Dong Thap launches Book Day

Dong Thap province opened its 2026 Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day program on April 15, kicking off a provincial reading campaign that runs through May 2. (baophapluat.vn) (baovanhoa.vn) The opening ceremony took place at 7:30 a.m. at the Dong Thap Provincial Cultural and Event Center under the theme “Books - Knowledge - Aspiration for National Development.” Provincial authorities said the main activities are concentrated from April 14 to April 21. (baovanhoa.vn) (baophapluat.vn) The April 15 launch included cultural performances, talks on effective reading models, exchanges with local Reading Culture Ambassadors, and a book donation drive for schools in remote areas. Dong Thap’s plan also calls for thank-you letters and symbolic book handovers to groups and individuals who contributed books. (baovanhoa.vn) This is a local rollout of a national observance that Vietnam’s prime minister established in Decision 1862/QD-TTg, signed on November 4, 2021. Government and legal database listings identify April 21 as Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day. (vanban.chinhphu.vn) (thuvienphapluat.vn) At the national level, the 2026 program is scheduled to open on April 18 at the National Library of Vietnam in Hanoi with the theme “Knowledge Flow - From Pages to Digital Space.” That places Dong Thap’s April 15 ceremony among the earlier provincial launches tied to this year’s nationwide campaign. (baochinhphu.vn) (baophapluat.vn) Dong Thap officials are using the event to push both print and digital reading. Nguyen Binh Minh, deputy director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said online reading has created a modern way to access large volumes of information and knowledge. (baophapluat.vn) The province says it has built a reading network that includes the provincial library, local libraries, school libraries, study-promotion bookshelves, and reading clubs, with a focus on rural and remote communities. Public libraries are also staging book, newspaper, and photo displays, while the provincial library is sending a mobile library and propaganda vehicle to harder-to-reach areas. (baophapluat.vn) (baovanhoa.vn) Schools across Dong Thap are being asked to hold reading festivals, student book talks, and book club sessions during the campaign, while also collecting books for disadvantaged schools. The province said its 2025 publishing output reached 96 licensed non-commercial titles totaling nearly 16 million pages, alongside a distribution system of nearly 150 bookstores. (baovanhoa.vn) (baophapluat.vn) The program now moves from the launch stage into school and library events through early May, with book drives and mobile outreach aimed at readers beyond the provincial center. (baovanhoa.vn)