BOOKWORMS: More than 30,000 people visit a book fair to celebrate the first Việt Nam Book and Reading Cultural Day held in HCM City in 2022. VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Giang

The event is organised by the city's Department of Information and Communications in an effort at encouraging and firming up reading habits among the community, especially children and young people.

This year’s event will attract 30 national leading publishing houses and book distributors such as the Sự Thật (Truth) National Political Publishing House, the HCM City General Publishing House, the Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House, and Phương Nam Books.

The companies will cooperate with local authorities to provide around 80 activities to promote books and reading culture.

Lâm Đình Thắng, the department’s director, said, “This year, the department has appointed ten reading culture ambassadors who have contributed to reading culture development to inspire people, particularly children and young people, to love books, read books and write books.”

The ambassadors include Phạm Phương Thảo, former chairwoman of the city People's Council; Quách Thu Nguyệt, former director and editor-in-chief of the Trẻ Publishing House; and Bùi Lưu Bảo Khanh, an eighth grader who won the “Growing up with Books” contest launched by the city's Department of Education and Training.

They will take part in book introductions, signings, talk shows and workshops on reading habit promotion and e-book and audio-book development during the five-day fair.

An exhibition displaying documents and publications to mark the 48th anniversary of South Việt Nam Liberation and Reunification Day (April 30) will be set up at the book fair.

The fair will be held at the HCM City Book Pedestrian Street on Nguyễn Văn Bình Street and in front of the Central Post Office in District 1.

In addition, the organisers will host a special event to introduce the book Resolutely, persistently fighting corruption and negative phenomena to contribute to building a more transparent and stronger Party and State by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Nguyễn Phú Trọng at the Youth Cultural House on April 21.

A series of activities, such as book introductions and discussions, will be held at schools and agencies in 15 districts and Thủ Đức City to celebrate the book day.

The Việt Nam Book and Reading Cultural Day was first held in 2022 to honour authors working in book publishing and distribution, and those contributing to developing the reading habit among the community. — VNS