Although textbook distribution started early this year, there is still a shortage of supplies in Ho Chi Minh City, making it challenging for parents to find the right textbooks for their children.
Last week, Ms. Tuyet Lan in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District paid visits to several bookstores during her lunch break in search of textbooks for her son, who is preparing to become a seventh grader. She visited three bookstores, but she could only find textbooks for Math, Literature, Natural Sciences, and History - Geography. For other subjects, she had to inquire elsewhere because they belong to different textbook sets.
Similarly, Mr. Nhan Trung, a father whose child is entering tenth grade this year at Tran Huu Trang High School in District 5, explained that the school sells textbooks for students in grades 10, 11, and 12 on different days. However, due to family commitments, his child couldn’t attend the day designated for 10th-grade students. As a result, both father and son had to visit multiple bookstores to collect all the required textbooks across various subjects.
Many parents have gone to various places in recent days to buy books for their children. Due to the high demand for textbooks, several bookstore systems are experiencing shortages at certain times. The staff at Hai An Bookstore in District 1 that the textbooks from the Chan troi sang tao series published by Vietnam Education Publishing House are fairly abundant. However, textbooks from the Canh dieu series co-published by the Investment Publishing Company and the University of Pedagogy Publishing House need to be pre-ordered.
Similarly, staff at Thang Long Bookstore in Binh Thanh District said that textbooks of the Canh dieu and Ket noi tri thuc voi cuoc song series are out of stock. Only textbooks of the Chan troi sang tao series has complete sets of textbooks; individual subject textbooks are not available. Other systems like Phuong Nam Bookstore and FAHASA have ample lesson books, but exercise books may be unavailable at certain times. Parents are encouraged to order online instead of visiting the store directly to save travel time, and the books will be delivered to their homes once the supply is replenished.
Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Bao Quoc stated that in the 2024-2025 academic year, textbooks will be used in class levels selected by each school’s council. Within the same class level, different sets of textbooks can be chosen based on practical teaching conditions at each institution.
Before the new academic year begins, schools will announce the complete list of selected textbooks for parents to equip their students proactively. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training requires schools to collaborate with publishers to support parents and students in obtaining the necessary textbooks for the new academic year. This initiative is particularly relevant for the three grades including grades 5, 9, and 12 who must learn the 2018 General Education Program starting from the 2024-2025 academic year.
Furthermore, in addition to the selected textbooks as teaching and learning materials, school libraries must equip themselves with additional sets of books that have been approved by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to facilitate research, reference, and support teaching and learning for both teachers and students.
While providing textbooks to parents and students, schools must not combine the textbook list with reference materials or supplementary books to avoid parents and students misunderstanding that reference books are mandatory purchases.
Deputy General Director Bui Thu Giang of Phuong Nam Education Investment and Development Company - the official distributor of textbooks of the Vietnam Education Publishing House, informed that during the peak period of textbook distribution, the stock of books is continuously replenished every week, ensuring a full and synchronized supply for all subjects to satisfy parents and students’ needs.
Notably, in the 2024-2025 school year, the prices of reprinted textbooks which are applicable to grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11 have been adjusted to decrease from 9.6 percent to 11.2 percent compared to the previous school year; specifically, the textbooks for grades 5, 9, and 12 have been priced based on the reduced price structure of the reprinted textbooks.
To avoid purchasing textbooks of unknown origin, parents should buy books at large, reputable bookstores in their locality, the system of stores of the Vietnam Education Publishing House, or order books through online sales channels with guaranteed origin from the distributors such as phuongnamretail.vn and shopee.vn.
