The development of book reading activity for promoting better
life of citizen in Vietnam
Vu Duong Thuy Nga
Deputy Director of the Department of Library
Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism of Vietnam
Email: ngavdt@[Link]
INTRODUCTION
In the setting of development of the nation to be industrial country in the year
of 2020 by the Government, we orient to develop the nation with innovative policy
engaging with concept of intelligent economy. This concept associates with
professional human resource in terms of good knowledge and skillful labor for
supplying national development and linking the country to international economy. It
is clear that reading activity is very important canal to promote sustainable
development of the country. Through long history of the nation, reading culture is
established Vietnamese manner to development of the nation. Thus, it is
reasonable to say that book reading activity has been providing fundamental
knowledge for making new generation of Vietnamese in all aspects of life. In fact,
book reading activity is usually a media canal to helping people to gain information
and step by step to develop their knowledge in terms of promoting better life and
engaging with international economy network.
In the case of opening the gate to Asian region and worldwide we need to
make much more efforts to promote not only amount of labor but also quality of
such source for supporting current need of higher quality of human resource
(UNDP, 2001 and Nguyen Thang, 2002). The strategy for making better use of
human resource from Vietnamese government is to establish proper way of
learning through reading activity in different citizen classes. This strategy need to
accord with their conditions in terms of level education, economic circumstance
and others (Vu Duong Thuy Nga, 2011 b).
The Vietnamese Government is aware that promotion of reading culture is
very important. Therefore, the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism of Vietnam
and especially library branch have been establishing strategy of the development
of reading culture for period 2010 to 2020. The Government also confirmed to
support reading activity whole country in order to generate new Vietnamese
readers in the future. In this paper, we would like to summarize the reading activity
status and to offer appropriate solutions to promote reading culture in Vietnam.
In order to set up state policies on developing reading culture in society, the Ministry of
Culture, Sport and Tourism conducted investigations in 12 provinces/cities in 2010 in
Vietnam.
OBJECTIVES
General objective: The overall objective of this study to get reader’s responses in terms
of current need for book reading and which kinds of book may math to each interest
group from different citizen class in different zones of the country.
Special objective:
- To determine which kind of the book and the magazine that readers would like to
learn most from students, their parents and adults (as a mean of non-student
reader) especially which kinds of each of such group readers like best
- To know if people use their leisure time for reading book to promote their learning
and making their relaxation
- To evaluate the role of parent to pursuit their children to learn from the book and
magazine sources for gaining knowledge in different fields of their lives
- To determine the current status of library service in different locations of the country
and establish appropriate solutions both short and long terms for development of
library systems to offer an opportunity for people to go to library to read books
especially in remote areas of the country.
- To establish a new policy for motivating reading activity in our society in order to
promote better life of the citizen
METHODOLOGY
This survey made by Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism of Vietnam to
seeks an answer for the following the main research question. The question is that
what are major obstacles to increase reading activity in the country and what can
be done to help ordinary people better benefit from policy of reading culture
promotion. The answer to this main question should be attempted through a survey
as a case study. How will each question be achieved? We assuming that the
research questions to be addressed by the survey have been clearly identified. On
the other hand, the purpose of the methodology section is to show how these
questions would be determine in the most rigorous way possible. Achieving the set
objectives requires data of high quality and sound methodologies. This survey will
therefore plan to collect primary data on the library system in different provinces in
the country.
- The survey with questionnaires included 18 concerned issues for asking students,
10 other ones for their parents and 20 ones for getting responses from adults
carried out in different provinces of the country. Participatory development
communication (PDC) was a powerful tool to facilitate this process. This
communication process brings together all readers in a dialogue and exchange of
ideas on their concerned read activity. It was the key used to collect information.
To minimise any unwanted biases, agenda had made, in situation according to
consensus of participants.
- Traditional data gathering methods such as group representative meetings, semi-
structure investigation by library visiting, structured interviews using
questionnaires. The issues of these are related to each of objectives.
- Data/information is shared and used immediately at the grass-root levels, and
processed systematically for later used in documentation.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The consideration of the role of the reading culture in developing the nation
Although Vietnamese people has been cultivating the soil and rearing
animals for thousands of year for establishing their lives in the country. However,
sustainability of the development of the nation especially the poor areas of the
country has been threatening by the increasing population pressure and the
destructive impacts of the sequence flood and typhoon in the tropical monsoon
season both directly and indirectly (World Bank Vietnam. 2002). Vietnam has been
consistently pursuing the radical economic reforms known as Doi Moi since 1986
and has consequently achieved impressive economic growth rates and fast
poverty reduction (GSO, 2001). The economy grew at an average annual growth
rate of about 7.0 percent since the country are the full membership of WTO in the
year of 2007. The Vietnam economy changes thanks to the open-door policies
coupled with microeconomic reforms, which have radically changed the economic
incentives system (World Bank Vietnam.1999). Equally important, economic
growth has been broadly shared, resulting in a sharp poverty reduction (World
Bank Vietnam. 2001).
The resolution number 5 of the term VIII of Vietnamese Communist Party
remarked that “A culture is important spiritual basic to development of society and
it is not only motivation of social and economic development but also orientation of
each person in the way of approaching higher knowledge and better life”. In fact,
the Government has been supporting more projects to conserve Vietnamese
culture and remain national and international heritages and traditional festivals
located in all provinces of the country.
Concerning to reading activity for adopting technology transfer to farmers
whom are consisted about 70 percents of Vietnamese population; the government
has much more effort to help them for increasing their incomes. As a result of
current policy of Vietnamese government for promoting scientific and technology
activities, there are many new techniques and technologies in agricultural sector,
which are recommended by all Vietnamese institutions annually. In paradox, such
technologies seem to keep in media resources for researchers and students in
reading but not so succeed in application especially in poor farmer communities.
We assume that it is necessary to promote reading activity for farmers in order to
make better use of current technique and technology sources in village commune.
Because, the poor people is not easy to approach to library for using of this
resource to increase their income.
In the case of economic blooming worldwide, the nation is associated with
new concept of intelligent economy. This mean that it is require much more labours
with high knowledge and professional skill. Thus, the development of program of
education and professional training is the first priority of our Government and it
should pertain to reading promotion not only in the school but also in diversity of
reading activity in our society.
In recent years, Vietnamese citizens especially villagers recognize in long
term run that firstly, they need to learn for the reduction of poverty, free from less
educated fate and promotion quality of their life. They are aware that through
reading activity they could learn much more about life skills such as how to use
electricity in safety way and how to increase their income from their local resources
effectively and other useful skills. Secondly, no one can decline the fact that the
climate change is occurring so quick and it impacts all nations and each family in
negative way. So the reading activity provides more powerful canal to enhance
aware of people to treat harmony way with nature and biosphere. Lastly, in higher
level of nation development, each person or/and family could not live alone and so
community development programme is one of priority in our policy. The
establishment of learning programmes in society need more books and magazines
for such strategy and thus the raising of the campaign of book reading is very
necessary in the way of achievement of better life for the citizen.
The president Ho Chi Minh said that “one nation has less-educated citizen as a
mean that the nation is a weak one” and he also remarked that “learning is a long
process, such as learning at school, learning oneself by reading books and
learning from others in society as well”.
Current status of book reading facility and reading requirement of citizen in
Vietnam
The reading facility in Vietnam
There is a library system of from central government to local locations in
Vietnam. The system has been servicing for book reading requirement of all citizen
on different classes effectively. Some new models of book services have been
applied. For instance, the model of rotation of the book has been done for
increasing number of commune bookcase in poor regions or the family bookcase
has been established in some locations. We also call upon the private library
taking their activity in poor areas in order to support reading culture in our society.
All such new models of the reading culture have done effectively. According to
survey of the Ministry of Culture – Sport – Tourism of the Vietnamese Government
in 2010, there were 17,936 public libraries, 300 university libraries, 24,746 school
libraries and many specific libraries belonged to different Ministries of the
Government in Vietnam. The national library system consists of national library;
province and district ones. Each Ministry of Center Government also has special
library to supply information to their working activities. In the village, commune
book case system as a mean of public library has been establishing under
supporting of the local government to offer an essential book and magazine to
farmers especially in remote region of the rural areas. The goal of the development
of this commune book is the eradication of poverty through literacy enhancement
for poorest people especially minority ethnics. In fact, this small library has been
improved the overall reading culture in the locality and to serve as an extension for
learning beyond the classroom by offering school textbooks to students who do not
have access to them at school and at home. This commune book case system is
used effectively and villagers are more participating in book reading activity. Each
school/university in Vietnam has their own library and the readers of such consist
of mainly students, teachers and other concerned professionals who spend their
reading time for improvement of their knowledge and other aspects of live that they
could not learn during lecture times.
The publication has been developing both book quantity and book quality.
This activity has been engaging with requirement of readers and it is true that
through this canal, the educational and training programs of the Government have
been approaching to all peoples in our society. Such activity also supports to
promote people’s cultural standard and to help poor citizens to increase their
incomes from adopting appropriate technologies in their business. For
enhancement of reading activity of Vietnamese young pioneer, we publish more
kinds of book pertained to their psychologies to make proper book environment for
developing this generation naturally.
It is interesting that Vietnamese people is aware of the role of book in the
way of development of each person well. The citizen would like to select books and
magazines with high quality. According to result of the survey, there are 20
percents of Vietnamese family having their own bookcase in total. And there are 25
% of citizens used one hour for reading book.
However, it still remains some weakness of reading activity in the country.
For example, we recognize that the development reading culture is very important
but we now have just starting to make it proper. The number of book per one
citizen is still poor. The villager in remote areas is very difficult to approach to
media resources especially library. The school library still poor in book source both
amount of book and magazine and quality of book service as well.
The use of leisure time for reading books in the society
The Vietnamese citizen seems to be very busy in their works event in free
times after working hard in the day. However they are ready like to use such time
for learning by reading books in different aims. The table 1 shows the use of the
free time of students and adults taken their mind to read the books and other
concerned from media resources. According to the outcomes of the survey, there
were 59 percent of pupils use their leisure time for reading books. The act of
learning by themselves and participating extra class for learning subject are 30 and
42 percents respectively. It seems to be that students would like to learn much
more intensive way. The survey results also indicated that there were 56. 8 percent
of non-pupils (adults) used their free time for reading books. It is true that the
current need of book reading of Vietnamese people is high in term of self-learning
and entertainment activities. An ordinary people who spend much more times for
an earn one’s living and they seem to be worn out after working hard during the
working day. Therefore, they like to watch TV with more easy and convenient ways
for not only getting information and but also doing their relaxing.
Table 1: The use of the leisure time of pupils and adults for reading books
Reading activities Percentage (%)
Responses of pupil’s readers
1 Book reading 59
2 Learning by themselves 30
3 Extra class for learning 42
4 Non-reading activities* 60
Responses of non- pupil’s readers (adults)
5 Book reading 56,8
6 Web watching 35
7 Learning by themselves 20
8 TV and/or video Watching 43
9 Other activities** 68
Notes: * House work to helping parent, gaming, TV and/or video watching, club
activities, web watching and free doing of some habits
** and free doing of some habits, gaming, tourist activity club activities and
others
It is a reasonable to say that TV watching and web searching by chance in
some cases give more impression for people than reading books especially poor
peoples and hard workers in different citizen classes. The main readers of the big
libraries in each province are pupils and students, researchers in different subjects
but not so more ordinary ones.
The different requirement of books from different citizen classes
One of expectation of the survey is that which kinds of books, the pupil and
adult like best and it is very essential issues for making better development of
library policy and other concerned reading culture one. We assume that reading
culture policy depends on current need of reader for books in different citizen
classes to offer high quality book for them and to implement appropriate reading
extension. We also recognize that pupil are the most educational targets for long
term development of the country. It is a tendency that the pupil would like to read
more books and magazines associated with knowledge that they learn from
different disciplines at school. As can be seen in the table 2, there were 22
percents of pupil reading special book concerned to school subject. Their purposes
of reading such books are not only for promoting extended knowledge but also for
having better exam. It is clear that in free time, pupils would like to concentrate
their minds on reading concerned subjects that they learn at school time for having
their better scores of examinations at the end of each semester. On the other
hand, about 70 percents of pupils derive from farmer’s families and they are poor
ones. They are aware that if they graduate with high score they will have good
opportunity to be a university student and will find a job in the city later. By this
tactic, they can change their lives from very hard village’s circumstances. Last, in
the campaign of reading activity, we conceive an interest response of citizen that
pupils, students and their parents as well need more concerned books associated
with knowledge that they gain at school, such as textbook and other concerned
book or/and magazine for improvement their basic knowledge. While adults/non-
pupil like to read more books and magazines regarded to history, culture, sport and
others. It is true that student’s parents play more important role to pursuit their
children to learn from book and magazine for gaining knowledge in different fields
of live.
Table 2: The requirement of reading books of pupil, pupil’s parent and non-pupil
reader (adult)
Kind of books Percentage %
Responses of pupil’s readers
1 Science introduction 19
2 Special book concerned to school subject 22
3 Old story book 11
4 Love story book 10
5 Spy story book 9
6 Others * 29
Responses of pupil’s parents about reading activity of their children
6 Old story book 28
7 Special book concerned to school subject 20
8 History book 11
9 Science introduction 9
10 Others** 32
Responses of non- pupil’s readers (adults)
11 Book of life manner in family 18
12 Politic and social book 16
13 Book of literature and art 22
14 Text book 10
15 Science introduction 12
16 Others*** 22
* Books consisted of contents of imaged story, spy story, love story, kung fu and
famous person
** Books comprised of contents of history, famous person, imaged story and kung
fu
***Books included contents of science and technology, pioneer sport and economy
The table 2 also indicates that adult would like to read book of book of
literature and art, life manner in family, and politic and social books. The
percentage of responses of such books was 22, 18 and 16 percents respectively.
While there were 12 percents peoples liked to read the science introduction book.
The quality of book and magazine need more improvement both the content
and the kind - diversity to meet reader’s current need of different citizen classes in
different locations for different reader ages. In some cases, it is true that some
books and magazines are just satisfied for normal liking of the reader but not so
engaging with their deep soul. This fact is a clue for our improvement of the
reading culture’s strategy to orient reader’s manner to approach to better life with
full meaning perfect ones. On the other concerned reason to support higher quality
of book is that copyright law need to implement more effectively in practice.
The role of parents for stimulating book reading of their children
Parents play very important power to motivate their children in reading book
and it is one of special characteristics of book reading activity in our society.
Table 3:The care about book reading of pupil from their parents
Levels of interest Percentage
%
Frequent interest 78
Do not care about 6
Sometime do care about 16
The table 3 shows that there were 78 percents of pupil’s parents in frequent
cared about book reading of their children. It is reasonable to say that parents
would like to make more forces to their children to learn with the aim of having
highest score if possible. In some cases, parents do not like their children to read a
book concerned to other aspects of the life for extending their knowledge. Making
much more pressure in learning school disciplines for honor from pupil’s parent is
mean that they usually give more psychological stress for their children. It seems
that some pupils could not have their pioneer lives.
Concerning responses of pupil’s parents about reading activity of their
children, they confirm that their children were only 20 % in reading special book
concerned to school disciplines (table 2). Such data was lower than responded
from pupils themselves. The figure 1 indicated that there were 68 percents
of pupil’s parents would like their children to read books and magazines at the
library and just 32 percents of them need their children to read book at home.
Figure 1: Response from pupil’s parents about the best location for reading books
of their children (%)
80
70
The best location for
60 reading books of
50
pupils
40
68
30
20
32
10
0
At home In library
Some aspects of the library service
The library service is also play more essential to stimulate reading activity in
our society for better life of our citizen. Table 4 shows that there were 43 percent
responses from readers that open time of library coincided class time.
Table 4: Responses from readers about quality of the library service
Issues Reasons and/or sub-issues Percentage
%
1 Open time of library coincides 43
class time
2 Difficulty of Do not know how to find a book 27
finding books in the library
3 Poor book resources in library 30
4 Select from content bill 24
5 Shell-selection in bookcases 44
6 Methods to Catalogues 11
7 find a book in Select from list content in 21
the library computer
8 Book diversity in the library 35
9 Expectation Daily open time of the library is 29
of reader for longer
10 better service Good assistance from library 16
from the officers
11 library Need more guidelines for 16
searching books
12 Other responses 4
13 Some Increase the open time of the 14
suggestions library
14 from readers Offer more books and 32
to make magazines to satisfy different
better kinds of the readers
15 services from Book extension diversity in 18
the library library service
14 Enhancing investment in buying 17
books and magazines for
district and commune libraries
from local and central
Governments
15 Call upon private donors or/and 16
private library in supporting and
servicing mini-library or and
bookcase in the poor locations
included given books and
magazines, rooms for reading
16 Other responses 3
It is most barriers for pupils to go to the library and we need to overcome the
problem by adjusting library open time in right way. This table 4 also indicated that
there were 30 percents of people to complain that poor book resources in the
library.
The role of commune library for promoting reading activity of minority ethnic
peoples
It is true that the farmer and the handed worker classes in the country
consist of 80 percent of Vietnamese population in total. The poorest farmer usually
lives in upland region of the country. They face extremely difficult condition for the
development of resource-related production due to complex topography and
frequent natural calamities. In the case of minority ethnics, we assume that cultural
barriers to discourage us from the task of introducing reading activity for such
ones. There are 53 minorities in the country. The Government has been supporting
much more money to help them for reduction of poverty by adopting appropriate
technologies. However, generally, cultural barrier should overcome when people in
minority communes are step by step to accessing with both local and international
media and other rural development projects for reduction of poverty around such
part of the country. Therefore, the development of book reading activity for
promoting better life of such minorities is the first priority of our policy. On the other
hand, it is clear that if you want to make your technology as a means of
sustainable technology you had to engage your technology with indigenous
knowledge of minority people and reading activity is powerful tool to open the way
for adopting technology. So cultural barrier is a component of our thinking when we
try to find out solutions for promoting reading activity in all remote areas of the
country where minority people live.
Concerning to economic condition, their livelihoods depend on agriculture
and forestry in the rural areas. They are a less-educated citizen and they could not
make effort to buy a book or/and magazine for their daily reading. Thus, such
classes are the main target group for promoting reading activity and establishing
other policies concerned to making better development of reading culture for
supporting their better lives in the way of approaching prosperous of the country.
The public library is popular in Vietnam especially in rural areas where poor
farmers need more books for their reading in order to know about a development
opportunity. During the time of survey, we also got some key responses from
citizen about how to develop such library well. There were 32 and 14 percents of
peoples raised their needs of supplying more kinds of books and magazines for
consolidating public library and increasing more hours of opening such library
respectively. There were 17 and 18 percents of citizens pressed their needs of
sporting more facilities and developing more kinds of flexible services to match
farmer’s difficulty circumstances respectively. The fact raised from reading practice
that public library model need more funding from the Government and NGOs to
improvement of reading activity effective.
The reading culture campaign for making book activity proper in the year of
2010-2011
To make reading culture proper is one of strategies of the Vietnamese
Government for improvement of citizen’s knowledge and other lived skills for their
better lives. A reading culture campaign in all provinces of the country has been
doing from 2010 up till now. The overall aim of this campaign stimulates citizen to
recognize the role of reading culture for development of each person, commune
and national. This activity is also in eradication of poverty in the poor rural
commune and better income for middle region and richer economy in some
industrial zones. Through out the campaign, librarian, other governmental officers
both local Government and Central one and the policy maker have got citizen’s
current requirement of book and magazine for their reading. And especially which
kinds of book may math to each interest group from different citizen classes in
different zones of the country.
Other main aim of the campaign has been done that we determine current
status of library service systems in different provinces of the country and to
establish appropriate solutions both short and long terms for development of library
systems to offer an opportunity for people to go to library to read books especially
in remote areas of the country. During the time of the campaign, there are many
book reading festivals in Ha Noi capital and other cities in Vietnam. The event
makes much more opportunity for brings readers, authors, publication houses and
governmental officers together in dialoging and exchanging of ideas each other on
their concerned read activity (Vu Duong Thuy Nga. 2011 a). Such sharing is useful
not only for improvement of library service but also for getting more basic
information and documents for providing essential issues to policy maker in order
to establish new library’s law engaging “Doi Moi” policy of the Government.
Appropriate solutions for enhancing book reading activity and library service
According to the Vietnamese Government policy now, there are more
attentions, which should be directed toward finding additional or alternative
methods of making better use of reading culture a as key tool to provide
knowledge and other labor skills to citizen (Vu Duong Thuy Nga, 2011 c). One of
important approaches is to better matching the new reading culture policy to locally
existing reading conditions.
We suggest some appropriate solutions are particularly followings:
(i) The development of book reading activity for promoting better life of citizen in
Vietnam is recognized most important action of library system of the country and it
need more support from the Government both local and central governments and
NGOs as well. Therefore, it is necessary to have more appropriate policies to
support reading activity and especially in scheming library service and developing
library policy for matching available facility to human resource of librarian in order
to supply more books and other concerned ones with higher quality to readers in
different zones of the country.
(ii) To be aware the role of reading activity in all classes of Vietnamese citizen
for promoting quality of life need to focus on public campaign of reading culture not
short term aim but also long term run. Local governments in each province and the
library department of Ministry of Culture – Sport – Tourism need to support to
organize book reading festival annually.
(iii) To educate pupil and student the role of reading considers as a powerful
tool for promoting their education and to offers more e-books and other media units
to them not only in school but also in other public locations.
(iv) To enhance investment for library facility in all locations and improve quality
of information service in different ways of media resources of the country is the first
priority of our policy.
(v) To improve quality of book and magazine both content and kind diversity in
all publishing in the country should be done for long term development of the
reading culture.
(vi) To use informative high technology for delivering information more quick
and convenient way is very necessary for the recent readers.
(vii) To encourage investors to establish private library to diversity such service
in different zones of the country is one of the priority in our policy.
(iix) To join library system of the country to the global network and to develop
international cooperation in all aspects of library service is one of our destinations
of the library development.
Conclusions
- The requirement of the Vietnamese citizen is high in terms of facilities such as of
book and magazine both in quantity and quality and good library as well.
- Though the Government has been funding more money to consolidate and
develop library system and reading activity to offer good condition for the citizen in
different classes for reading books and magazines, much more efforts should be
done in improvement of library system both facility and human resource of library
service.
- To enhance book reading activity has been providing basic knowledge and
essential skills of life for establishing new generation of Vietnamese and the
reading culture activity has been supporting for new policy of development of
Vietnam from the period of 2011 to 2020 to be come industrial country at the end
of the stage.
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