Delegates cut the ribbon to open a book and press exhibition on the economy and defence on the nation's frontier. — Photo courtesy of the Việt Nam Education Publishing House

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnam Education Publishing House (VEPH) is working with the Military Library and the Economic-Defence Corps 15 to help with its mission of spreading knowledge and fostering a reading culture in remote and border areas.

Along with the Military Library and the Economic-Defence Corps 15, the VEPH has launched a programme and opened an exhibition with the theme 'A strong economy, a solid defence: safeguarding the borders'.

On July 20, through the programme, the VEPH presented 200 books to Sao Mai Kindergarten in Ia Krel Commune, Gia Lai Province.

The initiative aims to increase knowledge among soldiers, teachers, pupils and residents in border areas, building a good learning environment, developing a reading culture and improving the quality of education in places that still face many difficulties.

Spreading knowledge

VEPH Editor-in-Chief Phạm Vĩnh Thái said at the event that the launch holds special significance for the publisher.

For many years, the VEPH has regularly worked with education departments and institutions across the country to organise book donations, exhibitions and activities to help develop a reading culture.

This marks the first time the armed forces have carried out such an activity in an educational environment.

According to Thái, the initiative is not just to donate books, but to build a meaningful bridge between knowledge, people and the frontier. It reflects the effort to bring reading materials to places where access to books remains limited, while also encouraging a spirit of learning among children, teachers, soldiers and local residents.

Along with textbooks, the VEPH also publishes books in eight ethnic languages and has released many foreign-language titles, including in English, Russian, French, German, Japanese and Korean, to meet the increasingly diverse learning needs of Vietnamese people.

The publisher helps give learners a formal education through textbooks while also responding to broader educational and cultural demands in a society that is becoming more integrated and multilingual.

Amid the digital transformation, the VEPH has also developed an electronic learning materials system, helping teachers and pupils access textbooks and other educational resources on digital platforms. 

This not only expands learning opportunities, but also promotes reading culture within the community, especially in areas where access to printed materials may still be limited.

Building society

Phạm Vĩnh Thái, Editor-in-Chief of the Việt Nam Education Publishing House, presents a book donation plaque to Sao Mai Kindergarten. — Photo courtesy of the Việt Nam Education Publishing House

Expressing gratitude for the partnership of the VEPH, Colonel Nguyễn Hồng Lam, Deputy Commander of the Economic-Defence Corps 15, confirmed that the donated books not only help spread knowledge, but also demonstrate social responsibility and a spirit of sharing towards soldiers and compatriots living in the Fatherland’s frontier areas.

Lam said that for Economic-Defence Corps 15, developing the economy and strengthening national defence is not just about improving people’s living standards, but also about caring for human development, increasing public knowledge and building an educated workforce in the border area.

Sustainable development in frontier regions cannot rely solely on infrastructure or economic output; it must also be rooted in education, literacy and cultural development, he noted.

Lam added: "For border areas to develop sustainably, you must begin with education. To build up people’s hearts and minds, you must begin with increasing public knowledge. To help the frontier become prosperous and beautiful, you must begin with developing a reading culture and caring for the youth of today."

This statement reflects a broader view of development in which books and education are not peripheral activities, but essential foundations for social stability, long-term growth and the strengthening of national defence in strategically important areas.

Military Library Director Colonel Mạc Thuỳ Dương agreed, adding that the book exhibition is not only a way to introduce and display books and newspapers, but also a space for political and cultural engagement.

She said that through the programme, the role of the Army in socio-economic development linked with strengthening national defence, especially in strategic, remote and border areas, will be more widely promoted.

From this perspective, the exhibition serves a dual function. On one hand, it provides access to books and newspapers; on the other, it helps foster awareness, ideological orientation and community spirit, while reinforcing the image of the armed forces as working towards local development.

It is therefore not merely a cultural event, but also part of broader efforts to combine education, defence and social cohesion.

Through the programme, the VEPH continues to uphold its commitment to working with military units, educational establishments and localities to bring knowledge to every region of the Fatherland.

From books handed directly to pupils in border areas, to book cabinets at military units and more than 30 Vietnamese book cabinets built abroad, the VEPH is step by step realising its goal of spreading reading culture, building a learned society and developing the country’s workforce.

The activity also underlines a consistent message: knowledge should not be concentrated only in urban centres or major educational institutions, but should reach communities in difficult and far-flung areas as well.

By doing so, the VEPH is helping to narrow the gap in access to learning resources, while also contributing to the wider cultural and educational mission of the country. — VNS