Vietnam Education Publishing House said it was expanding supply and offering alternative purchasing channels to address the shortage.
The heaviest crowds were reported outside Vietnam Education Publishing House's Ho Chi Minh City office in Cho Quan Ward and the Ho Chi Minh City School Books and Equipment JSC at 223 Nguyen Tri Phuong Street in An Dong Ward. Parents began lining up from 7:30 a.m., with some saying smaller bookstores had run out of complete textbook sets.
Ngoc Trang, a parent from Thanh My Tay Ward, said she went directly to the publisher after failing to find a complete set of Grade 6 textbooks at nearby bookstores.
Pham Minh Chien, an employee of the Vietnam Education Publishing House in HCMC, said the company deployed additional staff to guide and manage crowds and prevent pushing and disorder. Although supplies were replenished four to five times a day, demand was so high that some titles remained temporarily unavailable.
By the afternoon, the number of parents seeking textbooks had fallen significantly, although several titles were still being restocked.
Parents offered multiple ways to buy textbooks
Vietnam Education Publishing House Deputy Director General Ngo Van Hoan said parents unable to purchase books at retail outlets could register for them through their children's schools.
Schools are currently accepting additional orders, while Vietnam Education Publishing House has instructed two local distributors to release all available stock. Titles running low will be reprinted and supplied urgently in September, with first-semester books given priority. The publisher will also redistribute books among localities based on actual demand.
Six locations in Ho Chi Minh City are being continuously restocked: 231 Nguyen Van Cu Street in Cho Quan Ward; 223 Nguyen Tri Phuong Street in An Dong Ward; 101 Hoang Sa Street in Tan Dinh Ward; 122 Phan Van Tri Street in Binh Thanh Ward; 604 Cach Mang Thang 8 Street in Thu Dau Mot Ward; and 500D Binh Gia Street in Tam Thang Ward.
Parents can also order books online through Phuong Nam Retail or temporarily access free PDF versions through Vietnam Education Publishing House's online training portal.
As of August 20, about 24.5 million textbooks had been delivered to parents, students, and schools across Ho Chi Minh City, meeting 98 percent of pre-registered demand and representing an increase of over 15 percent from last year.
To meet additional demand, Vietnam Education Publishing House is printing another 9 million copies for distribution between August 25 and September 6.
