Books

This video captures a female traffic violator insulting and hitting a police officer in Hanoi, April 28, 2021.

A businessman opens a free library for everyone, especially children, who loves reading and learning English.

Opened in 2020, Mia Bookhouse has become a familiar address of many bookworms every Saturday and Sunday morning, at No. 2C4, alley 5/629 Kim Ma Street, Ba Dinh District.

Passion for books and children

The space for free book reading. Photo: Mia Bookhouse

Mia Bookhouse is a library model that Nguyen Thanh Trung, director of an English center followed, being inspired by his six-year-old daughter named Mia. Every night, he reads books and tells stories for her, in both Vietnamese and English. For three years now, Mia can communicate in both languages thanks to her father’s care.

“Creating a habit of reading for children from a young age, especially under six years old, is very important. It will bring a lot of benefits for their language development, creativity and imagination,” he said.

With a passion for reading and learning languages since a kid, Trung has collected thousands of books through years living in Germany and Australia and traveling to more than 50 countries around the world.

Trung’ s the owner of the Mia Bookhouse realized English books in Vietnam are either scarce or rather expensive and not everyone could afford. This is the reason why he decided to open up a free English book library for children. Photo: Mia Bookhouse

After returning to Vietnam, Trung realized English books in Vietnam are either scarce or rather expensive and not everyone could afford.

Moreover, many parents do not know which book will be suitable for their children and lack parenting skills to guide them how to read English books. Book resources are not abundant either.

Meanwhile, Trung has a lot of books so he had an idea to open a free book house, aiming to spread the love of books to children and give them an opportunity to read and practice foreign language skills.

Interesting multiple-language library

There are over 2,000 book titles at Mia Bookhouse, including a half in Vietnamese language and the other half, about 1,000, in English and some others in German, Chinese, and French.

Most of them are children’s books with eye-catching and funny images, helping them easily explore the colorful world. Trung cataloged his books in different areas with the expectation of providing children with interesting and useful reading experiences.

The books here are in Vietnamese, English and some others in German, Chinese, and French. Photo: Mia Bookhouse

The library was open with the aim of providing a source of English books for children at first, according to Trung.

But then, he sees that it could also be useful for older people for which more book genres such as literature, history, science, economics, photography, as well as student textbooks have also been added.

Different from other bookstores and libraries, Mia Bookhouse is designed to be friendly with the environment and children.

The book-house’s floor, stairs and furniture are made of natural wood. The bookshelves also have box-shaped design and the seats are wood stairs, allowing children to comfortably sit and read books everywhere they want.

A cure friendly interior decoration at the library that allow children to comfortably sit and read books everywhere they want.

There are also a small aquarium and corners designed like caves for children to play and stimulate their fondness for discovery and study. A whole comfortable space has been created for little readers at his book-house.

Furthermore, librarians taking care of books and helping readers to select books are teachers at Trung’s language center, who speak English well, creating an English-speaking environment for everyone to practice English.

Moreover, children can also learn how to read and enjoy reading as well as actively communicate in English here and the place also helps tighten the family bonds.

Some student’s book are also added recently to enrich the library. Photo: Mia Bookhouse

In the coming time, Trung plans to get more interesting books for both children and adults. In addition, he also expects that the book-house model would be multiplied and known to many people, creating opportunities to bring knowledge to everyone.

Bringing his two kids to Mia Bookhouse the second time, Bui The Anh said that it was an interesting place not only for kids but also for adults, although there are more books for children. Both the books and the reading space are important, inspiring children to read. “Mia Bookhouse has done it very well,” according to him.

Hanoi (VNA) – The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) introduced two books on the history of the Vietnamese currency and of the central bank at a press conference on April 29, to mark the 70th anniversary of the country’s banking system (May 6, 1951-2021).

SBV Governor Nguyen Thi Hong said the book on Vietnam’s currency is the first-ever scientific work on the birth, characteristics, material, and socio-economic meaning of the currency in different historical periods spanning a thousand years.

Since 1945 especially, the currency can be viewed as an important historical source reflecting the struggle for national independence and reunification and the building of socialism under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

The book, which took five years to complete, features more than 1,200 currency samples, including those issued and circulated in the country from the start of King Dinh Tien Hoang’s reign in 968.

The book on the history of Vietnam’s banking system, meanwhile, highlights significant milestones, achievements, and lessons on its construction and development over the past 70 years./.

VNA

Speaking at the event, ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi said that as the world’s two most important and successful regional organisations, ASEAN and the EU have witnessed significant growth in its multifaceted cooperation, as guided by the ASEAN-EU plan of action, spanning across various areas of non-traditional security, economic and sustainable development, environmental issue, disasters management and human rights.

“As strategic partners, we look forward to advancing cooperation with the EU to intensify cooperation to strengthen regional and global peace based on shared values and interests, and restored confidence in the free trade and rule-based multilateralism and to work towards sustainable development for the benefit of our people,” he stated.

“We also look forward to the EU’s continued support of ASEAN centrality in ASEAN-led mechanisms as well as the ASEAN outlook for the Indo-Pacific, including deepening cooperation in key areas to enhance mutual trust, respect and benefits,” he added.

On this occasion, the ASEAN Secretary-General welcomed the European Council conclusion on the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific at the time rising challenges and tension in the region.

As one of the major foreign investors and trading partners of ASEAN, the EU has shared interests with ASEAN in safeguarding free and open trade, including a transparent, non-discriminatory and rule-based, multilateral trading system, he noted.

“To this end, we welcome the progress made by the ASEAN-EU FTA joint working group in developing a framework setting out the parameters of a future ASEAN-EU FTA Agreement which could contribute meaningfully to post-pandemic recovery for our two regions and to create a stronger, more resilient supply chain and to deliver a new opportunity for our businesses and also to our people,” he concluded.

For his part, EU Ambassador to ASEAN Igor Driesman said that this publication this year is so special as it is launched just five months since the 23rd ASEAN-EU ministerial meeting in December 2020 – an event that opened a new chapter in the two blocs’ long standing relationship by becoming strategic partners.

In a joint effort with EU member states, Team Europe supports ASEAN pandemic response and recovery efforts with over 800 million EUR, he said, adding that it is also the largest contributor to the Covax Facility – the multilateral vehicle to ensure fair and equitable vaccine distribution for all.

He stressed that the EU and ASEAN share the belief that the crisis is an opportunity to build back better and to ensure an inclusive and sustainable recovery. This year, the EU will kick off support for smart green ASEAN cities and launch other new programmes enhancing ASEAN capability in taking ambitious climate actions and energy commitments and transforming these commitments into green recovery actions.

The EU-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Blue Book 2021 is the sixth edition of this flagship publication since 2016. This year’s 110-page edition features the highlights in the development cooperation relations of the EU, priorities and progress of projects in multiple fields underway in ASEAN member states with the EU support.

Source: VNA

Book “Su bat dau cua nuoc” by Vietnamese poet Tran Le Khanh has been now available in the US book market under the name of “The beginning of water”.