A customer checks out a book at the Bookazine shop in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1

Bookazine is a small bookstore in Ho Chi Minh City with a big collection that prides itself on being like no other.

In fact, once you enter the shop at 28 Dong Khoi Street in District 1, you are charmed into embarking on a treasure hunt. It is also easy to get lost in the reams of yellow-brown pages.

For rarer works, take a deep breath and start digging into the unfamiliar assortment of old pictures tracing the nation’s colonial history and rustic works from the 19th century. The owner, Hoang Xuan Tho, is an added attraction as he holds forth helpfully on past experiences and shows you his own precious collection.

“Mine is like no other. It is a witness to time. I spent most of my life finding these rare things, in the attic of colonial houses, and from friends,” he says as he shows visitors the very first hand-written translation of “Fables by La Fontaine.”

The bookstore also features a good selection of books on photography, arts and science, apart from newspapers and magazines. This is a treasure trove of new and antique copies of international magazines like National Geographic, Newsweek, Time and the Economist. Other daily newspapers in English, French and even German are on sale.

“I’ve got many expats dropping by for their Herald Tribune or Le Monde. Many of them are long-time regulars and we’ve become friends,” says Tho. “This is not simply a shop selling publications, but a place for book enthusiasts, whatever their background, to come and enjoy the world of culture.”

Reported by Thuy Nhien