Green reading stations located at tourist sites on the highly popular Son Tra Peninsula, Da Nang, bring interesting experiences to both city dwellers and tourists when reading books amidst the relaxing natural scenery of mountains and forests.

The green reading station on the Son Tra Peninsula brings interesting experience to locals and tourists. Photo: T.D

Attractive place for relaxation

In the last days of May, many tourists visiting the Son Tra Peninsula stopped at the Observation House to experience reading books at a green reading station with free admission. This is a project that has just been put into operation by the Management Board of Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang tourist beaches, becoming an ideal reading spot for a large number of residents and visitors.

At each green reading station, the Management Board of Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang tourist beaches arrange bookcases with dozens of books on various topics such as culture, science, and history. Instead of reading books at home, a cafe or a library, reading books in the mountains and forests brings many interesting things to locals and visitors.

Reading a book related to the brown-shanked douc langur, Truong Quoc Bao, residing in the northern central province of Thanh Hoa, said that this was the first time he had the opportunity to visit the Son Tra Peninsula.

“The brown-shanked douc langur is a symbol of Son Tra, so I wanted to learn about this animal. It is great that the Management Board of Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang tourist beaches has developed the green reading station. Here, I have both read books about brown-shanked douc langur in tandem with grasping the opportunity to witness this rare animal in real life”, said Mr. Bao.

Not only does the station offer many good and useful books, it brings a quiet yet cool book reading ambiance in the middle of Son Tra Peninsula space. Ms. Tran Thi Thu Thuong, a resident in the southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, and her friends had a long trip to Da Nang. Being passionate about reading, she and her friends went to the green reading station.

“This is a suitable place to relax while reading books, visitors can enjoy the panoramic view of the city as well as immerse themselves in the natural scenery of the mountains. I think visitors to Da Nang should go to the green reading station to experience this interesting feeling," said Thuong.

Spread reading culture

In addition to creating more utilities, helping local residents and visitors have interesting new experiences, the green reading station contributes to spreading reading culture in society. According to Nguyen Van Hung, a student at the Da Nang University of Architecture, since it was put into operation, every weekend, Hung and his friends go to the green reading station to read books.

“Reading here brings new things that other places don't have. Above all, there are many good books about Da Nang culture and history that interest me. I and my friends will maintain the habit of reading here every week. Hopefully, the image of the green reading station will be widely expanded so that many people can come to read books, thereby spreading the reading culture.”, said Hung.

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Vu, the Head of the Management Board of Son Tra peninsula and Da Nang tourist beaches, the green reading station project was put into operation on the recent holiday break for National Reunification (April 30) to International Workers’ Day (May 1).

The project is divided into two phases. In Phase 1, the project will arrange 3 stations at stops on the Son Tra Peninsula, including the Observation house, Chessboard peak, Heritage banyan tree and some tourist attractions such as the Dong Dinh Museum and the Son Tra Marina. In Phase 2, the green reading station will continue to be replicated in many schools in the city to serve students, thereby contributing to spreading the reading culture.

“After nearly a month of implementation, the green reading station project received positive feedback from both residents and visitors. The books at the green reading station are the diversification of forms of publicising and promoting tourism images of  Son Tra Peninsula, providing information on biodiversity, conservation and preservation of fauna and flora in nature. To ensure the number of books at the green reading station to serve residents and visitors, we continue to call on individuals and organisations to donate more book titles. In particular, books with topics on local history, culture and tourism will be prioritised to be placed at green reading stations to contribute to promoting Da Nang’s beautiful image.”, said Mr. Vu.

Reporting by THANH DANH - Translating by A.THU