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The Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day, celebrated on April 21 since 2014, has evolved into a meaningful cultural festival, helping nurture reading habits across society.
From large book fairs to reading initiatives in schools, families, and communities, the foundations of a learning society are steadily taking shape.
Cultivating reading culture
Readers at a library in the northern province of Ninh Binh. Photo: VNA
Each weekend in Hanoi, the “Reading with Children” Club brings together students to practise reading, explore language, and express ideas creatively. According to founder of the club Nguyen Thuy Anh, the club encourages children to reflect, retell stories, and connect books with personal experiences, making reading more vivid and meaningful.
At Kim Dong Publishing House, interactive activities such as author talks and storytelling sessions help bring books closer to readers. Deputy Director Vu Thi Quynh Lien stressed the need to balance content quality, presentation, and outreach, especially through themed programmes relevant to young audiences.
Nationwide, reading promotion models, from contests and book streets to school libraries, are expanding.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, more than 2,100 such libraries were expanded across 14 provinces and cities during 2021–2025, benefiting over 3.28 million students. Community initiatives, family bookshelves, clan libraries, shared apartment libraries, and reading stations, are also strengthening intergenerational connections and fostering grassroots learning.
Still, disparities remain between localities, and in some cases reading initiatives risk becoming formalistic rather than substantive.
A book space in the northern province of Bac Ninh. Photo: VNA
From books to learning society
Experts stress that reading culture must go beyond events to become part of everyday life. Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day should be seen as a strategic “soft institution” that fosters knowledge, character, and lifelong learning.
Publishers are increasingly proactive in developing quality content and nurturing new authors, while also investing in interactive experiences to keep books relevant. Anh noted that reading activities should be tailored to different audiences, with children engaging through enjoyment rather than obligation.
A major challenge, experts note, is building a robust “reading ecosystem” in the digital age – one that begins in families, extends to schools, and is reinforced by the broader social environment.
A book space in the northern province of Bac Ninh. Photo: VNA
Nguyen Chau Linh, Vice Chairwoman of the Doanh nhan (Entrepreneurs) Book Development Council, highlighted the need to transform reading from an individual habit into a social capability that benefits individuals, enterprises, and the nation. Families sow the first seeds, while schools can turn libraries into spaces for discussion and reflection. At the same time, authorities, publishers, media, and digital platforms must work together to create a healthy cultural environment that honours knowledge and the value of reading.
A key policy step came on March 17, when the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat issued Directive 04-CT/TW, emphasising a reader-centred approach to publishing and setting targets to promote reading culture and develop cultural institutions by 2030.
According to Le Hoang, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Company, effective implementation of the directive could drive significant, positive changes and elevate reading culture nationwide.
In the broader vision of building a learning society, reading plays an indispensable role. Books are not only vehicles for knowledge but also tools for developing critical thinking, expanding perspectives, and enhancing adaptability in a rapidly changing world. When reading becomes a natural part of everyday life, bringing joy and meaning to individuals, it can truly flourish and help realise the aspiration of a lifelong learning society./.
