The 6th HCM City Book Festival opened today, March 15, at Le Van Tam Park with 471 participating bookstores.

The festival will open from 8.30am until 10pm everyday from March 15-20.

With around 200,000 books, the organizing board estimates that around 100,000 are being introduced to the public for the first time, including 50,000 translated books.

The most anticipated activities are exchanges between writers and readers. The first meeting will take place at 1.30pm, March 15 with John Merson, the author of “Lessons from Wars”, published by Thai Ha Books Company.

Many foreign writers will come to the festival to see Vietnamese readers, including Eran Katz, the memory record-holder at 2pm, March 17, organized by Alphabooks; Thai billionaire Vikrom Kromadit, the author of Building A Career by Bare Hands, at 6.30pm, March 17, held by Tri Viet – First News; Italian writer Alessandro Barrico, the writer of Silk, at 9am, March 19, co-organised by Nha Nam and the Italian Embassy in Vietnam.

Vietnamese writer Phan Dung, the author of Creativeness and Renovation will meet with readers at 3pm, March 15 while movie director Le Hoang, the author of Smile Export, will talk with readers at 3pm, March 16.

At 3pm, March 18, three writers whose works have been transformed into movies – Nguyen Dong Thuc, Tran Thuy Mai and Bui Anh Tan – and movie director Tran Canh Don will discuss the relations between literature and cinema. The latest works by Tran Thuy Mai and Bui Anh Tan will also be introduced.

Another talk entitled “Dialogue between Literature and Life” will be held at 3pm, March 18, with the participation of translator Trang Ha and five writers Da Ngan, Tran Thanh Ha, Nguyen Danh Lam, Tran Thi Hong Hanh and Nguyen Ngoc Thuan.

At 9pm on the same day, young translator Dao Bach Lien will take about her new work Con Luan Tien Truyen.

Writer Ly Lan will return home from the US to participate in a talk called “Showing Love to Ly Lan” at 3pm, March 19. She will introduce her three latest books.

Writer Nguyen Nhat Anh will talk with readers about the latest Kinh Van Hoa book at 7pm, March 20.

At 9am on the same day, a group of doctors will talk with the readers about Knowledge for the 21^st Century.

PV