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World Book Capital is an initiative by the UN body to recognise cities around the world for promoting books and fostering reading, Lam Dinh Thang, director of the city Department of Information and Communications, said. HCM City hopes to achieve that title by 2025, he said. For that, it needs to foster reading, especially in rural and other underprivileged areas, and do surveys on reading habits to make policies supporting publishers, he said. HCM City Book Street in District 1 is popular among book readers, and it received more than three million visitors, held 400 book-themed events and sold over 660,000 books last year. Le Hoang, director of Book Street Ltd., said revenues increased by 113.7% from 2021. Other book venues such as Phu Lam and District 5 book parks are also very popular. The city organises events meant to foster reading, such as the annual Book Festival during the Lunar New Year holidays. It is home to 39 domestic and foreign publishers and 1,500 local libr

Algerian Ambassador to Vietnam Boubazine Abdelhamid speaks at the event. Photo: icd.gov.vn With the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Department of International Cooperation, Algerian Ambassador to Vietnam Mohamed Berrah visited and held a working session with the VNDT in April 2021, during which he presented the poetic drama “The Man in the Rubber Sandals” to the VNDT. He said he wished for collaboration to produce the play celebrating the 60th anniversary of Vietnam-Algeria diplomatic ties. Yacine (1929-89) was one of the most popular writers in Algeria. He arrived in Vietnam in 1967, and what he saw and heard about President Ho Chi Minh and the struggle for national liberation prompted him to learn about the history, people, and beloved leader of the country. His love and respect for the Vietnamese people and Ho Chi Minh inspired his creativity. From that, the poetic play “The Man in the Rubber Sandals ” was born. The play was successfully sta