LookAtVietnam – Thousands of people in extended rural families, or clans, in eight provinces have benefited from a library project named “Tu Sach Dong Ho” (Clan Bookshelf). Started in March 2007, it is the brainchild of Nguyen Quang Thach, 34,

Clan man: Writer Nguyen Huy Thiep (left) offers books to Nguyen Quang Thach for the clan bookshelf project.

He became interested in books when he was in fourth grade. When he graduated from primary school, he had finished about 700 books on the family bookshelves.

“My teachers and friends nicknamed me ‘bookworm’ as I always carried a book with me, even when herding buffaloes. Books have been very beautiful to me since then,” Thach said, “There were no public libraries to borrow from, no bookshops to buy books in my village.”

Thach began to realise that Vietnamese people are always linked to family and clan and that the strength of these links can be used to create successful careers.

The idea of clan bookshelf, which facilitate people within the clan to exchange books, sprouted in his mind. “Successful people are always hard working and knowledgeable,” Thach said.

Two years ago, Thach used his savings of VND10 million (US$560) to set up three bookshelves for three of the clans he was connected to in his home territory, namely the Nguyen Quang clan (his father’s clan), the Nguyen Duy clan (his grandmother’s) and the Tran clan (his mother’s).

Since then, city dwelling members of the clan send books and money home to diversify the printed material available.

“I strongly support Thach’s initiation and enthusiasm as well as effective actions to build up bookshelves in rural clans,” said Nguyen Quang Than, a member of Nguyen Quang clan.

“There seems to be too many books in cities, where city dwellers rarely have time to read, while people in the countryside have plenty of free time and books are still a luxury,” he said.

“The problem is similar to rich people letting cooking spoil in the fridge while poor people have nothing to eat. Please bring as many books to rural areas as possible to fix that problem,” he said.

Thach said reading material was so short in the countryside that he found in many provinces dozens of households shared one copy of Nong Thon Ngay Nay (Today’s Countryside), a newspaper that focuses on rural issues. In more remote areas, the number of households sharing a copy is even larger and issues are often well out of date when they arrive.

Thach also found that 60,000 family clans throughout Viet Nam ran study-encouragement funds, but there was no similar book collecting movement.

“The most effective way to broaden the knowledge of rural people is to set up libraries and let the clans manage them,” he said. “The strong urge to help family members become successful will force the clans to increase the number of the books.”

According to Vu Quoc Ai, book-keeper for the Vu clan in Mo Trach Village in Tan Hong Commune in the northern province of Hai Duong, about 50 members of the clan throughout Viet Nam have sent books home since a library was established.

“Clan members flock to my home to read books,” he said, “Children and the elderly read books and discuss them with delight. Farmers even tell one another to apply farming techniques they read about in the books. Our clan will get out of poverty this way.”

Under Thach’s guidance, 19 clans in eight provinces have established bookshelves, which he then helped to stock from his own savings of between VND700,000 to 1,000,000 ($39 to $56) a month.

The results are very satisfying. Thach is always moved as he watches country children rush to grasp the books. “They are like myself when I was small - thirsty for books and new things,” he said.

Thach plans to make a trans-national trip by motorbike later this year to raise people’s awareness of the need, and opportunity, to establish clan bookshelves and improve rural people’s reading culture.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News