In 2019 alone there have been 24,080 public libraries, up 14 percent over 2018, 19,881 reading lounges, up 11.4 percent and 44 million printed books increasing 3 percent across the whole country.
Among the local libraries, many were funded by veterans and elderly benefactors within the community.
Additionally, the number of private libraries has reached 178 in 2019.
The nation-wide campaign also aims towards encouraging reading habits among the working class, children, the elderly and disabled people in remote areas by funding mobile libraries and establishing more electronic book archives.
Most notably, Ho Chi Minh City has given 15,000 blind people access to audio books, and a large number of prisoners also benefited from the campaign.
According to Standing Vice Chairman of Vietnam Journalist Association Ho Quang Loi, the central government should create many more incentives in the near future to promote reading culture for young readers, especially grade school and college students.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2019 has awarded 17 associations and 7 individuals who actively contributed to the development of reading culture.
