Ho Chi Minh City made its inaugural appearance at the Frankfurt Book Fair, displaying a book kiosk that featured nearly 300 titles on the history, culture, and literature of Saigon, Gia Dinh, and Ho Chi Minh City.

From October 15 to 24, a delegation from Ho Chi Minh City's publishing industry embarked on a working visit to Europe.

During this trip, they actively participated in exhibitions and promotional events in Frankfurt, Germany, and Paris, France, with the objective of acquiring valuable experience.

The Ho Chi Minh City bookstore is pictured at Frankfurt Book Fair 2023.

Members of the delegation included Lam Dinh Thang, director of the Department of Information and Communications, Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy, director and Editor-in-Chief of Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House, and Phan Thi Thu Ha, chairperson of the board and directors of Tre (Youth) Publishing House.

On behalf of the Ho Chi Minh City authority, Lam Dinh Thang, director of Department of Information and Communications, gives a symbolic board to Tran Xuan Hieu, the president of the Vietnamese Cultural Association in Mainz, Germany.

The delegation's itinerary encompassed attending the opening ceremony of the 75th Frankfurt Book Fair on October 17.

This marked the city's debut with a kiosk covering an area of 4x6 square meters, exhibiting nearly 300 book titles related to Saigon, Gia Dinh, and Ho Chi Minh City. Saigon - Gia Dinh is the former name of Ho Chi Minh City.

The delegation also engaged in visits to renowned international publishing houses and participated in various book fair activities, including exchange events and discussions addressing pressing issues such as copyright, printing, distribution, and e-books.

According to Xinhua news agency, the fair boasts more than 4,200 exhibitors from around the world, marking the highest number of exhibitors since 2020.

During the working trip, the delegation collaborated with Claudia Kaiser, vice president of Business Development at the Frankfurt Book Fair. 

Lam Dinh Thang (right), director of Department of Information and Communications, gives gifts to Claudi Kaiser, Vice President of Frankfurt Book Fair.

The meeting primarily focused on the exchange of experiences in organizing an international book fair and other events promoting reading culture. Notably, Ho Chi Minh City plans to host its first international book fair in 2024, and the delegation extended an invitation to the Frankfurt Book Fair organizers to participate in the event.

During their visit, the delegation introduced books to the Vietnamese community in Germany and fostered connections between Ho Chi Minh City authorities and this community.

Tran Xuan Hieu, president of the Vietnamese Association in Mainz, which represents the Vietnamese community living abroad, expressed that the books are invaluable resources for the local Vietnamese community. 

These books serve as valuable documents that help the second and third generations of Vietnamese in Germany to learn about the Vietnamese language, the history of their homeland, and the cultural heritage of Saigon, Gia Dinh, and Ho Chi Minh City.

This year's Frankfurt Book Fair is considered the most significant event since 2020, attracting hundreds of thousands of readers, speakers, publishers, distributors, and authors from all over the world. 

The book fair continues to be a platform for publishing organizations to convene, discuss book deals, exchange copyrights, and address various international trade issues.

On October 20, the Ho Chi Minh City delegation traveled to Paris, France, to collaborate with the Jean-Pierre Melville Library.

In France, the delegation also paid visits to the Vietnamese Consulate in France and the Vietnamese Mission to UNESCO.

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