During Vietnam's Trần dynasty (13th-14th centuries), the chữ Nôm script based on Chinese characters was systematized and began regular literary use. While chữ Nôm may have appeared as early as the 8th century using chữ Hán to record Vietnamese elements, concrete textual evidence dates to the 13th century. This script adaptation allowed Vietnamese language to be written using modified Chinese characters, creating a distinct Vietnamese writing system. The systematization reflected Vietnam's cultural independence from China while maintaining Chinese literary influence.

Chữ Nôm enabled Vietnamese poets to write native Vietnamese poetry rather than forcing composition in Chinese, creating a distinct Vietnamese literary tradition. This script facilitated production of Vietnamese religious poetry, folk songs, and classical works including Nguyen Du's famous 19th-century poem 'The Tale of Kim Văn Kiều.' The script preserved Vietnamese linguistic identity and enabled vernacular literary expression that influenced later Vietnamese poetry movements.