Nguyễn Chí Thiện facts for kids

Nguyễn Chí Thiện (born February 27, 1939 – died October 2, 2012) was a brave Vietnamese poet and activist. He spent many years in prison because he spoke out against the government. Later, he was able to move to the United States.

A Life of Speaking Out

Nguyễn Chí Thiện grew up in Vietnam. He was a teacher who believed in telling the truth. In 1960, he was teaching history to high school students. He shared a different view about how World War II ended. He said that the United States ended the war by dropping atomic bombs on Japan. This was different from what the government wanted people to believe.

Because of this, he was sent to a "re-education camp." These were places where people were held and taught to think differently. He was supposed to be there for two years but stayed for over three years. While in prison, he started writing poems. He couldn't write them down, so he memorized every single one.

After a short time of freedom in 1966, he was put back in jail. This was because his poems often questioned the government. He spent more than eleven years in labor camps, still memorizing his poems.

Sharing His Poems with the World

In 1977, Nguyễn Chí Thiện was released from prison. He quickly wrote down all the poems he had memorized. These poems were about his experiences and his feelings about freedom.

In 1979, he took a big risk. He rushed into the British embassy in Hanoi. He carried his handwritten book of four hundred poems. He hoped the diplomats would help send his poems out of Vietnam. They promised to do so.

However, when he left the embassy, secret police were waiting. They arrested him again. He was sent to Hỏa Lò Prison, also known as the "Hanoi Hilton." He spent six more years there and then six more years in other prisons.

While he was in prison, his poems reached the outside world. A professor from Yale University translated them into English. In 1985, his work won an important award called the International Poetry Award. Amnesty International, a group that helps people who are unfairly imprisoned, also recognized him as a "prisoner of conscience" in 1986.

Freedom and New Beginnings

After twelve years, Nguyễn Chí Thiện was finally released from jail. He lived in Hanoi, but the authorities watched him closely. Many people around the world also kept an eye on him to make sure he was safe.

In 1995, another human rights group, Human Rights Watch, honored him. That same year, he was allowed to move to the United States. This happened with help from a retired U.S. Air Force officer named Noboru Masuoka.

Once in the U.S., he continued to write. He wrote Hoa Dia Nguc II, which means "Flowers from Hell II." These were more poems he had memorized during his time in prison from 1979 to 1988. They were published in both Vietnamese and English.

In 1998, he received a special fellowship from the International Parliament of Writers. He lived in France for three years. During this time, he wrote Hoa Lo Stories. This book shared his experiences inside the famous Hanoi Hilton prison. The stories were later published in English as Hoa Lo / Hanoi Hilton Stories.

Nguyễn Chí Thiện's original manuscript of poems was returned to him in 2008. It had been kept safe by the widow of a professor who had shared his work with many Vietnamese people living outside their home country.

Nguyễn Chí Thiện passed away in Santa Ana, California, on October 2, 2012. He is remembered as a brave poet who fought for freedom through his words.

Awards and Honors

• 1985 Rotterdam International Poetry Prize
• 1989 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award

Images for kids

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  Headstone marking the resting place for the poet Nguyen ChíThiện at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.