HÀ NỘI — A book on the traditional rituals of the Mường ethnic group was announced as one of the winners at the Việt Nam Book Awards 2016 during the award ceremony yesterday in Hà Nội.

Entitled Diễn Xướng Nghi Lễ - Di Sản Văn Hóa Đặc Sắc Của Dân Tộc Mường (Rituals Performance – The Unique Cultural Heritage of Mường Group), the book by Bùi Thiện and Hà Lý is considered an encyclopedia of the Mường’s traditional culture.

Apart from the book, the category of Best Book Content included three other winners including Vietnamese National Drug Formulary published by the Science and Technology Publishing House, a 12-volume collection of children’s stories written by Vũ Hùng and distributed by Kim Đồng Publishing House, and a collection of best works by revolutionary writer Vũ Hạnh (who was born in 1926).

In the Best Book Layout category, the winners include Truyện Kiều (The Tale of Kiều) by Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House), Vietnamese Bronze Drums Art and Historical Values – a research piece by the National Museum of History, Anh Đức – Sống Và Viết (a book on writer Anh Đức’s life and career) by HCM City Culture and Arts Publishing House, and a collection of Vietnamese fairy tales by Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House.

The Việt Nam Publishing Association has hosted the awards for 12 years with the aim of honouring the work of publication agencies and promoting reading culture, according to Nguyễn Kiểm, vice president of the association.

This year, the organiser received 486 entries for two categories sent by 40 publishing houses nationwide. They vary in genres including children’s books, literature, science and technology, social science and humanities, politics, and arts.

Seventy-four books were honoured. Gold, silver, bronze and special prizes were awarded, along with a few honourable mentions. — VNS