Around 6,000 books are being offered free to citizens in public spaces in HCM City, Ha Noi and Da Nang, in order to encourage people to read.

Photo tiki.vn

People will be able to pick up books from pedestrian areas, parks and some colleges and universities in the 3 cities.

The initiative, themed Spreading Reading Culture With Tiki, has been launched by Tiki, a Vietnamese online retailer.

As per statistics from the publishing department, under the Ministry of Information and Communications, a Vietnamese spends an average of US$2 on books a year; the figure is around $200 per person in developed countries.  This translates to a Vietnamese reading 1.2 to 2.5 books a year compared to a person in a developed country who reads 20 books.

“If you find surprises in the form of books carefully wrapped and left on benches in parks, in flower vases on streets, or in a class, they are books that Tiki is giving you,” said Tiki’s CEO Tran Ngoc Thai Son.

“Tiki hopes that once you pick up the surprise, you will help spread the habit of reading amongst your friends and other people,” said Mr Son.

In Ha Noi, you can find books at the pedestrian area, St Joseph’s Cathedral, West Lake area. 

In HCM City, people can find books in public places, including Nguyen Hue pedestrian street and Duc Ba cathedral. 

In Da Nang, books can be found at the western end of the Rong (Dragon) Bridge, the East Sea Park and a wharf of ‘love locks’ on the eastern bank of the Han River.

To encourage the culture of reading and to help a friend get a book from Tiki, take your own photo with a Tiki book that you have found and post it on Facebook with #Tikilantoavanhoadoc, tag Tiki.vn. Lucky winners will get a book.

(Source: VNS/ DA NANG Today)