HCM City: Book Street helps promote reading culture

Ho Chi Minh City Book Street (Source: VNA)

Over 750,000 copies of books have been sold on the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street (Nguyen Van Binh Street in District 1), which have attracted nearly 4 million visitors so far and made a total revenue of 67 billion VND (2.98 million USD).

Over the last two years, a series of activities were organsised at the street, with over 267 events introducing new books and hosting exchanges with writers. There were also activities to celebrate the nation’s important events, as well as book and photo exhibitions.

Quach Thu Nguyet, Deputy Director of the HCMC Book Street Co., Ltd noted that this model creates a place for promoting reading culture in the community, thus responding to the national lifelong learning strategy.

According to Nguyen Manh Hung, General Director of Thai Ha Books Company, a number of foreign book publishers are very interested in reading culture in HCM City, Hanoi and some other localities of Vietnam.

They sent experts working in publishing and communications to the city to find out how to develop an attractive model like this, Hung said.

Director of Nha Xuat Ban Tre (the Youth Publishing House), Nguyen Minh Nhut stressed the expansion of the model should be carefully considered, especially there is a need to conduct a survey on demand, resources and financial capacity of publishers.

According to Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Thu, the second street of this kind will be shortly opened in District 7.

VNA