Ho Chi Minh City: 200 Vietnamese books donated to German library

The working delegation from Ho Chi Minh City introduces Vietnamese books (Photo: VOV)

The books, covering topics on culture, history and society, were given to the Department of Southeast Asian Studies. They will be added to the university’s library system as reference materials for students and readers with an interest in the subject.

Goethe University, established in the 1960s by Professor Otto Karow, now offers Vietnamese language courses under the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures within the Faculty of Linguistics, Cultures and Arts. Additionally, the university holds free Vietnamese language classes for Vietnamese children.

The university's library offers books on Vietnamese language and topics about Vietnamese culture and society, providing valuable resources for students and interested readers. The Faculty of Linguistics, Cultures and Arts library houses approximately 500,000 publications and serves over 100,000 library cardholders. It also welcomes walk-in readers to explore its collections on-site.

Many Vietnamese-language books from Vietnamese publishers are already available on the library’s shelves, primarily focusing on history, culture, language and ethnic groups. The Vietnamese book exhibition also showcases rare, old books about Vietnam, printed in the second half of the 19th century.

Nguyen Ngoc Hoi, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Information and Communications, expressed Vietnam’s and Ho Chi Minh City’s keen interest in books, publishing and promoting a reading culture, during discussions with representatives of the Department of Southeast Asian Studies.

The delegation also expressed their delight in the university's dedication to offering Vietnamese language courses for both students and foreigners./.