HCM CITY — Cần Thơ City in the Mekong Delta will host its third biennial Book Expo with the theme Sách – Tri Thức, Phát Triển, Hội Nhập (Books: Knowledge, Development, Integration) from March 25-31.

The fair will display over 2 million copies of 200,000 titles in all fields, including hundreds of new titles, at 350 stalls.

More than 100 international and Vietnamese publishers and distributors, as well as book and cultural companies, will participate in the event.

The major foreign names will include Cambridge, Oxford University Press, and Macmillan. 

The HCM City Book Distribution Joint Stock Company (FAHASA), Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House, Phương Nam Book and Kim Đồng Publishing House will be among the Vietnamese companies.

Đỗ Hoàng Trung, director of the Cần Thơ Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and deputy head of the fair’s organisation board, said: “The Cần Thơ Expo is the biggest book fair in the Mekong Delta region. It will be a chance to introduce and promote the beauty of Cần Thơ and the region to local and foreign visitors.”

This year the organiser will open a 250sq.m cafeteria for readers and a kids’ zone offering traditional games from the region.

Famous authors and poets will host workshops on the habit of reading and electronic books, and will offer signings for readers.

Book and photo exhibitions on President Hồ Chí Minh and the history, culture and achievements of Cần Thơ City will be displayed at the event.

During the fair, the organiser will call for donations of books that will be given to reading rooms, libraries and schools in rural areas.

In 2017, Cần Thơ City’s second Book Expo welcomed 390,000 readers from the city and neighbouring provinces.

Lê Văn Tâm, deputy chairman of the Cần Thơ City People’s Committee, said: “The results of 2017 book expo shows that books and the reading habit are playing an important role in the community. The reading culture has made a great contribution to nurturing the people’s soul and improving their knowledge and skills.”

The third book expo, which will take place at Lưu Hữu Phước Park in Ninh Kiều District, is expected to attract about 500,000 visitors. — VNS