When the bookstore is deserted

Bookstores are dwindling amidst the online shopping frenzy. With the differences between listening and reading, is this a cause for concern for reading culture?

In July 2025, during the review of the first six months of 2025 for the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, Mr. Le Hoang, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Company, presented a noteworthy statistic in the media regarding book purchases by Vietnamese people: In 2018, the average Vietnamese person read only 4 books per year, of which 2.8 were textbooks and only 1.2 were other books. Six years later, the situation has not improved much.

Specifically, in 2024, book publishing reached 597.2 million copies for a population of 101.11 million. Excluding 461.93 million textbooks, which are essentially learning tools and materials, the remaining 135.27 million books are linked to reading culture, equivalent to 1.3 copies per person. From an economic perspective, the total revenue of the publishing industry in 2024 reached 4,500 billion VND, equivalent to an average spending of 45,000 VND per person per year on books – a figure even comparable to a bowl of pho or two cups of inexpensive coffee.

Inside a bookstore today.

The above figures vividly demonstrate that the reading culture of Vietnamese people is very low compared to the reading levels of some countries in the region as well as developing countries in general. Some countries have reached a reading level of over 10 books per person per year, while in Vietnam the number is still stuck at 1.2 - 1.3 books per person per year.

Is that figure alarming, and why are Vietnamese people so lazy about reading books and so obsessed with their phones and the internet?

Reading has always been a patient endeavor, requiring time and space. Even talented scholars considered reading a refined and dignified pastime: "In the spring rain, one should read; in the summer rain, one should play chess; in the autumn rain, one should rummage through chests; in the winter rain, one should drink wine" (according to Lin Yutang - A Conception of Beautiful Living).

These days, there are many ways to access information. A smartphone has everything: shopping, reading news, watching movies, listening to music… and you can even read books on it.

German writer Anh Kostroma chatting with readers (Photo provided by the subject)

Reading and listening to books online is a growing trend for those seeking easy access to information, which significantly influences their decision to visit bookstores and purchase books.

Speaker Duc Anh Kostroma, author of the novel "Double Life: Living Two Lives," commented on the decline of bookstores amidst the shift towards online shopping, listening, and reading: "Bookstores are as important as churches and parks, not because they are beautiful or cozy... but because they are the only places where readers can directly experience the spirit of 'book life'."

Seeing a cluster of books on a shelf is just as important as reading a particular book. It contains the past and, therefore, the future. But the gradual closure of bookstores in favor of online shopping has permanently erased those moments.

Reading is a hobby enjoyed by both young and old.

Most recently, I visited Dinh Le Street in Hanoi , looking for Mao Bookstore in a residential area that was once an impressive reading space amidst the bustling city streets. I noticed that the once crowded book street is now much quieter. Huy Hoang Bookstore, where I used to live, has closed down; Ngan Nga Bookstore, which used to have two large stores, has shrunk to a single space; the stalls that used to display used books have become cafes; and some well-known bookstores no longer have the usual crowds of people. Could it be that bookstores are all succumbing to the trend of online shopping?

Reading is a pleasure that is both entertaining and beneficial. The excitement of buying a book you like, the pleasant scent of paper and ink upon opening it, is wonderful. Then, being drawn into the world of the book, you find that the things around you are less of a concern than the story within. Listening to the rustling of the paper, listening to your soul whisper: "I still have books, I still have hope."

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/khi-hieu-sach-thua-vang.html