Ensuring cultural harmony around Ho Chi Minh City Book Street

On the morning of October 21, the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City had a working session with representatives of Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Company Limited, Ho Chi Minh City Telecommunications VNPT , Saigon Ward People's Committee, and Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction to continue to resolve related issues.

Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Ngoc Hoi chaired the meeting.

At the meeting, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Company Limited, Bui Xuan Duc, said that before the establishment of Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, the side of the building at 125 Hai Ba Trung (managed by Ho Chi Minh City Telecommunications VNPT) had many doors facing Nguyen Van Binh Street.

When Ho Chi Minh City Book Street came into operation, these doors gradually closed. In early June 2025, the reopening of these doors was discussed and agreed upon by Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Company and Ho Chi Minh City Telecommunications VNPT. Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Company also proactively removed curtains and backdrops to ensure ventilation for Ho Chi Minh City Telecommunications VNPT to carry out cooperation activities with partners. Currently, visitors can enter and exit this area from Ho Chi Minh City Book Street or building No. 125 Hai Ba Trung, all conveniently and without any problems.

However, what the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street is concerned about is the types of goods that will be displayed inside the building at 125 Hai Ba Trung. Mr. Bui Xuan Duc said: "The space of the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street is a space for reading culture. If the items displayed inside are not suitable for this space, it will cause offense and affect people and tourists when coming to the book street. Therefore, in the previous working minutes, we expressed our wish that Ho Chi Minh City Telecommunications VNPT work with partners to arrange the items for sale in this area to be suitable for the space of reading culture and books."

Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Company Limited Bui Xuan Duc spoke at the meeting

Responding to concerns from representatives of Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, Head of Investment Department, Ho Chi Minh City Telecommunications VNPT Tran Anh Vy, said: "Currently, although the exits to Ho Chi Minh City Book Street are open, there are no trading activities inside the building at 125 Hai Ba Trung. After feedback from relevant parties and the public, we have removed the signboard named "Russian Market" located on Ho Chi Minh City Book Street."

Head of Investment Department, Ho Chi Minh City Telecommunications VNPT Tran Anh Vy speaks

During the meeting, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Ngoc Hoi said: “From a management perspective, we always wish and support the development and completion of cultural spaces in the city, but first of all, we must ensure the harmony of development spaces. Ho Chi Minh City Book Street is a successful model and has become a brand that we have strived to build over the past 10 years. In the context of Ho Chi Minh City after the merger, from the success of Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, we also have a plan to develop book street spaces in Binh Duong and Vung Tau wards”.

Also at the meeting, representatives of Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Company Limited, Saigon Ward and related units discussed to resolve existing issues to speed up the arrangement of a new parking lot for the book street. The previous parking lot of the book street located in front of building No. 125 Hai Ba Trung had to stop operating when the building was renovated and rented out to open booths.

LIBRA

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dam-bao-hai-hoa-khong-gian-van-hoa-quanh-duong-sach-tphcm-post819178.html