Collector's delight: Thousands of century-old books will be displayed during HCM City's Old Book Festival that will run until tomorrow. — Photo vietnamnet.vn

HCM CITY (VNS)— More than 20,000 books, probably more than 100 years old, are on display at HCM City's Youth Cultural House during the Old Book Festival 2015, which opens until tomorrow.

Visitors will have the opportunity to find their favourite old books at the exhibition in various categories such as philosophy, history and fiction, besides old magazines or newspapers, most of which were released during the subsidy period (1976-86).

Nguyen Tuan Quynh, general director of Alpha Books and co-organiser of the event, said the Old Book Festival this year would feature old books that were very difficult to find in the market, such as La Cochinchine, Dai Nam Quoc Am Tu Vi (1896), Kim Van Kieu (French edition, 1926), or Vo Bo (1970).

He told Thanh Nien (Youth) newspaper that bookaholics in the city would get an opportunity to find interesting books to add to their family's bookshelves or collections of old books.

A booth has also been set up for individuals or organisations to exchange or donate old books.

Three seminars – Suu Tam Sach Cu: Nghe Choi Cung Lam Cong Phu (Old Book Collecting: a Meticulous Hobby); and Nguoi Viet Viet Cho Nguoi Viet (Vietnamese Writes for Vietnamese) and Nguoi Tre Doc Gi (What are the Young Reading) will also be held today along with the exhibition.

New books of various kinds such as on social politics, memoirs and foreign literature are available for discounts up to 80 per cent during the event.

A part of the proceeds collected from the sale of books will be donated to the Chuyen Xe Mua Xuan (The Spring Trip) fund, which will be used to provide poor students free tickets to help them go home during the Tet (Lunar New Year) Festival.

HCM City's Old Book Festival is among a series of annual cultural events that are jointly organised by the Youth Cultural House and Alpha Books. — VNS