừa Thiên - Huế Literature and Art Association.

Hoàng Phủ Ngọc Tường was born in 1937 in Huế, but his hometown in Triệu Long district, Quảng Trị province. He graduated from Sài Gòn Pedagogical University, then studied for a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Huế University of Literature.

He taught at Quốc học Huế School for the Gifted in the period 1960-1966, then the writer participated in cultural and artistic activities during the war until 1975.

In 1978, he joined the Việt Nam Writers' Association.

He used to be the General Secretary of Bình Trị Thiên - Huế Literature and Art Association, Chairman of Bình Trị Thiên Literature and Art Association, and Editor-in-Chief of Cửa Việt magazine.

In 2007, he received the State Prize for Literature and Art.

Tường specialised in memoirs. His most famous work is Ai đã đặt tên cho dòng sông (Who Named the River), written in Huế in 1981, which used to be taught in the general literature program.

The essay shows the talented, erudite, and poetic writing style of Tường.

Researcher Trần Đình Sử commented on Tường's works: "The memoir of Hoàng Phủ Ngọc Tường is a quest to find the roots, a discovery of the cultural and historical depth of life. His literature is rich in materials taken from history books, scientific knowledge and legends, and his personal memories flashed unexpected lights. The special and new feature of Tường is to explore the culture with abundantly historical documents and a passionate Huế soul".

Previously, on July 6, 2023, poet Lâm Thị Mỹ Dạ, Tường’s wife, passed away at the age of 75.

Families of the artists will hold a memorial ceremony for writer Tường and poet Dạ on July 30 and 31 at the Thừa Thiên - Huế Literature and Art Association. – VNS