HCM CITY — Two “book cities” will open in HCM City’s District 5 and 10, providing millions of books and thousands of stationery items, according to Phương Nam Cultural Joint-Stock Corporation (PNC), the investor in the project.

Next month, a book city will be launched at The Garden Mall on Hồng Bàng Street in District 5, decorated with many trees to create a comfortable reading area for visitors.

Another one will be set up at Vạn Hạnh Mall in District 10 with a luxurious design and beautiful atmosphere for readers in January.

Each book city will cover an area of more than 3,000sq.m with capacity for 50,000 book titles and tens of thousands of stationery items.

The area will include a bookstore, stationery shop, coffee shop, entertainment area, multimedia recreation area, creativity rest area and reading areas.

The two book cities will provide many conveniences to visitors, including a panel for searching book titles, online shopping and e-reading tools.

In June, PNC launched the first “book city” with a cost of VNĐ50 billion (US$2.2 million) at the Aeon Mall Bình Dương Canary in Thuận An Town in the southern province of Bình Dương.

It provides 50,000 book titles, 1,500 music discs and products from 150 stationery brands. — VNS