The event saw the presence of Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Phan Van Mai, Head of the Propaganda and Education Board of the HCMC Party Committee Phan Nguyen Nhu Khue, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc, researcher Nguyen Dinh Tu and former Chairwoman of the HCMC People’s Council Pham Phuong Thao who were cultural ambassadors in the 2023-2024, Director of the Authority of Publication, Printing and Distribution under the Ministry of Information and Communication Nguyen Nguyen.

Cultural ambassadors represent various fields such as publishing, journalism, economics, culture, arts, and education. They have a common love for books and a desire to spread the spirit of learning and reading, promoting the value of books, and contributing to the development of a reading culture across all segments of society.

Cultural ambassadors of the city for the 2024 - 2025 term include Director of HCMC Book Street Le Hoang, journalist Duong Thanh Truyen, writer Nguyen Nhat Anh, poet Le Minh Quoc, Buddhist nun Suoi Thong, journalist and writer Phuong Huyen, writer and journalist Tieu Quyen, businessman Le Tri Thong, Miss World Vietnam 2019 Luong Thuy Linh, and Huynh Anh Thu, a student of the Nguyen Du Secondary School in Go Vap District who was honored with the “Outstanding young citizens of HCMC 2023” title.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Lam Dinh Thang, Director of the Department of Information and Communications, said that the publishing industry in particular, and the development of reading culture in the city, in general, have seen significant growth and have achieved remarkable achievements in recent years, contributing to spreading reading culture and the book reading movement in the community.

Each cultural reading event in the city, such as Tet Book Street Festival, Children's Book Fair, and Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day, showcases its unique creative mark, attracting a large number of residents, and domestic and foreign tourists and presenting the attention, guidance, and direction of the city's People's Committee.

These are important cultural events to honor the value of books, readers, and people who participate in collecting, creating, publishing, printing, distributing, and preserving books as well as enhancing the responsibility of departments at levels and sectors in building and developing reading culture in Vietnam in general and HCMC in particular, towards the goal of building HCMC into a city of events, a revenue for organization of regular and periodic series of cultural and entertainment events, he added.

The 3rd Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day 2024 includes more than 300 activities that will take place at Cong Xa Paris (Paris Commune Square) situated at the intersection of Nguyen Du and Le Duan Streets and HCMC Book Street in District 1, Thu Duc City and 21 district across the city from April 15 to May 1.

Some highlight events consist of an exchange themed “The Development Process of Books and Reading Culture from Tradition to Present” on April 18, the opening ceremony on April 19, a book introduction titled “Thousands of Shining Years of Vietnamese Culture” on April 19, exchanges with Dien Bien soldiers on April 19, writer Nguyen Nhat Anh on April 21, members of the “Club of reading culture ambassadors in HCMC” on April 21, and another exchanged under the theme "Audio Books - Sound of Knowledge” on April 22.

SGGP