Social Affairs
Ho Chi Minh City’s leader will open a new pedestrian-only book street
The Ho Chi Minh City will open a new pedestrian-only book street on Nguyen Dong Chi Street in District 7 in October, offering a series of activities promoting reading culture for more than 300,000 residents in districts 7, 2 and 8.
The Ho Chi Minh City pedestrian-only Book Street at Nguyen Van Binh Street in District 1 is a popular destination for local and foreign visitors.
|
The stalls will introduce books and magazines from domestic and foreign publishers, along with audio and visual products. There will be a mobile library to provide readers and children a place to relax and enjoy their favorite books, and coffee shops as well.
A stage will be built to serve as talk shows, book introductions, and art performances. Exhibitions, book auctions, and book exchanges will be organized regularly on the street.
Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu, the vice chairwoman of the District 7 People’s Committee, said the authorities hope to turn the new book street in District 7 into a new attraction for local people and foreigners. It is the second pedestrian book street in Ho Chi Minh City together with Nguyen Van Binh Street in District 1.
Opening in January in 2016, Nguyen Van Binh Book Street has hosted numerous events to promote reading by the city’s residents, such as Viet Vietnamese Book Day, European Literature Day, a children’s festival, and photo and book exhibitions in Ho Chi Minh City and its people.
In the first six months of this year, the venue welcomed over 1.2 million local and foreign visitors. Nearly 300,000 books were sold, earning VND19.7 billion ($840,000), an increase of 27 per cent compared to the same period of last year.
