Preview of forthcoming Firmament January 2026
Thomas Le
Dear Friend and Reader,
How smart are you? Engineer turned researcher Nguyễn Đức Việt tries to capture the essence of intelligence, its inheritance, IQ, and more by employing a statistical method and an engaging narrative. Be prepared to embark on a jaw-dropping esoteric journey he engineered for you. If you think gardening is for gardeners, think again. Former academic Lạp Chúc Nguyễn Huy begs to differ by showing that those cute potted miniature trees form a cultural ecosystem that has its roots in Eastern philosophy. Who hasn’t heard of Pham Duy Khiêm? Then let our erudite researcher Nguyễn Lê-Hiếu shed light into the life and thoughts of this tragic figure who could have accomplished more great things than he did. Distressed by the impermanence and indifference of the world, former professor Nguyễn Ngoc Hà took as her witnesses four authors from French and Greek literature, an adventure to make sense of the meaning of life. With alacrity Hoàng Tâm Hilton hopped on to this iconic spot in Peru accompanied by her delighted grandson. And now enjoy a tale of riches to rags as told by... who else but the one and only Phương Hoa?
Erstwhile lord of the air, Yên Sơn crossed the equator to arrive at the biggest island on earth and survived to tell all. No koala stories, sorry. This absorbing storyteller Nguyễn Giụ Hùng takes you back to the very first ancient Vietnamese capital, which is the cradle of independence, now revered for its role in shaping the future of the country. He returns to the present to grieve the death of his beloved engineering teacher. The Vietnamese classifier system is the focus of peerless philologist Văn Ưu Nguyễn, who believes the tree and root language model can explicate some similarities among classifiers in Southeast Asia. Expert computer app developer Trương Thiệu Hùng spared no effort to devise an elaborate tutorial that will help produce Vietnamese on line complete with tone marks. Unimpeachable scholar Nguyễn Cẩm Xuyên relates how a mediocre Chinese novel was transformed into a world-renowned masterpiece, Truyện Kiều. In this Black Society episode master suspense writer Nguyễn Tuấn Huy describes an adventure of a white-haired Chinese money launderer, whom the DEA wants to nab but can’t. Nguyễn Ngọc Hoàng and Cao My Nhân describe their encounter with rain in Huế, one catastrophic, the other quasi-romantic. In a display of filial piety Kim Oanh fondly remembers her parents. Dreamer Sóng Việt-Ðàm Giang feigns disgust on the outside but feels pure love on the inside. Impatient with unconvincing arguments cloaked in erudition, Thomas Le revisits an undying debate surrounding Louise Labé’s poetry and casts serious doubts about the arguments of her detractors.
In the poetry kingdom, Nguyễn Ngọc Hà laments fate in a couple of poems worthy of a Greek tragedy. Vibrant Saigon is amazing; in this springtime it has captured the imagination of peripatetic educator Võ Thị Như Mai from down under. While you’re at it, lend an attentive ear to Cao My Nhân’s perplexity about life and love. For expert translator Ngô Tằng Giao it’s autumn and its glorious garb while Phương Hoa and Yên Son are enveloped in vernal atmosphere, the former in verse, the latter in music powered by AI. Wow! Hopeless romantic Kim Oanh is struggling with love or lost love, but doesn’t know which!
Molière’s comedy The Learned Ladies deals with intellectual pretentiousness. Intellectual pretentiousness? Yes. Some critics say the topic is to meager for a five-act play. What do you think?
In the Letters from Vincennes space, Thomas Le continues on his endless quest for the origins of life. (Where did I come from?). However, this time he lets a Nobel Prize in Biology laureate do the talking. The Critical Thinking section is about...stupid behavior again. Only this time it is seen through the lens of a famous (even more so than Einstein, some say) winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, who is willing to share his experience. His daughter has compiled a sizable volume of his statements selected from his conversations, thoughts, lectures, and other writings throughout his life, all of which epitomize his wisdom, humility, and witticism.
Life is too short to fool around. Read and share Firmament with pride because it is an incredible read that adds joy and years to your days. Would you distribute it among your friends and relatives? Happy reading! ■
Thomas D. Le, Editor, January 2026.
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Link for download to all issues of Firmament: https://vietnampoetry.wordpress.com/firmament
Tam Phi
Thomas Le
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