The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Ho Chi Minh City chapter has released a list of 100 books worth reading for young people on April 19.

Over the past year, the chapter asked municipality residents to suggest books for the youth, receiving nearly 8,400 recommendations with more than 3,233 book titles, including 2,011 written by Vietnamese authors and 1,222 others by foreigners.

Among the 100 books worth reading, 21 books reflect the revolutionary spirit and national tradition such as the Testament and Nhat ky trong tu (Prison Diary) written by late President Ho Chi Minh, and Dien Bien Phu – Ban hung ca vang mai (Dien Bien Phu – The forever resounding epic) by Doan Hoa Trung.

Fourteen books review Vietnam’s culture, history and geography, and 15 offer guidance on morals and personal development.

Notably, 30 of the books target children and teenagers, with popular works such as De men phieu luu ky (Adventures of a cricket) by To Hoai, Toi thay hoa vang tren co xanh (I see yellow flowers on green grass) and Cho toi mot ve di tuoi tho (Give me a ticket to childhood) by Nguyen Nhat Anh, Doraemon by Japan’s Fujiko, and Harry Porter by the UK’s J.K. Rowling.

Ten books have literary or art themes and another 10 are focused on improving job skills and iterating lessons from celebrities.

Vice Secretary of the Youth Union’s municipal chapter Lam Dinh Thang said the book list aims to raise the youth’s interest in reading, ultimately serving to build character in the generation of the future.-VNA