Director of the Department of Information and Communications of HCM City, Lâm Đình Thắng (right), presents a souvenir to Claudia Kaiser, Vice President of the Frankfurter Buchmesse (centre), at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2023. Photo courtesy of the Department of Information and Communications

HCM CITY — Vietnamese books will be introduced at Frankfurter Buchmesse, the largest book fair in the world, which will take place in Frankfurt from October 16 to 20.

According to HCM City's Department of Information and Communications, the area of the city's booth at the Frankfurt Book Fair spans 88sq.m, the largest space to date for a Vietnamese representative.

The booth will showcase books, documents, images, video clips and publications that highlight the culture, economy, education and publishing market in HCM City.

This year's booth is significantly larger than the 24sq.m booth in 2023, when HCM City first participated in the fair.

Trịnh Hữu Anh, Head of the Publishing, Printing and Distribution Division of HCM City’s Department of Information and Communications, said the city encouraged local publishing and distribution units to participate at this year’s event.

According to Anh, city leaders have recognised that the booth at the book fair serves as a cultural bridge and an opportunity to promote and showcase the image of Việt Nam and its people.

"Many exhibition spaces for countries around the world at the fair reflect the unique cultural identity of those nations," he said.

Anh added that HCM City plans to consistently participate in the book fair to qualify for consideration by the organisers to become a Guest of Honour.

Books by Vietnamese-German writer Isabelle Muller, published by the General Publishing House of HCM City, will be exhibited at Frankfurter Buchmesse 2024. Photo courtesy of the publishing house

In addition to promoting and showcasing Vietnamese publications, the delegation will engage in discussions with the organisers of the Frankfurt Book Fair. Their aim is to seek advice and support for the city in organising book fairs and connecting with partners in the publishing sector to expand the market. 

Along with their schedule at the book fair, the delegation will also visit the Consulate General and present books to the Vietnamese community in Frankfurt. This initiative aims to foster information exchange and promote a culture of reading for those in HCM City and the Vietnamese community in Frankfurt.

A meeting scheduled with the organisers of the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy is also expected to provide an opportunity for the city to learn and exchange experiences on developing a reading culture for children.

Frankfurter Buchmesse has been organised by Frankfurter Buchmesse GmbH since 1949, when 205 German exhibitors met in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt for the first post-war book fair.  

Việt Nam's booth at Frankfurter Buchmesse 2024 will feature books of various kinds. Photo courtesy of the General Publishing House of HCM City

It is the most important international trade fair for publishing and content of all kinds - from novels and children's books to scientific databases. — VNS