The HCM City pedestrian-only Book Street at Nguyen Van Binh street in District 1 is a popular destination for local and foreign visitors (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - The success of HCM City’s Book Streethas spurred interest in setting up similar pedestrianised areas in othercities, but experts say that careful consideration should be made beforeopening new book streets.
Last year, the HCM City Book Street (located on Nguyen Van Binh Street inDistrict 1) attracted 2.4 million visitors, earning a turnover of 50 billion VND(2.2 million USD), according to the Vietnam Publishers Association (VNPA).
The street organised 167 cultural and book-signing events, attracting dozens ofleading domestic and foreign publishers, distributors and agencies.
Quach Thu Nguyet, Deputy Director of the Book Street One Member LimitedCompany, said: “Promoting reading culture is necessary. But it’s not easy tocreate a book street.”
Speaking at a recent meeting to celebrate the second anniversary of the city’sbook street held in HCM City, she said the city had spent a year preparing forthe book street, including collecting opinions from people, publishers,educators and cultural experts, finding a venue, and calling for support frompublishers, distributors and businesses.
“The city’s People’s Committee has asked the Department of Information andTechnology in collaboration with VNPA and our company to build new book streetsin Districts 7, 5 and Go Vap district,” she said.
“We need to be careful and study people’s requirements and publishers’ potential,”she said, adding that there were only 60 publishers in Vietnam and some do nothave the resources to invest in book streets.
Nguyen Minh Nhut, Director of the Tre (Youth) Publishing House, saidthat his company earned revenue of 11 billion VND (484,800 USD) after two yearsparticipating in the book street through selling books and organisingbook-signing meetings with best-selling authors.
However, since the company’s revenue is mostly from wholesale sales to thecountry’s leading distributors such as Phuong Nam Book Company and the HCM CityBook Distribution Company (FAHASA), the publisher is not interested in takingpart in other book streets, according to Nhut.
The company joined the HCM City book street as a reply to the city’s call, hesaid, adding that the book street in District 1 was a great venue for bookintroductions and signings, so the company does not plan to take part in otherbook streets.
Nhut noted that the book street at Nguyen Dong Chi Street in District 7 wasplanned to begin last October with 20 stalls, but has yet to open. HCM CityGeneral Publishing House, Tre Publishing House, Nha Nam, First News all agreed totake part in.
“I think the city should invite Phu My Hung Company to join in creating andsupporting the street. And the products and events in District 7 should bedifferent from those held in the book street in District 1,” Nhut said.
Nguyen Thị Thu, Vice Chairwoman of the HCM City People’s Committee, agreed withthe nearly 100 participants from the VNPA, publishers, and departments ofCulture, Sports and Tourism in neighbouring provinces, and asked the city’sDepartment of Information and Technology to collect opinions and make a newplan to create more book streets in HCM City.
“The department, however, must study the people’s needs to find an appropriatemodel for book streets for each district,” Thu said, adding that the departmentshould work with Phu My Hung to set up a book street in District 7.-VNA
Last year, the HCM City Book Street (located on Nguyen Van Binh Street inDistrict 1) attracted 2.4 million visitors, earning a turnover of 50 billion VND(2.2 million USD), according to the Vietnam Publishers Association (VNPA).
The street organised 167 cultural and book-signing events, attracting dozens ofleading domestic and foreign publishers, distributors and agencies.
Quach Thu Nguyet, Deputy Director of the Book Street One Member LimitedCompany, said: “Promoting reading culture is necessary. But it’s not easy tocreate a book street.”
Speaking at a recent meeting to celebrate the second anniversary of the city’sbook street held in HCM City, she said the city had spent a year preparing forthe book street, including collecting opinions from people, publishers,educators and cultural experts, finding a venue, and calling for support frompublishers, distributors and businesses.
“The city’s People’s Committee has asked the Department of Information andTechnology in collaboration with VNPA and our company to build new book streetsin Districts 7, 5 and Go Vap district,” she said.
“We need to be careful and study people’s requirements and publishers’ potential,”she said, adding that there were only 60 publishers in Vietnam and some do nothave the resources to invest in book streets.
Nguyen Minh Nhut, Director of the Tre (Youth) Publishing House, saidthat his company earned revenue of 11 billion VND (484,800 USD) after two yearsparticipating in the book street through selling books and organisingbook-signing meetings with best-selling authors.
However, since the company’s revenue is mostly from wholesale sales to thecountry’s leading distributors such as Phuong Nam Book Company and the HCM CityBook Distribution Company (FAHASA), the publisher is not interested in takingpart in other book streets, according to Nhut.
The company joined the HCM City book street as a reply to the city’s call, hesaid, adding that the book street in District 1 was a great venue for bookintroductions and signings, so the company does not plan to take part in otherbook streets.
Nhut noted that the book street at Nguyen Dong Chi Street in District 7 wasplanned to begin last October with 20 stalls, but has yet to open. HCM CityGeneral Publishing House, Tre Publishing House, Nha Nam, First News all agreed totake part in.
“I think the city should invite Phu My Hung Company to join in creating andsupporting the street. And the products and events in District 7 should bedifferent from those held in the book street in District 1,” Nhut said.
Nguyen Thị Thu, Vice Chairwoman of the HCM City People’s Committee, agreed withthe nearly 100 participants from the VNPA, publishers, and departments ofCulture, Sports and Tourism in neighbouring provinces, and asked the city’sDepartment of Information and Technology to collect opinions and make a newplan to create more book streets in HCM City.
“The department, however, must study the people’s needs to find an appropriatemodel for book streets for each district,” Thu said, adding that the departmentshould work with Phu My Hung to set up a book street in District 7.-VNA
VNA
