Visitors flock to annual HCMC City Tết book fair

HCM CITY — HCM City’s annual Tết Book Fair, held from January 19 to 26, welcomed more than 585,000 visitors. Lâm Đình Thắng, director of the Department of Information and Communications, said: “The Tết Book Fair has become a familiar attraction in HCM City in the last 13 years, and this year’s event was the largest ever.”He said the fair had various activities to promote the reading culture in the community and create an impression on foreign tourists visiting the city. Held on Lê Lợi Street in District 1, the fair had 38 stalls that displayed more than 50,000 books in various fields from major publishers and distributors such as the HCM City Book Distribution Joint Stock Company (Fahasa), Phương Nam Books and the HCM City General Publishing House. Visitors bought 41,285 books, stationeries, and souvenirs for more than VNĐ6 billion (US$254,600). The event also featured discussions between authors and readers, and puppetry shows for children.