The 2019 European Book Festival will take place simultaneously in Ha Noi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City from 2 to 25 May, promising to offer visitors a wide range of activities.

The 2019 European Book Festival will feature 54 activities in Ha Noi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. (Illustrative image)

Accordingly, the opening ceremony of the book festival is slated for 6pm on 2 May at the French Cultural Centre (L'Espace) in Ha Noi with the participation of representatives from embassies and cultural institutes of European countries.

This will be the ninth time the event is held in Ha Noi, the fourth in HCM City, and the first time in Da Nang.

Gathering the involvement of ten European countries, the 24-day festival will be a vivid book festival full of activities for book lovers, including book presentations, exhibitions, literature workshops, readings, film screenings, interactive activities, a drawing contest on European characters, and especially a European book honouring and discount week at Nguyen Van Binh Book Street in HCM City.

The books to be introduced and showcased throughout the festival come from the British Council, Germany, Hungary, France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Belgium’s Wallonie–Bruxelles delegation, promising to satisfy readers of all ages.

The opening ceremony will be followed by a ceremony announcing and presenting prizes to the winners of the drawing contest on European characters, to be jointly held by participating European nations and Nguyen Tat Thanh Secondary and High School.

In Ha Noi, all events will take place at the Goethe Institute, L’Espace, the Italian Cultural Centre (Casa Italia), Ha Noi University and Bluebirds’nest Book Café, while the venues for events in HCM City include the British Council, Nguyen Van Binh Book Street, HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Café Salon Saturday and the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF).

In Da Nang, the events will be held at the Da Nang General Science Library and French Institute.

Since 2011, the European Book Festival has been organised annually in Ha Noi by European Union National Institutes for Culture and the Association of European Cultural Institutes and Embassies, with support from the EU Delegation, aiming to honour and introduce Europe’s cultural quintessence to Vietnamese readers.

(Source: NDO/ DA NANG Today)