(VOVworld) – Nguyen Quang Thach, who calls himself a book beggar, is working on his plan to bring books to rural areas and establish a reading habit in poor areas. Thach hopes that in the next 7 years, there will be another 200,000 bookstores in schools, another 70,000 bookstore in family clans, and 7,000 bookstores in dioceses across the country.

Thach says he is not thinking of his reputation or material life. His ambition in life is to bring books to the countryside.Thach says: "When I was 22, I studied library design. After 10 years, I began to apply my studies to life. In 2007, I opened bookstores for family clans and parents’ bookstores in 2010. Last year, I began to build bookstores for dioceses. My goal is to form a library system which is built and managed by the people and serves the people. I have mobilized social resources to make 1,100 connected bookstores."

Born into a poor family of teachers in the central province of Ha Tinh, Thach has had access to books since his childhood. He had collected over 800 books by the time he was 18. Thach says his passion for books encouraged him to become a library revolutionary. "When we have identified who we are in life and what our goals are, we should consistently pursue them. My goal is to bring books to the countryside to improve people’s general knowledge and lay a foundation for the nation’s sustainable development. It’s an endless ambition for me and many others nationwide to make our country more prosperous."

Thach says pursuing this plan is partly his personal passion and partly to fulfill his ancestors’ wishes. "Before 1945, my grandfather and his friends sold their land to raise money to build schools. We, their descendents, continue their work. My father has been a math teacher for 20 years. I will follow my plan and have never thought of giving up." Thach says.

Growing up in poverty, Thach knows that not many rural people have access to books, especially those who don’t even have sufficient food to eat.  How to obtain books for rural bookstores was a big question. Thach traveled to many rural areas and he realized that family clans have an important position in the community. He decided to invest in family bookstores with a strong belief that his books would have a beneficial effect. Thach says: "I called on people living far away from their home village to send books back to their families, schools, and pagodas. I finished the first family bookstore using my own money and then 11 more with other people’s donations. They inspired me to work on the parents’ bookstores."

Thach wants his work to create a frame for society to develop related activities. "In Thai Binh province, there are farmers writing scenarios on study encouragement and students introducing their favorite books every week. It’s the people’s innovation."

Thach is heartened when he sees small children and old people reading books. "There are people spending 2,500 USD to build bookstores in their home village and 1,500 USD for a clan bookstore. Bui The Dung of Kien Xuong district spent 1,500 USD to build 30 bookstores in his home village. Bui Danh Hue wants to make 10 bookstores."

Thach’s activities have buoyed the hearts of many people. Thach is no longer alone on his path. His relatives and friends, who at first considered him crazy, have given money to help him. Some publishing houses have agreed to help. Tran Phuong Thao is Deputy Director of the Thai Ha Book Company. "The Rural Bookstore plan has been quite successful. Thach says it’s not charity but social responsibility. He is enthusiastic. He has sacrificed a lot to pursue his long-term program. He plans to travel around the world to ask overseas Vietnamese to get involved in his program."

In the near future, Thach will traveled by motorbike to introduce his Rural Bookstore program to every provincial department of education. He wants to ride a bicycle around the world to promote books for Vietnam’s rural areas. Thach hopes Vietnamese people inside and outside the country will work together to build a library system like that of Japan, Singapore, or the US.