Project on Reading Culture No. 329/QD-TTg dated March 15, 2017

The Project has built a friendly reading environment with many utilities to assist people to access, exploit and use information and knowledge effectively. A number of organizations and individuals have created bookcases and developed reading models in the community such as "Open My Books", the project "Books for rural areas", the program "Selling fruits to build bookcases". Models of private libraries, reading spaces, family bookshelves, etc. highlight the development of reading culture.
In addition, businesses have contributed to the promotion of reading culture by sponsoring multimedia mobile library cars called "Light of Knowledge" to Son La, Nghe An, Quang Nam and Gia Lai provinces, etc. This opens a new direction in library activities by creating numerous opportunities to read books for people in rural and remote areas, people with disabilities, assisting readers to raise awareness and apply scientific and technical achievements to production, animal husbandry, life improvement, contributing to hunger eradication and poverty reduction, etc..
The implementation has contributed to improving the capacity of the national library system in serving people's reading needs. The libraries have altered their operation methods to deploy mobile services and services via cyberspace, as well as serving on-site. Renovated library card issuance, promoted the circulation of books and newspapers to locations such as commune libraries, cultural post offices, schools, border posts, diversified library's service forms, developed new forms of services and renewed traditional services have enabled people to access information, enjoy spiritual and cultural values and have also filled people's lifelong learning needs and developed reading culture in the community with the motto "Leave no people behind".
It can be seen that the cooperation between the community and society has contributed to the Project's achievements with encouraging figures demonstrating the effectiveness of the public library system. The total counts of national readers at the libraries reached 36 million, an increase of 17% in comparison to 2017 whilst the total counts of served books and newspapers reached 58.3 million. In 2018, the total number of local libraries, reading rooms and bookcases reached 21,084 (an increase of 15% compared to 2016). There are more than 100 private libraries nationwide, such as Duong Lieu Private Library (Hoai Duc District, Ha Noi), Binh Vong Hamlet Library (Thuong Tin, Ha Noi) and Pham The Cuong Private Library (Ho Chi Minh City).
Numerous provinces have seen good indicators of library performance effectiveness through the issuance of library cards for readers in Ho Chi Minh City (34,725 cards), Ha Noi (14,096 cards) and Da Nang (11,011 cards). Many provinces have affirmed their positions in developing community's reading culture with large reader counts and serving counts of books and newspapers at libraries including Can Tho (1.5 million reader counts and 3 million counts of served books and newspapers) and Ho Chi Minh City (1.4 million reader counts and 4.5 million counts of served books and newspapers).
Reading culture plays an important role in national development. Despite advantages, reading culture has faced difficulties, namely poor facilities and insufficient operating funds of many libraries (there are 5 provincial libraries without their own locations nationwide, about 40% of commune libraries aren't allocated with annual budget to add books, newspapers and organize other activities and commune and high school libraries haven't received adequate attention).