Seize new tourism opportunities at book streets

With the rapid development of technology, many people are concerned that the reading habits of the young generation may be overshadowed and lost compared to social networks and online entertainment platforms.

Book Street has become a familiar address for students' sightseeing and experience activities.

However, recently, the new tourism trend in book streets and book streets of young people has contributed to creating cultural meeting places, creative spaces and community experiences.

The three most prominent locations for this trend are: Dinh Le, 19/12 Book Street ( Hanoi ) and Ho Chi Minh City Book Street. From here, we can see the appearance of a cultural tourism trend associated with books that is being welcomed by young people and creating a strong spread.

In the past, young people often associated going out with shopping malls, coffee shops, entertainment areas... but now, many people have included book streets and book streets in their travel schedules. Even tourists from many provinces and cities across the country when coming to big cities all visit book spaces.

According to analysis from experts, this trend is formed from many factors, which are: the need to explore and develop oneself; the attraction of a beautifully designed, harmonious book street space, becoming an ideal place to check-in; innovation from accompanying cultural activities such as author discussions, book exhibitions, art exchanges...

When talking about book streets in Hanoi, we cannot ignore Dinh Le, a small street located right next to Hoan Kiem Lake, which has existed for decades as a "book paradise" for many generations. Dinh Le evokes nostalgia with its book stalls, books stacked high up to the ceiling, and narrow aisles just wide enough for one person to pass through. There, the scent of new paper mixed with the scent of time creates a feeling that is both familiar and strange.

The appeal of this book street lies in its diversity and reasonable prices. From textbooks, reference books, to novels, translated stories, foreign books, children's books... everything is available. Many young people consider visiting Dinh Le as a "ritual" every time they start school, during exam season, or simply when they want to find a suitable book.

Many tourists from far away provinces and abroad when coming to the capital also take the opportunity to stroll Dinh Le street to feel the bustling yet familiar and simple atmosphere. 19/12 Book Street brings the impression of innovation.

Located in the heart of Hanoi, the street is spaciously planned with rows of bookstores, reading areas, coffee shops, and event spaces. This is one of the most well-invested book streets in the country.

What makes this book street attractive is the diverse experiences: you can choose a newly released book, sit under the shade of a tree and read a few pages, enjoy a cup of coffee, then attend a book launch, meet with authors, or simply walk around and take photos.

The clean and beautiful space with many amenities makes this place considered a cultural meeting place of Hanoi. 19/12 Book Street also organizes many meaningful activities related to reading promotion, historical gratitude, arousing love for the homeland through each book, aiming at the community education space.

Ho Chi Minh City Book Street has become a cultural address after only a few years of operation. With a modern design, many beautiful stalls, open space, the book street is not only a place for buying and selling, but also a creative space, regularly organizing book exhibitions, seminars, and cultural and artistic exchange programs.

Young people especially love the openness, dynamism, and intimacy of the space. They come here to buy books, to meet friends, to participate in workshops, or just to wander among the colorful book stalls. The book street has proven that, with the right investment, books can completely become an attractive tourism product.

Book Street has become a familiar address for students' sightseeing and experience activities.

According to the Management Board of Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, in the first six months of 2025, total revenue reached more than 31.3 billion VND, an increase of 8.63% over the previous year. Although December 19 Book Street does not have specific summary data on revenue or number of visitors, annual activities, typically the series of events "Books expand the world of thinking" in 2025 have attracted the participation of a large number of readers.

From discussions, author exchanges, to book painting competitions, and book content dramatizations. Along with that, Dinh Le Street is always crowded, creating a unique feature that is difficult to replace. Each place has its own unique features, but the book spaces all contribute to creating a new cultural tourism trend, attracting young people and tourists.

However, looking objectively, each model is revealing points that need to be overcome. Dinh Le has the attraction of cheap prices and variety but is limited in narrow spaces, lack of amenities, and the situation of pirated books and poor quality printed books.

19/12 Book Street is sometimes highly commercialized, has few preferential prices, and has not created a remarkable difference compared to large bookstores. Ho Chi Minh City Book Street is facing the challenge of maintaining long-term appeal and avoiding "fairization". Many cultural researchers believe that the success of book streets and book streets should not be judged solely by revenue but also by the ability to create reading habits and connect the community.

Cultural critic Nguyen Thi Minh Thai commented: “Book streets and book streets are special public spaces where books need to live in social life. There, people come to talk, to experience, to find harmony in the spiritual world.” Publishing experts also see this model as a creative direction for the book industry to overcome difficulties.

Mr. Nguyen Nguyen, Director of the Department of Publishing, Printing and Distribution, shared: “Book streets and book streets are places that offer new approaches to readers, helping publications get closer to real life. Thereby, books are both a product of knowledge and at the same time become a part of the cultural and tourist space."

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Xuan Thach (University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) said: “If we just stop at turning the book street into a place to check-in and take photos, its appeal will soon decline. The competition of e-books and reading habits on digital platforms is also a matter worth discussing. Today's young generation can easily search for knowledge via the internet, so to retain them, book streets must innovate their organization, combining tradition and modernity, between quiet reading spaces and lively experiential activities.”

For the sustainable development of book streets and book streets, experts have proposed a number of solutions, including: Improving the quality of content; diversifying services; closely linking with tourism; closely managing copyrights and combating counterfeit books; encouraging creativity among young people and actively applying digital technology. From the new tourism trends at book streets and book streets, it shows that reading culture is moving in a new way.

If invested in the right direction, these spaces can completely become cultural meeting places, contributing to cultivating spiritual beauty, spreading knowledge and affirming Vietnamese identity in the integration flow.

Article and photos: MAI LU

Source: https://nhandan.vn/nam-bat-co-hoi-du-lich-moi-tai-pho-sach-duong-sach-post914917.html