The Hanoi People’s Council has proposed naming two streets in Cầu Giấy District after Lưu Quang Vũ and Xuân Quỳnh, two of the most prominent poets in Vietnam's literary world.
VnExpress reports that the city council sought public opinion to name 38 new streets and shorten nine others. Aside from Lưu Quang Vũ and Xuân Quỳnh, other notable names include poet Chế Lan Viên, composer Huy Du, writer Nguyễn Minh Châu, etc.
If nothing is changed, then the proposal is expected to be approved during the council’s meeting in December, after which street signs will be installed.
In Trung Hòa Ward, Hanoi suggests that Xuân Quỳnh Street begin at the junction of Vũ Phạm Hàm Street, directly across from the National Archives Center 1, and end at the intersection next to the Trung Yên Plaza building (UDIC). The roadway is 470 meters long and 10 meters wide, and the pavement is 2 meters wide on each side.
Lưu Quang Vũ Street is expected to begin from the intersection of Nguyễn Khang Street and run to the intersection of lane 22 Trung Kính, opposite of Yên Hòa Secondary School. The roadway is 430 meters long, 17.5–26 meters wide, and has 5–6.5 meters of sidewalk on either side.
Screenwriter Lưu Quang Vũ and poet Xuân Quỳnh are widely regarded in Vietnam for their contributions to the literary scene, as well as their loving relationship. They are the only married couple to have received the Ho Chi Minh Prize for Literature and Art, although the prizes were awarded posthumously. In 1988, the couple and their son, Lưu Quỳnh Thơ, lost their lives in a traffic accident in Hai Duong Province, causing great shock and grief for their contemporaries and members of the public.
[Photo via Dai Doan Ket]
