Teachers and students of Moc Ly Primary School in Moc Chau district, Son La province, participate in the 2025 Book and Reading Culture Day. (Photo courtesy of Moc Ly Primary School)

In response to this year’s Book and Reading Culture Day (April 21), Moc Ly primary school in Son La province, held a special festival featuring book launches and guidance on selecting age-appropriate books.

"We aim to spread a reading culture among students, help them understand the value of books, and nurture a passion for reading. We hope they will inspire people around them, creating a reading movement and an appreciation of the great value books have,” said Nguyen Thu Thao, Head of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organization at Moc Ly primary school.

“I was very happy and excited to participate in the reading culture festival organized by my school. It was a chance for me and my friends to discover many interesting and useful books,” student Pham Thuy Duong said.

Young people from the H-H-Book group launched the H-H-Books Reading Culture Management Project. This initiative, begun in 2021, establishes bookcases in remote mountainous and border areas, and creates free libraries.

The project has built a library containing more than 1,000 books – from textbooks and children’s stories to works of literature and science – in Hai Phong city. The library offers a comfortable reading space that welcomes young and old.

“H-H-Books was set up to foster a reading culture and habit in the community, especially among young people. We hope to establish a sustainable reading community,” Tran Huy Hoang, President of the Little Hearts Community Volunteer Club and founder of the H-H-Books project, said.

Today, the reading culture includes online reading as well as printed books. Nguyen Thi Thuy Chung of Ho Chi Minh City, who encourages people to read at least 30 minutes every day, devotes much of her time to finding interesting books on finance which she can introduce in a Zoom session she hosts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:30 a.m.

Book and Reading Culture Day helps foster a reading culture and habit in the community. (Photo: VOV)

At first, only a few people joined, but through patience and regularity, Chung has managed to build a reading community of nearly 100 people. Through her Zoom sessions, people have become friends, connecting through their shared interest in books, Chung said.

 “Reading gives me valuable information on topics I’m interested in and sharpens my logical thinking. Thanks to the internet, people have easy access to books no matter where they are,” said Chung.

Despite rapid developments in information technology and the daily appearance of new online entertainment platforms, books continue to have a role to play. People appreciate the soul, life, and knowledge that good books provide.

“Books play a vital role. When people read, they contemplate and absorb the messages the author wants to convey,” said writer Tran Thanh Canh.