Developing reading culture in Hoi An

Developing a reading culture in the age of information technology and digital transformation has many changes and is subject to complex and unpredictable impacts, especially for Hoi An - a land that once had a "golden age" of reading culture. Therefore, it is necessary to have responsibility for flexible and appropriate adaptation orientation.

The “Book Fair” is often organized by Thanh Hoa - Hoi An Library in collaboration with units inside and outside the city to serve readers. Photo: DO HUAN

Thanh Hoa - Hoi An Library was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for its good organization of community library activities at the grassroots level and was recognized as a typical model of the emulation movement "Skilled Mass Mobilization" in 2024 with achievements contributing to serving the community.

Initially, the library had 10,000 copies of books given to Hoi An people by a delegation of Thanh Hoa town officials who visited and gave them to Hoi An people in April 1975. Up to now, the Thanh Hoa - Hoi An Library has increased to 47,564 copies of books with 20,454 titles.

Every year, Hoi An City allocates a budget to supplement suitable books; the library organizes many attractive activities so the number of readers coming to the library is increasing.

In addition to serving readers, the library also coordinates with libraries, agencies, units, departments, organizations, and reading points at the grassroots level to provide professional support and regularly donate books and newspapers. In addition, the library advises and coordinates with units to organize the "Book Fair" well.

“Hoi An Reading Space” in its early days at Hoi An Museum (Tran Hung Dao Street). Photo: DO HUAN

Up to now, there have been 30 "Book Fairs" organized by publishers, exhibition and introduction companies from Da Nang, Hue, Hanoi with preferential programs "Half-price Book Fair", organizing free reading spaces, organizing bookmark drawing for children... contributing to the development of reading culture in Hoi An.

In addition to the Thanh Hoa - Hoi An Library and the school library system that are maintaining effective operations, in recent years Hoi An City has also rapidly developed libraries and reading rooms in communes, wards, villages, and blocks.

In the community, there are many family bookshelves that are quite rich and orderly. This is an opportunity and a foundation to support the development of reading culture among the city's people.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dung - Chairman of the City's Association for Promotion of Education said that public libraries and school libraries have introduced books and useful documents to share information, creating favorable conditions for everyone to read together to raise their awareness.

At the same time, strengthen consulting, training and guidance activities on skills to search, exploit and use information on the internet in a useful and safe way; how to use e-books and e-libraries effectively.

Hoi An is a cultural city. Among the criteria of a cultural city, it is necessary to have a rich and profound cultural life, in which reading culture is indispensable. In the past, Hoi An was proud to have a “golden age” of reading culture.

Reading point at the Community Cultural Institution Area of ​​Cam Thanh Commune. Photo: DO HUAN

According to research documents of Master Phung Tan Dong (living in Hoi An), along with the port city of Thanh Ha in Hue, Hoi An in Quang Nam is where the reading movement developed since the Duy Tan period (early 20th century) with "heartfelt letters" books by Luong Khai Sieu and Khang Huu Vi, contributing to the extremely bustling and popular Duy Tan movement.

Master Phung Tan Dong said: “In the past, Hoi An used to be a book market. In an article at a conference on the Duy Tan movement, philosopher Bui Van Nam Son talked a lot about the reading culture in Hoi An. The Central region’s scholars, from places like Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen... all went to Hoi An and waited for months to buy books to keep up with the trend at that time.

Great revolutionaries and educators in the Central region such as teacher Tran Dinh Phong, doctor Tran Dinh Nam, brothers Le Dinh Duong, Le Dinh Tham, poet Bui Giang, writer Phan Tu... all read books, accumulated knowledge, and developed their thinking in Hoi An.

In the years after the homeland was liberated, in Hoi An, the reading movement still had a strong attraction and spread widely in the community with many different components and ages, even though economic life at that time was still full of difficulties and deprivation.

The “Hoi An Reading Space” group coordinates to organize activities to encourage and create reading habits for young people. Photo: DO HUAN

Currently, in Hoi An, there is a group called “Hoi An Reading Space” that is operating very creatively and effectively, attracting the attention of many people, especially teenagers and children. Launched and operating since the end of 2013, the group “Hoi An Reading Space” has demonstrated the dedicated efforts of book lovers, passionate about reading and completely voluntary according to their interests.

Usually held on weekends, previously at the Hoi An Museum area (Tran Hung Dao Street) and now flexibly according to requests, each time the "Hoi An Reading Space" group brings about 500 books, newspapers and magazines of all kinds to serve free of charge to the people and tourists. These books and newspapers are donated by organizations and individuals inside and outside the city.

In the current context of science and technology development, digital technology has impacted many areas of life, so reading culture has also changed a lot. The current situation of books and reading culture in general in the era of information technology and digital transformation in Hoi An is similar to the general situation nationwide.

Mr. Tong Quoc Hung - Head of the City's Department of Culture, Science and Communication said that in order to continue promoting reading culture for everyone, especially for the young generation in the current digital age, each individual must choose for themselves a suitable way of reading and learning. Families and schools have the responsibility to guide students of all ages to know how to select, learn, read on their own and read correctly online, as well as in books, newspapers, magazines, etc.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/phat-trien-van-hoa-doc-o-hoi-an-3155503.html