HCM CITY— The HCM City Book Street on Nguyễn Văn Bình Street in District 1 earned a turnover of VNĐ20 billion (US$877,000) in the first six months of this year, up 5 per cent annually, according to the HCM City Book Street Company.

Nearly 386,000 books on different topics were sold.   

“The street organised 11 book exhibitions and more than 100 cultural and book signing events, attracting dozens of leading domestic and foreign publishers, distributors and agencies,” said Quách Thu Nguyệt, deputy director of the Book Street Company. 

Book weeks and festivals on the street, including the book exhibition celebrating the 4th anniversary of Reunification Day (April 30), European Literature Week, and book event celebrating 20 Years of publishing Harry Potter, attracted more than 6,000 visitors per day and 10,000 per day during weekends and holidays.

“We are working with local authorities to make the street a cultural tourist destination,” said Nguyệt. 

The company has been working with cultural and arts associations as well as museums to launch cultural exchange programmes and exhibitions on the street.

The company has asked the city authority to maintain the long-term operation of two parking lots and build a new public toilet facility to serve the street’s visitors.

Last year, the street attracted 2.4 million visitors, earning a turnover of VNĐ50 billion ($2.2 million), according to the Việt Nam Publishers Association.

The book street, which opened in January 2016, features dozens of book stalls from more than 20 publishers.

The city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to replicate the book street in the city’s Tân Phú and Thủ Đức districts, where the target audience will be students and young migrant labourers. — VNS