The impending closure of Nha Sach Ca Chep in TP HCM and the quiet atmosphere of Dinh Le book street are more than mere changes in consumer habits. They may signal a rupture in the flow of urban spiritual life. Yet, hope for traditional bookstores is not entirely lost: it is time for a transformation in their business philosophy.

For many decades, bookstores were not just retail outlets but essential entities. "Livresque"—the soul of literary life—was displayed directly, honestly, and proudly. These were once among the most fascinating spaces, where every development in the publishing industry was presented impartially on wooden shelves. All books had a chance, uninfluenced by the biased priorities of advertising algorithms or aggressive marketing campaigns.

Nha Sach Ca Chep on Vo Van Tan street, TP HCM, serves readers before ceasing operations entirely on 15/6. Photo: Thanh Tung

Nha Sach Ca Chep on Vo Van Tan street, TP HCM, serves readers before ceasing operations entirely on 15/6. Photo: Thanh Tung

In such spaces, a book, perhaps forgotten on a bottom shelf with a low price, always had the chance to find its reader, creating fateful encounters between ideas and individuals that no other format could replicate. Bookstores thus held an essential role, similar to churches or public parks, or an open space for contemplation. In these places, one could measure the fluctuations and quiet yet decisive shifts in societal thought across historical periods.

Observing the deliberate arrangement of books on shelves offered unique insights, akin to reading a specific book. This presence became a mirror reflecting a comprehensive view of the past and offering predictions about future human thought. A keen observer, a journalist, or a cultural researcher, standing before these shelves, could immediately grasp the entire intellectual activity of Vietnamese society within a specific timeframe.

For instance, at one point, books on startups would surge, while at another, hardcover books would disappear. All these trends originated from the societal mood. This overall picture is now hard to see. A friend in the book industry lamented that to update on the "publishing situation," one must visit at least 10 to 15 fanpages or websites of individual entities. If a society has good bookstores, it is more likely to produce good songs and films. Books are a crucial source providing a concentrated spiritual reality, helping everyone grasp the breath and pulse of reality.

Following the pace of development, many bookstores on Dinh Le street in Ha Noi and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street in TP HCM have almost disappeared, especially old bookstores. Where have they gone? Or is there no longer a demand for buying and selling used books? The strong encroachment of e-commerce platforms—though still useful for disseminating books—is seen as contributing to the difficulties faced by bookstores, and to the loss of intuitive and sacred experiential moments. The convenience of discount codes and fast delivery services might fill personal bookshelves at home, but inadvertently affects the communal cultural space.

But is that entirely true? To find a deeper cause, one must reconsider how reading culture is promoted. A book contains many values beyond its content. Books prevent time from slipping away too quickly. Books calm people, and the world of books is as boundless as the real world. Books can also circulate from one hand to another, as writer Nguyen Tuan said, "expressing the soaring ambitions of a human life."

However, has the trend in promoting reading culture in recent years overemphasized its beneficial aspects? How to read "better," "deeper," and "more," leading reading to become a trend. If it is a trend, it will recede. People rarely consider the deep disappointment—which certainly always exists—if readers have read a lot but find nothing applicable, and reading is not as beneficial as advertised. Perhaps people have forgotten that true readers often love life outside books no less than life within books. And it is very rare for people to say that reading is a way to live a useful life.

Beyond traditional bookstores, book fairs have also lost their initial purpose, becoming places for publishing brands to clear inventory, further detaching books from their reason for existence and the value they should hold. The awe one feels entering a library, a bookstore, or a fair is like stepping into a garden. But the overwhelming feeling of entering the torrent of book advertisements on the internet is like a chaotic mess.

When the Hanoi Library changed its communication style and reading environment, it immediately became a beloved destination for young people. We should not forget that the younger generation in urban areas has fewer and fewer spaces of their own. Rental prices are more expensive. Cafes and bars are also more costly than before, and strangely, music is played very loudly everywhere. This is precisely the advantage that a reading spot (library, bookstore) can reclaim. There are still many independent bookstores with distinct personalities in the city, easily found in Google travel guides, such as Gac Xep, Bookworm Bookstore, Quoc Te Inbook Bookstore, Dong Tay bookstore chain, and Ba Tan Bookstore, a household business in TP HCM. These bookstores remain lively, though not as much as in previous times.

In a context where traditional spaces gradually shrink and lack the breath of life, the rise of independent bookstores and the persistence of models like those mentioned above still maintain hope. For as long as bookstores remain, the mirrors reflecting the urban landscape still remain.

The core factor enabling these models to maintain their performance and differentiate themselves is not eye-catching designs or trendy photo spots to attract young people—although initially, it might seem so—but a shift in focus to an unexpected core value: the booksellers.

Some bookstores refer to a bookseller as a librarian. This designation speaks volumes. Primarily, they are professional readers who have experienced the spirit of each book (both physically and intellectually) before they reach customers. They act as sophisticated and sensitive filters, helping readers escape the noise of the information sea and waves of books driven by fleeting tastes, which only have short-term consumption value.

If you have visited bookstores in Europe, or even closer, like Thailand or Singapore, the librarian is the most important figure in a bookstore. This is considered a profession trained in universities, like many others. The existence of librarians who are knowledgeable about content and capable of direct dialogue creates a strong counterpoint, a necessary dialogue, against the soulless and, as we know, often manipulative digital world.

They are the ones who keep the flame of "livresque" alive in the city, those willing to take the time to pick a forgotten book from a low shelf and patiently explain it to someone else. This is a core element for preserving book life sustainably, ensuring that reading culture is not stifled by price wars or the pressure of delivery speed. When a bookstore has librarians who read, love books, and consider reading a mission, that space automatically becomes an intellectual destination.

One image that traditional bookstores greatly lack, but some bookstores have managed to transform, is maintaining the precise experience of a bookstore. A bookstore is not a cafe, much less a convenience store or a children's play area. This means books are not, and should not be, a vehicle for selling coffee, like movies with popcorn. Even saying a bookstore is a "cultural space," while perhaps true, needs to be stated cautiously. A bookstore is a bookstore; it is nothing else.

A standard bookstore everywhere has at least basic bookshelves, featuring Dante, Cervantes, and Balzac, along with systematically updated new books, ensuring readers can easily follow its guidance before wanting to serve them better through other activities. Readers come to a bookstore to find like-minded individuals, not people playing games on their phones at a coffee table. When this basic principle is violated, its collapse will go further than imagined. Most remaining and beloved bookstores are foreign language books (as foreign books still have an advantage in terms of comprehensiveness and being up-to-date), and they fully optimize and focus on their reason for being and their services.

The closure of some old, iconic bookstores brings much regret and nostalgia, but it can be seen as a necessary purification to re-identify the true value of a bookstore in the modern city. Future bookstores cannot survive merely by selling paper and ink or simply being combined with a general store that sells words. When bookstores transform into cultural coordination centers, where librarians—pioneering readers—become enthusiastic advisors for knowledge and soul, then bookstores will regain their position in the hearts of readers.

Duc Anh