HCM City eyes UNESCO recognition as World Book Capital
Ho Chi Minh City has great potential to become a UNESCO ‘World Book Capital’ thanks to having a number of venues and events promoting reading, according to local officials.
HCM City hopes to be named a 'World Book Capital' by UNESCO for its many venues and events that promote reading. (Photo: VNA)
Ho Chi Minh City (VNA)🍨 — Ho Chi Minh City has greatpotential to become a UNESCO ‘World Book Capital’ thanks to having a number ofvenues and events promoting reading, according to local officials.
World Book Capital is an initiative by the UN body to recognisecities around the world for promoting books and fostering reading, Lam Dinh Thang,director of the city Department of Information and Communications, said. HCM City hopes to achieve that title by 2025, he said. For that, it needs to foster reading, especially in rural andother underprivileged areas, and do surveys on reading habits to make policiessupporting publishers, he said. HCM City Book Street in District 1 is popular among book readers,and it received more than three million visitors, held 400 book-themed eventsand sold over 660,000 books last year. Le Hoang, director of Book Street Ltd., said revenues increased by113.7% from 2021. Other book venues such as Phu Lam and District 5 book parks arealso very popular. The city organises events meant to foster reading, such as the annualBook Festival during the Lunar New Year holidays. It is home to 39 domestic and foreign publishers and 1,500 local libraries,and publishes over 2 million books every year besides 3.4 million ebooks./.
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HCM City hopes to be named a 'World Book Capital' by UNESCO for its many venues and events that promote reading. (Photo: VNA) 
