Continuing the thousand-year tradition of love for learning.

On weekends, on the wooden benches around Kim Chau Hill (Ho Van), one can easily spot groups of students engrossed in reading, their hands turning the pages, while a few elderly visitors leisurely browse through the books. The sound of the wind rustling through the leaves, the gentle rustling of paper, and the calls of birds evoke memories of a bygone era, when this place was a refined gathering spot for scholars and students to exchange poems and discuss literature. Le Hoang Khanh Vy, born in 2005, a literature student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), shared: “I often come here on weekends. Sitting and reading at Ho Van, I feel like I can hear the echoes from ancient times. Each book I open seems to continue the tradition of learning from the sages.”

Visitors read books in the cultural reading space of Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam.

Newly erected bookshelves along Van Lake create a focal point, designed to resemble the stone steles commemorating doctoral laureates in the stele garden. The tall shelves, with their simplified floral patterns on the front, are both modern and reminiscent of the stone steles that record the names of virtuous scholars. “Each bookshelf is like a doctoral stele. The ancient steles record the names of virtuous scholars, while today’s bookshelves open up new knowledge. We hope that when young people pick up a book, they will remember that the spirit of learning and discussing literature and poetry has been nurtured here for centuries,” shared Mr. Truong Quoc Toan, the designer of the Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam reading culture space.

Inside the wooden bookshelves are 1,000 books with rich content, ranging from the history of Thang Long, scholarly traditions, literature and art, history, and society to books on life skills... All of this creates a reading space with diverse books and content suitable for all ages. Most prominent is the "Thang Long: A Thousand Years of Culture" bookshelf from Hanoi Publishing House. Each book is a bridge of knowledge connecting the thousand-year heritage with contemporary life. Ms. Pham Thuy Duong, Deputy General Director of Hanoi Publishing House, said: "We hope these research works will not remain on the shelves but will reach readers in the most respected places, in order to spread love for Hanoi and knowledge."

The creation of a reading culture space at Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam has provided Hanoi residents with a free, open library, demonstrating the continuation of a long-standing tradition of studiousness and proving efforts to encourage the community to rediscover reading habits in the technological age. Dr. Le Xuan Kieu, Director of the Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam Cultural and Scientific Activities Center, stated: "We want to connect heritage, knowledge, and community. Reading culture here is not just about reading books, but about allowing the younger generation to feel and be proud of the tradition of studiousness and cherish the heritage of their ancestors. From the stone steles commemorating ancient sages to the captivated eyes of readers by Ho Van Lake today, we see that the national spirit continues to be nurtured."

Comment (0)