(VOVworld) – The “Books and Reading Culture” Festival opened at Hanoi’s Temple of Literature on Saturday. The event began with an incense offering ceremony to recall the country’s thousand-year culture and civilization and learning tradition. Nguyen Ngoc Bao, Deputy head of the Publishing Department of the Ministry of Information and Communications said: "Each of us has a direction for our lives. A simple book can change our ways of thinking and even ideologies. This year’s festival encourages readers to develop a reading culture, thereby seeking their own directions for the future."

The festival is held at the Temple of Literature. Source: vtv.vn

The festival also featured the lives and careers of winners of the Ho Chi Minh award on artistic and literary works and included drawing competitions. A similar festival has also been held in Ho Chi Minh city with activities showcasing Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty and promoting the reading culture. A program to call for donations of books for people in rural areas and on Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes was also part of the festival.