VietNamNet Bridge – A local expert has claimed the recent survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that claimed 26% of Vietnamese never read a  book was an underestimate, saying a wide part of the population just aren’t interested in reading.

The number of Vietnamese people who read books is much lower than the global average rate

According to a report from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Library Department, the number of Vietnamese people who read books is much lower than the global average rate. Some 26% of Vietnamese people never read books, while 44% of respondents said they occasionally read, while 30% claimed to be regular readers. Library-goers accounted for 8 - 10 % of the country's population.

Nguyen Quang Thach, who has spent 19 years on his project to supply books, newspapers and magazines free of charge to rural communities nationwide, said he believed the levels of non-readers was far higher.

Early this year, during the tour to many localities across the country to promote his project, he interviewed over 3,000 people. The result showed that up to 90% of the respondents said that they did not know local schools had libraries and never borrowed books. People in rural areas rarely have the chance to buy or borrow books and are not habitual readers. Many said they had not read a book for years.

Vietnamese farmers readily admitted to rarely reading books for improved farming techniques, instead relying on existing knowledge or experience.

Thach said he often saw people abroad would read anywhere.

“Over the past two months, I have taken 60 buses in Hanoi, but I‘ve seen only one person reading books on bus. Vietnamese people often say that it is not suitable to read books on bus due to being noisy and uncomfortable; however, foreigners seem to be able to read quite easily on Vietnamese buses," Thach said.

DTriNews