The first-ever ‘book city’ in Vietnam welcomed its first visitors on Thursday inside a mega shopping mall in Binh Duong, a neighboring province of Ho Chi Minh City.
The 3,000 square meter 'Phuong Nam Book City’ features 500,000 books and reading spaces aimed at attracting Vietnamese youth to the venue at AEON Mall Binh Duong Canary at No. 01 Binh Duong Boulevard, Thuan An Town.
“We wanted to create a unique space for books, a place where every book that a reader needs could be found,” said Ngo Le Huan, deputy director of Phuong Nam Corp (PNC), the company behind the mega bookstore.
“Our main target is readers between 18 and 35 years old, though we also feature a children’s section for younger readers.”
To open such a large bookstore has been a dream of PNC for many years, Huan said, adding that the company has always wanted a space big enough to display massive amounts of books from popular local and foreign publishing houses.
Nearly 200 local suppliers and around 70 foreign suppliers contribute to the bookstore’s collection, according to Huan.
The Phuong Nam Book City also features a book café where customers can enjoy a newly bought book while sipping a cup of steaming coffee.
Customers can use a database at the entrance of the store to locate specific titles.
The total investment for the mega bookstore is around VND50 billion (US$2.2 million).
Inside Phuong Nam Book City at AEON Mall Binh Duong Canary in Binh Duong Province. Clip: Tuoi Tre
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