Tu (Ci-Poetry/Lyric Meters) is a literary genre which appeared during the Tang Dynasty in China, then spread to other East Asian countries, including Vietnam. This study presents the development of genres of "Tu" in Vietnam since its acquirement until the end of the eighteenth century, including the main contents: Characteristics of the authors
sources affecting "Tu" composition
concept and motive of composition
genres
content and style. Generally, the composition of "Tu" during this period, for many obstructive different reasons, did not record great achievements although the period of development was long. It can be regarded as the experimental period of Vietnamese writers to an uncommon literary genre in Vietnam. As a result, genres of "Tu" during that period had many complex metamorphoses of form, which is not only caused by the textual variations. Under the strong influence of the functional literature concept of Confucianist scholars, genres of "Tu" during that period was distinctively poeticized, causing unclear characteristics of genres. Nevertheless, the composition of "Tu" during this period still have innovatory contribution, especially in metrics, to the enrichment of the literary treasures of Vietnam.