VietNamNet Bridge – For the first time, a volume of Vietnamese poetry was auctioned off. More surprisingly, a woman who called herself a “farmer from childhood” bought it at a considerable price.

Mrs Le Thi Giau

Since the moment the gong was struck to start the auction session of a unique collection of poetry at 3.15 pm on February 6, Ms. The Thanh, vice director of the HCM City Department of Culture and Information, witnessed one surprising thing after another in the auction room crowded with 100 poets, business people, and audience members at Miss Saigon Café.

The first surprise came when a woman named Le Thi Giau, the owner of an agricultural product processing company in Binh Chanh District, raised the starting price of the collection from 10 million to 20 million dong. The atmosphere became “hotter” immediately afterwards.

When Ms. Giau increased the price to 70 million, the tension was too much for the organising committee, who halted the auction for a few musical performances. Musician The Hien impressed all by singing in English, French and Vietnamese a moving song about the death of a 13 year-old child caused by Agent Orange.

Near the end of the session, poet Lam Xuan Thi, who had sat silently from the beginning, raised his hand. The price went up to 75 million. Only two people remained in the race: Ms. Giau and Mr. Lam Xuan Thi.

After chasing each other for some time, Mr. Thi raised the price to 250 million.

Ms. Le Thi Giau calmly said, “250.5 million”; the poet responded – “Please, go ahead.”

This amount of money will be sent to the Orange Agent Victim Fund of the HCM City Fatherland Front. Audience members donated an additional amount of 36.5 million dong.

(Source: Tuoi Tre )