HÀ NỘI - The World Record Union yesterday handed over a Unique World Record Certificate to the Hà Nội People’s Committee for a book of Hoa Lư poems.

“This certificate endorses a unique world record to the book as being the biggest wooden book, and at the same time, holding the highest cultural and spiritual value. It is not only a national treasure of Việt Nam for many generations, but also promotes a feature of Vietnamese culture to the world,” said Thomas Bain, Vice President of the World Record Union.   

“The World Record Certificate is awarded to a work with deep social and human values for many future generations,” he said.  

The book entitled Hoa Lư Thi Tập Epic includes 121 poems about the ancient capital Hoa Lư by Prof. Hoàng Quang Thuận, head of the Institute of Telecommunication Technology. It describes the unique scenery of the mountains in Tràng An, of Bái Đính in Ninh Bình Province. The book helps readers understand more about Việt Nam’s history of establishing and defending the country over 1,000 years ago.

The book, a unique copy, has a cover made of red wood, with dimensions of 109cm x 70cm x 10cm. It weights 54 kg, and is printed on leathered paper.

However, some readers of the book do not find the poems very interesting.  

On the occasion of the 1000^th anniversary of Thăng Long in 2010, this book was awarded to the Hà Nội People’s Committee and has been on display at the Thăng Long Royal Citadel Relic Centre. It was also translated into English and French. VNS