To meet the high demand of readers, the HCMC Department of Information and Communications is planning to open more book streets, with each able to cater to citizens of two or three districts.

Many visitors are seen at Nguyen Van Binh Book Street 

Trinh Huu Anh, deputy director of the Division of Publication and Printing under the department, said the project will soon be submitted to the HCMC government for approval.

Previously, the municipal government had expected each district to have at least one book street. 

However, considering the actual needs and conditions, the Department of Information and Communications suggested every two or three districts should have one book street. 

Speaking to the Daily, Anh said that advice on the project will be sought from experts in the publishing industry.

According to Anh, with a population of more than eight million people, the city has high demand for books. However, Nguyen Van Binh Street is the only book street in the city up to now.

Since the city has already had an extensive bookstore system, the book streets will not only open for business purposes but also to encourage people to read books and create a space for cultural activities.

“The book streets’ design will be based on the specific demand of each particular area. For example, the book street in Thu Duc District will mainly serve students from the national university complex while the book street in Tan Phu District will target workers from nearby industrial zones,” Anh said.

Data of the HCMC Book Street Management Board showed that after a year of operation (from January 2016), Nguyen Van Binh Book Street in District 1 has gained revenue of nearly VND27 billion, with about 500,000 books sold and more than 1.5 million people visiting.

Quach Thu Nguyet, deputy director of HCMC Book Street Company Limited, said the great amount of tourists in District 1 has contributed to the success of Nguyen Van Binh Book Street. 

Meanwhile, other areas which do not have this advantage will face difficulties so there needs to be a survey on book readers’ actual demand to ensure success.

According to Anh, the biggest obstacle is to choose appropriate places to open book streets. 

“The book streets need to be located at the intersection between the districts for easy access. In addition, there should be detailed planning in order to prevent traffic congestion around the book streets,” Anh said.

SGT