menu_open

Creating a space to connect those who love Hue and love books

View font:
“It's time to look at reading in a broader manner in terms of getting knowledge and information. Reading is the event itself, helping the reader absorb new things,” said Truong Thi My Dung, chairwoman of Hue Book and Culture Club about reading for the time being.

Looking at people coming to the reading space, located in a beautiful Indochina-styled building at 23-25 Le Loi Str., the head of Hue Book and Culture Club affirms that the demand for reading still exists; it’s a joy and hobby for many people. "And more than reading books, it’s also talking about some book or exchanging about a certain topic,” confides Dung.

In what way was the idea of Book and Hue Culture Club born, Madam?

It’s Mr. Phan Thien Dinh’s idea that Hue needs a space for books about Hue. Dinh was then the Secretary of Hue City Party Committee. That space is reserved for books about Hue, books written by Hue authors and relevant activities. It’s not only a library or a reading room, but also a place to connect, exchange and talk about books over cups of coffee.  

The place is available, but as important is how to operate it. The club is supposed to be a pilot model. The local government created favorable conditions for the building at 23-25 Le Loi Str., which had not been used a lot, to become such a space. The task that the authorities assigned us was to give that place vitality and novelty.

s there any philosophy or mission that the club aims at and cherishes in the journey of spreading the reading culture?

More than just philosophy, it’s the mission. It’s how to connect those who love Hue. Thanks to books and cultural activities, we bring Hue lovers together, and together they organize programs and playgrounds for the public.

And we received a lot. Some people donated books, even the whole family library. Some chose this space to organize special meetings between authors and their readers. For example, the Kim Dong Publishing House launched the two books about Hue by Le Phi Tan and Le Vu Truong Giang and Tran Si Chuong launched his book “Talking with Gen Z.” At this space as well, Tran Viet Ngac, a teacher born in Hue but now lives in Ho Chi Minh City, told historical stories through his precious documentary photos. Some schools and centers cooperated with Hue Book and Culture Club to organize programs for their students.

In that process, what activities and events does the club focus on and want to highlight for the community? 

In the past 6 months, we’ve focused on the two main subjects, students and parents. Our concept is to build the reading habit and to sow the seeds of love for the homeland for children and their families. Building a positive healthy environment requires the cooperation of the family, the school and the society. We strive to create playgrounds based on that collaboration. Luckily, all of our activities have been assisted and supported by schools and teachers as well as those who work in education. 

What we aim at is the collaboration and association of all people to create good-quality activities.

In your opinion, in our modern time, where should reading culture begin?

Reading culture needs to start in the family. Parents who do not read cannot set an example for their children. More than once, I came across with a father with a book in hand and his son with another here in this space. The reading culture is formed by bringing your children here, reading books with them and talking to them about a certain book.

Many young men admit that they are “lost” amid myriads of books. Any advice for them from you?

This is what I’ve encountered before. Today AI can provide you with a synopsis of the book, and you can consider it to see if that book suits you. But my advice is you should know what you want at the time, then you can look for what you need. Reading books, hanging out with those who share the same values as yours, and learning from talented people are ways to develop yourself. 

Any difficulty you met when operating the club?

Certainly there are many, but allow me to talk about advantages first. First of all, we have the great support from the city leaders. Their guidelines are not only timely but also encouraging. Secondly, luckily, all the members in the executive board are willing to work for the community. Thirdly, some members of the board are entrepreneurs who are experienced in managing the club and organizing activities. They even sent their people to assist us. Finally, we enjoy the support from the community. Just in a short time, the club has more than 100 members, and we organize an average of 15 events per month. That number proves the support. Most recently, the Hue Bookcase project at Thuan Hoa Publishing House donated many precious books to the club. All those things prove their love for us.

Regarding difficulties, on the first days we sometimes did things wrong, leading to some misunderstanding. Calling for sponsorship so as to have funds to maintain and organize activities has never been easy. How to have more activities for young people with the participation of entrepreneurs is also a question. 

Does the club have any plans or strategies to spread the reading culture to the public further and wider

In the near future, the club will continue with activities which we have done so far. We will strengthen the relations with other resources such as libraries, publishing houses and book-making units to enrich the book collection and organize more activities. We’ve collaborated and will collaborate with more units to co-organize activities on a larger scale. Beloved Hue Book Festival, which took place in early April, was our first success. We’ll work with other book clubs and schools to multiply the model. Besides the reading space, we’re finishing a publication about books and Hue, aiming at young people and visitors far and wide. 

Could you tell us some more about the space including the interior?

We aim at providing space for reading, working and studying. By playing soft instrumental music and giving proper light, we also want to build the reading habit at public places.

By providing drinking water, ginger tea as well as Wi-Fi for free, we create favorable conditions for everyone to read books and to work. With the priority to reading, we encourage those who want to talk and work to stay outside the building in the garden. All the books in this space are managed by the library application aiming at lending books to those who want to bring them home in the future. We also connect with some libraries to organize exhibitions and to introduce the reading space. In addition, the 2nd floor of the building is for thematic activities, events, offices, etc. 

Story: NHAT MINH Designed by: Bach Chau
EMC Đã kết nối EMC