Touring book street in Hanoi, preserving history and culture

Touring book street in Hanoi, preserving history and culture

The festival, joined by famous historians, showcases thousands of types of books, awakens the public’s reading culture which has been considered a great heritage of Vietnam over the past many years.

When you set your first footstep on the book street, you are welcomed by a miniature rural peaceful village featured by small cottages overshadowed by white apricot flowers and red silk cotton flowers. The scenery reminisces about the nice and tranquil landscape of the Doai Area in western Hanoi, formerly known as Ha Tay province.

The spring atmosphere here has attracted many people to come to take their photos, including couples wishing to have beautiful wedding photos. All people feel joyful.

The event is also participated in by famous historian Duong Trung Quoc, who talks about Vietnam’s heritages and how to preserve them. Quoc says that in the world, many nations treasure heritages because they provide great lessons for future generations.

“All people undergo youth and elderliness. When they grow older and older, they often think about their past and doing something in honour of the past. I think that one of the most important things is to show our respect to the nation by teaching the young who made the past and who made the nation’s history and culture. That’s my message to young people via the first book written by a young writer [which is the novel titled “White Cloud in Doai Area” (Xu Doai May Trang),” Quoc says.

According to the historian, the novel reflects the transfer of memories from one generation to another about the country’s historical periods that have not been experienced by the existing generation. Though the book has only volume, the relatives of its author who are inhabitants of Doai Area will continue supplementing the novel with more new information and stories. It is because history is a continuous time flow, in which inheritance serves as a big driving force for the national development.

Meanwhile, at a talk titled “Youth in the past and present time”, historical professor Le Van Lan and Miss Communications Phung Ngoc Bao Van told interesting stories about the past and present time. Specially, Lan delves into a story of the Two Trung Sisters and Madam Trieu – who made history by fighting the old Chinese invaders at young age. The story remains valuable to all young people now, who should learn lessons from these heroines. That also reflects women’s beauty.

In reminiscence about the time when he was young, Lan says that he was quite eager to study how and where the Trung Sisters lived. Such a question finally led him to Cam Lam area, where the heroines lived, and there he was provided stories about the heroines by local people.

While many young people are given books free-of-charge and listen to stories told by orators and admire calligraphy, many old people take their grandchildren to see agricultural production tools and teach them how to use the tools

Studying traditional culture in the calligraphy booth

Historian Duong Trung Quoc talks about memory-based heritages and the novel “White Cloud in Doai Area”

Touring book street in Hanoi, preserving history and culture

A talk titled “Youth in the past and present time” with historical professor Le Van Lan and Miss Communications Phung Ngoc Bao Van

Comedian Xuan Bac, historian Duong Trung Quoc, professor Le Van Lan, and researchers partake in the event

Comedian Xuan Bac introduces the novel “White Cloud in Doai Area” by writer Nguyen Son Dong

Participants take a photo with writer Nguyen Son Dong’s wife at the event

Meanwhile, famous comedian Xuan Bac excites the talk with an interesting Q&A session. In addition to Bac, the “Doai Area welcomes spring” programme is also partaken by famous comedians Chi Trung and Quang Thang.

According to the organising board, the programme will last from March 3-5, 2018 with numerous interesting activities at the street book, which is located at the 19/12 street of Hanoi's Tran Hung Dao quarter.

A representative from the organising board says, “The book festival would like to bring Hanoi people, students, and young people a new experience in enjoying books at a festival. We would like to bring readers come closer through the books, and cement their passions for books.

“Besides, book lovers will also have a chance to learn more about the beautiful Doai Area via the novel “White Cloud in Doai Area”, in which readers can see how rural people live and love their homeland and the country. Therefrom, readers can raise their awareness about the country’s history, and they will have bigger love for the country.”

The book festival “Doai Area welcomes spring” is organised by the Young Connection Club, the Book and Action Club, and the Encyclopeadic Book Loving Club, in co-operation with the Xu Doai May Trang Investment Joint Stock Company.

At the event “Doai Area welcomes spring”, the company presents 500 copies of the novel “White Cloud in Doai Area” to pupils and students in Hanoi.