The HCM City Book Street is a favourite cultural destination for residents and local and international visitors. — VNS Photo by Phương Mai

HCM CITY — The HCM City Book Street achieved total revenue of VNĐ62.45 billion (US$2.34 million) in 2025, a year-on-year rise of 8.9 per cent.

The figure is from book and souvenir sales and coffee shop services.

The number of books sold in 2025 was 672,243, a 2 per cent year-over-year drop, including 131,962 copies of children's books, a 12 per cent decrease.

There were only 2,524 new titles released in 2025, a fall of 30.3 per cent compared to 2024.

The Book Street hosted 423 activities, including cultural and political events hosted by the city, book introductions and discussions, interactive playgrounds for students and children, and book, painting and photo exhibitions.

Lê Hoàng, director of the HCM City Book Street Company, said the numbers reflect a shift in business at the Book Street as businesses gradually diversified their products and services, offering expensive and high-value books, cultural goods, gifts, book coffee space, and experiential services and workshops.

Hoàng said the rise of online learning platforms, digital content and multimedia entertainment also partly affected the consumption of printed children's books.

He added that in the digital era, books can be purchased online. Therefore, the sustainable value of the Book Street was not about competitive pricing but about creating a rich reading culture environment.

In 2026, the Book Street aims to upgrade its experience space, increase interactive activities, diversify cultural, educational and technological events, promote digital transformation in publishing and communication, and strengthen connections with schools, youth communities and international visitors to build it into a unique cultural destination of the city.

Nguyễn Ngọc Hồi, Deputy Director of the HCM City Department of Culture and Sports, said that as the city enters a new era of development with changes in socio-economic conditions, the Book Street must be a place to promote reading culture and habits, spread knowledge and attract new readers.

He added that the Book Street should target children and teenagers and build activities and services appropriate for them, such as psychological counselling services and skill development.

The book street was first opened in January 2016 on Nguyễn Văn Bình Street in Sài Gòn Ward, with dozens of book stalls and coffee shops from more than 20 publishers and book distributors in the city, such as Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House, Phương Nam Books, Kim Đồng Publishing House, and Mùa Thu (Autumn) Bookstore. — VNS