The Tết (Lunar New Year) Book Fair, one of the favourite attractions in HCM City during the year's most special holiday, welcomed more than one million visitors from February 15-22. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vũ

HCM CITY — The Tết (Lunar New Year) Book Fair, one of the favourite attractions in HCM City during the year's most special holiday, welcomed more than one million visitors from February 15-22, or December 28 to January 6 of the lunar calendar.

With the theme “Xuân hội tụ - Vững bước vươn mình” (Spring gathering – Steadily advancing), the fair in Sài Gòn and Bến Thành wards attracted the country’s major publishers and book distributors such as Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House, Phương Nam Books, and HCM City General Publishing House, showcasing thousands of copies of books in different genres and topics.

More than 83,728 books and thousands of stationery items were sold during the event, earning around VNĐ8.2 billion (US$313,370).

The best-selling publications featured a reference book titled The Legacy of Hồ Chí Minh – Uncle Hồ: the Name that Illuminates Việt Nam’s Beauty and a picture book series in Vietnamese and English named Lịch Sử Việt Nam Bằng Tranh (A History of Vietnam in Pictures). Both are published by the Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House.

Nearly 2,000 copies of books, newspapers and magazines were given for free to visitors as lucky gifts for the new year, promoting the habit of reading among the community.

The fair displays documents, images and books about President Hồ Chí Minh. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vũ

The organisers set up a special Hồ Chí Minh Cultural Space to display documents, images and books about President Hồ Chí Minh to mark the 115th anniversary of the President departing from Nhà Rồng Wharf to seek a path for national salvation in 1911, and the 50th anniversary of the city being named after the President in 1976.

The fair also featured 15 discussions about book reading culture, 30 workshops, a zone for e-books and digital libraries, a kids' zone and book coffee areas.

This year, the city hosted Tết book fairs at the New City Park in Bình Dương Ward and the Revolutionary House in Vũng Tàu Ward, featuring book exhibitions, reading spaces and kids' zones. They saw around 115,000 visitors. — VNS