Alongside the Nguyen Hue Flower Street Festival, the Tet Book Street Festival has become a familiar cultural destination for residents and tourists visiting HCMC during the traditional Lunar New Year since its inception 16 years ago in 2010.
This year, for the first time, the festival is organized across three spaces of Le Loi Boulevard (Saigon Ward), New City Park (Binh Duong Ward), and the Revolutionary Tradition House area (Vung Tau Ward).
Beyond tens of thousands of book and newspaper titles, the festival features unique cultural activities:
- Exhibitions of publications, documents, and images commemorating 50 years of Saigon – Gia Dinh bearing the name of President Ho Chi Minh;
- The “HCMC – Livable City” exhibition showcasing achievements in economics, culture, and politics post-merger;
- A display celebrating the 80th anniversary of the First General Election of the National Assembly of Vietnam (January 6, 1946 – January 6, 2026) leading up to the election of deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils for the 2026-2031 term.
Visitors can also experience e-books, audiobooks, and AI technology, interact with famous authors, and attend workshops on books and reading culture.
Each location possesses unique features. New City Park offers a calligraphy corner as well as a reading and storytelling playground for children. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Tradition House area focuses on documents regarding local revolutionary struggles, marine economic achievements, and external information dissemination regarding sea, islands, and marine tourism.
In addition to the 2026 Tet Book Street Festival, the regular HCMC Book Street in Saigon Ward and Thu Duc Book Street in Hiep Phu Ward are hosting numerous activities to spread reading culture.
At HCMC Book Street, the Spring Book Fair for the Year of the Fire Horse runs from now until February 24. Visitors can enjoy diverse genres of Tet books, cultural and historical works, and intellectual gift products suitable for meaningful New Year presents.
A notable highlight is the “Interactive Wall,” where visitors can send wishes for a peaceful new year. During this time, a “Spring Newspaper Stall” is maintained in a self-service format. Readers can select and pay a flat rate of VND50,000 (US$1.93) per copy. All proceeds from newspaper sales will support journalists in difficult circumstances or those treating critical illnesses.
Meanwhile, Thu Duc Book Street is hosting an in-depth exhibition titled “Warm Tet – Loving Spring,” displaying works on regional Tet customs and culture, running until February 24. The Stage A area comes alive with the “Spring in Green Strokes” painting exhibition, featuring winning artworks by primary and secondary students over the years, showcasing the radiant perspective of the younger generation on spring.
Activities at HCMC Book Street and Thu Duc Book Street are considered important “satellite” cultural spaces, strongly responding to the “Spring Union – Steadfastly Rising” theme of the festival. These events contribute to diversifying the spring travel map for city residents, spreading the message of reunion, and honoring Vietnamese cultural identity in the new era.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, a “lucky book gifting” program will take place at all three festival locations via “Free Book ATMs.” This activity aims to encourage the spirit of sharing books within the community, helping readers access many good and meaningful titles.
