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HÀ NỘI — A national book festival will be held online for the first time from April 19 to May 20 amid fears of the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) has announced.

The festival was being held to celebrate the seventh Việt Nam Book Day, which falls on April 21, the ministry said.

According to a plan set by the ministry, the website book365.vn under the Information and Communications Publishing House will showcase all books exhibited at the event.

The online festival will feature publishing houses and new releases, exchanges between authors and readers, and talks with writers, speakers and critics.

Bookworms will have a chance to enjoy new releases and purchase them online as part of efforts to curb the spread of the disease.

At the festival, sideline activities will also be held online to promote a reading culture and join hands with the community to fight COVID-19.

Việt Nam Book Day is held annually on April 21 nationwide. It was initiated in 2014 by the then Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng with the aim of raising public awareness about the importance of books and encouraging reading within the community.

According to a report from the MoIC, April 21 was selected as Việt Nam Book Day because one of the first Vietnamese books – Đường Cách Mệnh (Revolutionary Road) by President Hồ Chí Minh – was published in April. Additionally, April 23 is World Book and Copyright Day established by UNESCO so Việt Nam Book Day aims to link national activities with this global observance.

The event honours the role and importance of books in education and society as well as promoting a reading culture. It also celebrates people who are involved in publishing and distribution: authors, editors and librarians.

Last year, the 6th Việt Nam Book Day kicked off in Hà Nội on April 18 with a festival, attracting over 90 publishers and 100 stalls. — VNS