Leisure talk: Searching for memories with old books

The street has changed now, the bookstores next to each other are gone, replaced by shops selling a variety of things. Walking down the street, I was suddenly overjoyed to see the bookstore I used to visit. Squeezing between the layers of faded books, I suddenly felt a surge of nostalgia for the old days of books…

I came to this city in 2000, studied at the Polytechnic University, and worked part-time to pursue my dream. At that time, the internet was not popular, and information and knowledge were mostly updated through books and newspapers. New books were beyond the student's budget, so I only bought them when I really needed them, mostly at used bookstores.

At that time, Saigon had many old book areas, always crowded from morning to night, on Tran Nhan Ton, Tran Huy Lieu, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Minh Phung streets... Books were displayed everywhere from the porch, sidewalk to the inside, from the ground to the ceiling. There were new books, and many were covered in dust, with a pungent smell. Touching the yellowed paper was like touching the world of old things. Perhaps that was why many book cafes were born, the owners displayed old books of their families or collected, bringing to customers a space filled with nostalgia. Finding a book among the vastness of books was quite enjoyable. Sometimes, just saying the name, the shop owner found it right away, sometimes both the owner and the customer had to search hard to find it, sometimes they clicked their tongues and promised to save it.

I remember on your birthday, you were really into Lucky Luke . Another friend and I collected the book series as a gift. Whenever we had free time, we would ride our bikes to used bookstores, some had a few books, some had dozens, some had none. After a whole month, we collected nearly 60 books out of the 80 published volumes. Needless to say, the joy of the recipient and the giver of that thoughtful gift was undeniable. Another time looking for books, I saw a new book of poems with a dedication from the author. Suddenly I felt sad, not knowing if the recipient was still alive or dead, leaving the book lying around. If the giver or his family saw it, they would be very sad. I bought that book, even though I rarely read poetry at that time. Until now, more than twenty years, after many house moves to clear out books, it still sits on my bookshelf.

After a while, the hustle and bustle of life, the explosion of the internet, both new and rich in content, and the convenience of e-commerce platforms, books delivered to your home, I rarely went to used bookstores. When I left the city, I was nostalgic for old books, wanted to find a space like that in the place where I lived, but couldn't find it...

The bookstore I visited was owned by Ms. Phuong and Mr. Kham, which opened around the same time I came to Saigon. They were both over seventy, reading books was a joy, occasionally guests came by, and we chatted for a few minutes to pass the time. Meeting old friends, I suddenly saw myself in the old days.

Next door is also an old bookstore, with many shippers accepting books for delivery. The owner of the store is a young man, opened a few years ago, in addition to traditional channels, he also sells online, on the web, on the trading floor, and does quite well. Suddenly I feel happy that old books have changed, to preserve a cultural feature of the bustling city, so that old books will not be covered by the dust of time but will reach book lovers.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhan-dam-di-tim-ky-uc-cung-sach-cu-185251025175355513.htm