During the two days of April 12 and 13, the Dien Vi Book Festival was held on Tran Hung Dao Street (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), not only as a meeting place for young people who are passionate about reading, but also as an opportunity for the organizers to continue meaningful journeys through consignment, exchange, workshop activities, etc.

Photo: Organizing Committee

Many exciting activities at Dien Vi Book Festival

The Dien Vi Book Fair is an event that aims to create a playground for old book units. Starting from December 2024, up to now, the program (with 4 main activities: Book Club, Consignment, Book Exchange and Workshop) has been organized 5 times, contributing to increasing the love, while sharing ways to protect and preserve books... for many young people.

In particular, the Consignment program is an opportunity for young people to find an "outlet" for the books they have read. Ms. Y Nhi - representative of the organizing committee shared: "Some of you have a lot of books but do not know how to handle them, keeping them will make your house crowded, giving them away is a pity. From there, you can consign them at the counter, the money from the sale will be sent back so that you have more money to buy new sets of books, and acquire new knowledge."

In addition to the consignment activity, the Book Exchange program is also of interest to the organizers. Young people coming to the Dien Vi Book Fair can send back books they have read and receive a similar number of books in return according to the motto "old for others, new for us".

Photo: Organizing Committee

“You may not find the books you like, but it is a way for us to build the value of transmission. The remaining quantity in each batch, we will donate to remote areas, or libraries..”, said the representative of the organizing committee.

Meanwhile, the Book Club is an opportunity for people to chat and share about how to read and how to feel about a book... The workshop series opens up opportunities to acquire new knowledge from experienced speakers, from managing financial resources to how to write a good review...

Enhance the value of connection and sharing

“For us, books are a value that can be passed from one person to another. When we have value to give, it is better than buying it to read, then putting it aside. This playground is an opportunity to pass on many other values,” the representative of the organizing committee shared.

Photo: Organizing Committee

Based on that perspective, Dien Vi Book Fair aims to build community bookcases, build libraries, create book clubs, and workshops to share. Ms. Y Nhi added: “This knowledge is vast, books are just a means to convey it. The important thing is that people connect with each other. I want to bring that story to many people.”

However, this journey also encountered many difficulties when the number of new books with discount programs increased. Meanwhile, the source of books pouring into the Dien Vi Book Fair was still limited, making it difficult to attract "old people". "But if we do not maintain it, it will not create continuity, young people will not think about it anymore. Even though the number of visitors coming to buy books is not much, there are still many other activities for them to participate in. The number of visitors still ensures their wishes", said the representative of the organizing committee.