thesilkroadtoday
“Australian-Vietnamese poet Vo Thi Nhu Mai has been honored at the 24th Naji Naaman Literary Prizes 2026, one of the world’s most respected international literary awards dedicated to promoting human values through literature.
Established in Lebanon in 2002 by the Naji Naaman Foundation for Gratis Culture, the award recognizes literary works distinguished by their freedom of expression, artistic merit, and commitment to the enrichment of humanity. This year, the competition attracted 4,127 participants from 83 countries, writing in 27 languages and dialects. From this vast international field, only 88 laureates were selected.”
Vo Thi Nhu Mai, a Vietnamese-born poet living in Australia, was among the distinguished recipients recognized during the 24th season of the awards. Her achievement reflects her literary accomplishments and her dedication to fostering dialogue between cultures through poetry and translation.
Particular attention has been drawn to her bilingual English–Bengali poetry collection, The Shape of Return, a work that explores memory, identity, migration, belonging, and the enduring connections between people and place. Through its presentation in two languages, the book serves as a bridge between cultures, allowing readers from different linguistic backgrounds to engage with shared human experiences.
The recognition of The Shape of Return highlights the growing importance of multilingual literature in an increasingly interconnected world. By embracing both English and Bengali, the collection transcends geographical boundaries and demonstrates poetry’s unique capacity to create understanding across cultures.
Beyond her literary work, Vo Thi Nhu Mai has become an active voice in international cultural exchange. Her recent appointment as Oceania Coordinator of the World Poetry Movement further reflects her commitment to promoting peace, intercultural dialogue, and global literary collaboration.
The Naji Naaman Literary Prizes have long sought to encourage literature that revives and develops human values. Over twenty-four seasons, the competition has attracted more than 45,000 participants from 144 countries, with prize anthologies now published in 136 languages and dialects.
For Vo Thi Nhu Mai, this international recognition marks another significant milestone in a literary journey devoted to connecting people through words. Through The Shape of Return, she reminds readers that every return whether to memory, language, culture, or self is also a new beginning, shaped by understanding, compassion, and hope.
As literature continues to build bridges across borders, the success of Vo Thi Nhu Mai stands as evidence to the power of poetry to unite diverse voices in a shared human story.
LINES ACROSS OCEAN
Every word she writes, it holds the weight of two worlds
One she left behind and one she is learning to call home
A Vietnamese woman abroad builds her life like a poem of resilience
Line by line, sacrifice by sacrifice, with elegance shaped from endurance
She writes to remember homeland and keep its original culture
Her language is a bridge, and her story is a seed filled with strength
Her pen scripts across oceans and time zones
Tracing nostalgia and the beauty of belonging to more than one place
Her verse lives the ache of distance, the courage of beginnings
The steadfast love of a homeland stitched gently between memory and hope
A MOMENT OF CARELESSNESS
Carelessly walking through the crowds spilled from concrete offices
Feeling lost and isolated like wandering into the desert
Some people carelessly shrink others just to feel larger
They’ve long abandoned kindness at the sea
He carelessly forgot to place a kiss on her lips
The boat took her to the other side of the river and forgot to return
I carelessly gave you my whole heart and soul
Without reading the small print of love
THE SHAPE OF RETURN
i departed with spring in my heart, a suitcase lined with mother’s songs
and the tender grief of tamarind trees bending to the chilly wind
twenty years and I still hear the temple bell’s evening cry
father in sacred pause, his words remaining like incense smoke
i have journeyed along countless flowing rivers
but none I could remember holding the significant depth of O Lau River
the saltwater addresses our ancient tongue
i remember dust so divine I’d breathe it in like scripture
the air is crisp here yet it fails to nurture my name
on quiet nights I murmur HOMETOWN
and it stirs a lullaby folded into grandmother’s lap
the soft slap of slippers on a tiled floor
home is not on any map it is mother’s back, bent
like a question mark that only I can comprehend
it is her voice wrapping around my name
like the shawl she wore to market
when time sheds it coat
when spring reveals its streets covered in cherry petals
i will return not as the girl who left
but as the woman who gathered her scattered selves
and came home full of love and appreciation
