Visitors at HCM City’s annual Tết book fair on Lê Lợi Street in District 1 from January 19 to 26. VNA/VNS Photo by Thu Hoài

HCM CITY — HCM City’s annual Tết Book Fair, held from January 19 to 26, welcomed more than 585,000 visitors.

Lâm Đình Thắng, director of the Department of Information and Communications, said: “The Tết Book Fair has become a familiar attraction in HCM City in the last 13 years, and this year’s event was the largest ever.”

He said the fair had various activities to promote the reading culture in the community and create an impression on foreign tourists visiting the city.

Held on Lê Lợi Street in District 1, the fair had 38 stalls that displayed more than 50,000 books in various fields from major publishers and distributors such as the HCM City Book Distribution Joint Stock Company (Fahasa), Phương Nam Books and the HCM City General Publishing House.

Visitors bought 41,285 books, stationeries, and souvenirs for more than VNĐ6 billion (US$254,600).

The biggest sellers were Đắc Nhân Tâm, the Vietnamese translation of How to Win Friends and Influence People by American writer Dale Carnegie, Cây Cam Ngọt Của Tôi, the Vietnamese version of My Sweet Orange Tree by Brazilian author José Mauro de Vasconcelos, and Võ Văn Kiệt - Trăm năm một chữ Dân (Late Prime Minister Võ Văn Kiệt – Contributions to the Country).

The event also featured discussions between authors and readers, and puppetry shows for children.

There were exhibitions on President Hồ Chí Minh’s cultural space, President Tôn Đức Thắng to mark his 135th birthday, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, and publications to celebrate spring and the Tết holidays. — VNS

The Tết book fair attracts local and foreign visitors. VNA/VNS Photo by Thu Hoài