The Triad of Fostering a Reading Culture

Enhancing Reading Culture for National Publishing Growth

Promoting community reading culture significantly contributes to the growth of a country’s publishing industry.

A thriving reading culture relies on three pillars: responsible behavior, values, and standards from administrators, community involvement, and individual commitment. Ultimately, each society member plays a central role in cultivating a reading culture.

Individual behaviors, preferences, and healthy reading habits form the foundation of a learning society and lifelong education, posing both a requirement and challenge in the modern world.

For Administrators and State Regulatory Bodies

The conduct and standards of administrators and regulatory bodies, including their policies, directives, and everyday actions, create a legal framework for community reading culture. Recent resolutions and legal documents have introduced several initiatives to develop reading culture, such as:

Directive 42-CT/TW, emphasizing the development of reading demand among all population segments, particularly in rural and remote areas.
Library Law, Article 30, establishing April 21 as Vietnam Reading Culture Day.
Decision 329/QĐ-TTg (2017), aimed at fostering reading habits and skills across all societal layers, especially among the youth and in economically disadvantaged areas.
These resolutions and laws have spurred numerous activities enhancing the publishing sector and reading culture, attracting a vast audience, especially among young readers.

For the Community

Community behavior includes actions by organizations and professional associations like the Vietnam Publishers Association, libraries, writers’ associations, and other groups. These activities honor writers and publishers and encourage writing and reading, thus nurturing a reading culture.

Initiatives like the National Book Awards and “Reading Culture Ambassador” contests have had a positive impact on the writing and publishing community, engaging thousands of students nationwide.

For Individuals

Each person’s healthy reading habits and skills are crucial for a learning society and lifelong education. Understanding the reading habits of Vietnamese citizens is essential.

According to the Publishing, Printing, and Distribution Department (Ministry of Information and Communications), there has been impressive growth in the publishing industry. However, the breakdown shows a disparity: educational materials dominate, with only about 48% of publications contributing to the development of a reading culture.

Recommendations

Establishing a National Committee for the Development of Vietnam’s Reading Culture: This committee, under the government and led by a Deputy Prime Minister, should include representatives from related state agencies and experts. Its tasks would be to draft comprehensive strategies for Vietnam’s reading culture and oversee their implementation.

Community Engagement: State publishing bodies should collaborate with various organizations to promote reading culture through contests, writing campaigns, book awards, and reading ambassador competitions.

With the involvement of the political system and society, Vietnam’s publishing industry and reading culture can achieve significant advancements.

(Source: Zingnews)