The municipal Department of Culture and Sports, in coordination with the People’s Committee of Cat Lai ward, organized a community book fair at Vista Verde apartment complex, themed “Community reading week – one book per person”. The book fair is a pilot event to promote reading culture outside book streets, bookstores, and libraries.
Besides a wide range of attractive children’s books, the organizers offered engaging activities for children – creative workshops, balloon art performances, drawing and coloring sessions, and a book-introduction contest in both written and video formats.
Nguyen Ngoc Hoi, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports said book fairs at apartment complexes suit the high-density residential environment. “The key purpose is to bring books closer to people, especially in residential areas. We aim to expand reading spaces and activities in 2026.”
Ho Chi Minh City has also introduced books into hospitals. A “Seeds of Love” bookshelf containing comics, history books, science books, and fairy tales for children was given to Gia Dinh People’s Hospital last Thursday. During the inauguration of the bookshelf, young patients joined a coloring and drawing session featuring familiar characters from Vietnamese folk tales.
Doctor Vo Hong Minh Cong, Deputy Director of Gia Dinh People’s Hospital, said: “This activity encourages in children a love for reading. Drawing activities foster their creativity and intellectual abilities.”
By bringing books into everyday spaces, Ho Chi Minh City is turning reading into a shared community habit.
