Good news for bookworms as Saigon set to launch second book street

Book lovers in Ho Chi Minh City will have yet another option of where to spend their free time now that the city has decided to open a second book street following the launch of the first one in early 2016.

Nguyen Dong Chi Street in District 7 will be converted at an expected cost of VND14 billion ($616,500), and the city intends to use private funding to cover the expense.

Saigon's first book street opened on Nguyen Van Binh Street in January last year and has become a new attraction in a tourist precinct that also includes the historic Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral.

More book streets will be opened across the city to create cultural rendezvous points and contribute to the local reading culture, Mayor Nguyen Thanh Phong said at the opening of the first street.

Data from the Vietnam Publishers Association showed that the street pulled in 2.4 million visitors this year, well above the figure of 1.5 million last year.

Publishers based on the street earned VND50 billion ($2.2 million) in revenue, almost twice as much as the previous year.