The 1st Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day has been organised by the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, along with other departments, sectors and localities throughout April.
The events are taking place with many diverse forms around the main events: opening ceremony and announcing the organising Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day (April 19); The book fair at Nguyen Hue Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City; the National Online Book Fair 2022 wiand th the theme “Lighting the fire of knowledge” at the website: book365.vn (from April 19 to May 20); Weekly and monthly book publishing carried out in all provinces and cities across the country.
The highlight of the first Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day is a digital transformation exhibition introducing the models of audio books, e-books, and book experiences associated with new technology and artificial intelligence.
This is one of the key contents contributing to encouraging the development and positive spread of reading culture and the application of digital technology to modern life. The book fair at Nguyen Hue Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City (from April 19 to 24), has been built into three spaces including: Digital transformation space; book city space and a space on culture models.
The book city space with the theme “Books and Digital Transformation” is a highlight of the book fair with many interactive activities and experiences with models of audio books, e-books, and virtual reality 3D books associated with new technolog and artificial intelligence.
There are also models and solutions for digital transformation applications associated with the publishing industry such as: Digital library system (library of audio books), tools to support the review and editing of the publishing industry by voice, introducing the Ho Chi Minh City people to the application of science and technology to reading books in the new era. This is one of the key contents contributing to further building Ho Chi Minh City into a smart city.
Readers experience the spaces of Vietnam Book Day and Reading Culture at the National Library (Hanoi). (Photo: LU MAI)
In addition, traditional values are also being reproduced through the layout of the space such as the welcome gate designed specifically according to Southern culture, old classroom models, and animations on teacher-child.
In particular, more than 40 rare books from the Library of Ho Chi Minh City and techniques of preserving and restoring old books are being introduced on this occasion. Vietnam’s sea and island space feature with many valuable maps on sovereignty, exhibitions; and a programme introducing President Ho Chi Minh’s reading habits with a system of valuable documents. Along with the exhibition spaces, book introduction, many art activities on the sidelines are also being held at Nguyen Hue pedestrian street.
Director of the Department of Publication, Printing and Distribution under the Ministry of Information and Communications Nguyen Nguyen shared that the organising board decided to choose Ho Chi Minh City as the venue to hold the opening of Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day as the city is one of the most developed centres of the book industry and reading culture of the country.
In addition, after a period of being heavily affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, the city is gradually recovering and a meaningful event about books and reading culture will contribute to encouraging and motivating the publishing industry and readers, to create new changes in cultural and spiritual life.
Meanwhile, in Hanoi, a series of activities in response to the special events are also being organised by publishing units, including: The introduction of the book on Songwriter Hoang Van, organised by Kim Dong Publishing House; the seminar “Building a family bookcase” and the seminar “Feminism for everyone” organised by the Women’s Publishing House; the awards ceremony the “Drawing according to the book” and “Writing a book review” contests organised by the National Library; and the seminar “Digital publishing in the development of reading culture” organised by the Department of Publication, Printing and Distribution in collaboration with Alpha Book Joint Stock Company.
Sharing about Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day, Director-Editor-General of Literature Publishing House, Nguyen Anh Vu said: “Digital transformation is something we are particularly interested in because we have recognized its positive effects and identifed it as part of sustainable development for the future. During recent times, despite being affected by the epidemic, publishers have applied technology in working, publishing books online and building a roadmap for publishing e-books and audio books, podcasts combining Infographic or Multimedia are meeting the new demands of today’s readers.
