Recent years have seen a growing number of small libraries setting up in residential areas across Da Nang. This has helped to inspire more locals to develop a love of reading , as well as to build a healthy and cultural lifestyle in the city.

A young person reading a book at a book coffee shop in Hoa Cuong Bac Ward

In particular, the Son Tra District authorities have cooperated with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to open a book coffee shop in a public park for children at the An Hoa 4 residential area in An Hai Bac Ward.

The 103.5m² coffee shop was built at a cost of 50,000 USD which was funded by KOICA. The venue offers a wide range of healthy juices and coffee, and it features a reading room with over 2,000 English books and magazines.

The opening of the venue aims to create a chance for people in the locality and neighbouring areas to get exposure to English, as well as encourage parents to read books with their children in order to promote the habit of reading among their family members.

Also, a book park for the community has been already created at the Hoa Cuong Cultural House in Hoa Cuong Bac Ward, Hai Chau District. It features a café, a reading space and a rest-stop for locals and visitors.

The park has been constructed at a cost of 45,000 USD. Of this figure, 30,000 USD was funded by South Korea’s Daegu City, 10,000 USD came from the Hai Chau District budget, and the remainder was from public donations.

The construction of the venue aims to not only promote reading culture in the residential community, but also demonstrate the bilateral friendship between Daegu and Da Nang.

“The book coffee shop has welcomed a large number of South Korean nationals to visit and participate in cultural exchange activities. It is very inviting to pupils and students, especially at weekends, thanks to its peaceful and clean space”, the shop’s staff member Hoang Nguyen My Duyen said.

In addition, numerous small private libraries have been opened across the city.

A free bookcase at the 3B apartment building in Son Tra District’s Nai Hien Dong Ward is a typical example.

Mrs Do Thi Mot, the owner of this bookcase, said the intention of the opening of the bookcase is to create a wonder space for local kids to read books and exchange together instead of playing games during their leisure time, especially in the summer school holidays.

Since opening in early 2018, this library has attracted a great deal of attention from local residents.

In addition to the active support of the World Vision International organisation, Mrs Mot has encourged local residents and members of the Women's Union chapter in Nai Hien Dong Ward to donate more books to enrich her library’s items.

After identifying the meaning of this library model, Ms Le Thi Thu Trang living in the apartment building has donated 25 comic cuisine books, whilst the ward Women's Union chapter has given 40 books about laws, traffic safety and domestic violence prevention education.

To date, Mrs Mot’s bookcase has had more than 500 books.

Notably, groups of retirees who love to read daily newspapers have been set up and operated effectively in Hai Chau District, especially in the alley No 143 Nguyen Chi Thanh.

Furthermore, many local residents have actively been involved in opening stores for renting books and newspapers.