In the digital era when more entertainment forms are available and reading enjoyment declines. Vietnam has made numerous efforts to encourage the public to read, as the result, more and more Vietnamese people choose a book over Facebook. How about you?            

Tran Thuy Hang, a mother of a three-year-old daughter in Hanoi, spends most of her free time reading books for her kid. Hang also takes her girl to every book fair held in Hanoi so that she can play, choose favourite books and gradually develop her love for reading.

Hang is among young Vietnamese people who play important parts in improving reading culture in the country after a shocking statistics released in 2013 showed that each Vietnamese person reads less than a book per year on average. 

Domestic publishers have been making a great contribution to increase the number of readers by offering more interesting and eye-catching paper books. Technology also helps bring books closer to readers with more free e-books, reading machines and software. 

At the panel discussion about ASEAN reading culture as part of the ongoing Hanoi Book Festival, Tha Tun Oo, former Chairman of the ASEAN Book Publishers Association said encouraging reading is among key priorities in many ASEAN countries. Malaysia’s capital ity of Kuala Lumpur has been named as the World Book Capital by UNESCO. While Indonesia Government funds national book fairs and gives discount vouchers for students to buy books at cheaper prices.

Tha Tun Oo said Hanoi sees a surge in number of readers. The ASEAN Book Publishers Association supports Hanoi to be the regional book capital.-VNA