Nguyen Quang Thach, known for his initiative 'Sach Hoa Nong Thon,' dedicated to bringing books to rural areas in Vietnam, has now extended the program to India.

He said that he was touched when hundreds of Indian students shouted 'Cam on Viet Nam' (Thank you Vietnam) in unison in their homeland.

Thach has traveled to the South Asian country to promote the reading culture there.

In an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Thach said India has the largest number of rural students in the world and some 200 million of them do not have access to books.

It is difficult to promote Classroom Libraries in India due to hindrances in geography, culture, and languages.

“India is a miniature world and the success of the Classroom Library model in this nation may inspire other countries to boost children’s reading," he said.

In justifying his choice to establish libraries in the Philippines and India, despite the fact that the reading culture in Vietnam is still evolving, Thach asserted that the sharing of knowledge knows no national boundaries.

He believed that expanding the 'Sach Hoa Nong Thon' program to other countries will not only contribute to the local communities there but also bring substantial benefits to the Vietnamese people.

As a case in point, some Philippine teachers have voluntarily supported Vietnamese students in learning English after Classroom Libraries were developed in their schools in December last year.

The 'Sach Hoa Nong Thon' program has created a great impact on Vietnam over the past decades, providing tens of thousands of book shelves in rural areas.

As many Vietnamese individuals, both within the country and abroad, joined hands in sharing books with Indian children and became aware of Thach's remarkable journey of covering 3,000 kilometers across 29 states in India to pool books, tens of thousands of people were inspired to encourage their friends to contribute to the cause by donating books.

They understand that knowledge and social responsibility are the factors to help Vietnam gain prosperity and respect.

“I will still propose solutions to the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training to bolster and encourage reading among local children," Thach said.

“Hundreds of thousands of book shelves in classrooms, families, and parishes have been erected across localities and good books will be added annually." 

Thach noted that when Indian students said 'Cam on Viet Nam,' he was moved and was urged to bring more books to India's rural areas.

Following India, Thach plans to spread the Classroom Library model to 30 other countries in Asia, the Americas, and Africa.

In each of the countries, he will walk some 100 kilometers to persuade organizations to apply the model.

Since 2011, Thach has called on Vietnamese people to contribute VND20,000 (US$0.8) each per month to the 'Sach Hoa Nong Thon' program.

Upon learning that Vietnamese rural teachers played a pivotal role in facilitating their access to books, Indian students and teachers expressed their joy and gratitude.

Motivated by the generosity of Vietnamese students who shared books with them, Indian students have taken the initiative to encourage their parents to contribute 150 rupees ($1.8) each for the purchase of books.

This collaborative effort has resulted in the sharing of books among classmates and schoolmates, fostering a spirit of community and knowledge-sharing.

Many Indian teachers have also contributed 1,000 rupees ($12.1) each to develop Classroom Libraries.

The contributions of Vietnamese people over the past years and the 6,000 kilometers that Thach would travel in India and 30 other countries will be an important base for him to call on Indians, Filipinos, and people from other countries to spend some $1 billion buying 500 million books for 200 million students in eight to ten million classes.

According to Santosh Jagtap, chairman of India’s non-governmental organization Swa Eknath nana Jagtap Pratisthan, Thach is practical as he told teachers and students that Classroom Libraries need contributions from parents, former students, and teachers.

Jagtap said he totally supported the idea as it was feasible and effective.

Thach first arrived in India in 2019 and returned to the South Asian country in 2020. He aims to develop over eight million Classroom Libraries there.

With the contribution of Vietnamese people, Thach has established 60 Classroom Libraries in rural areas in India.

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