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Dinh Lê Street, today reduced to a few second-hand bookstores, nevertheless remains a favorite meeting place for book lovers in Hanoi. The booksellers who operate there are an integral part of the city’s memory, not only as traders, but also as keepers of knowledge, playing a key role as mediators between authors and readers.
| The Mão bookstore is very famous in Hanoi. |
| Photo : ST/CVN |
Located on the first floor of a collective building at number 5 of this street, the Mão bookstore, with its five shelves of books and an area of approximately 200 m², was founded more than 30 years ago by Phạm Thị Mão and her husband, Lê Luy. Designed in a classic French architectural style, this bookstore is a place where readers can wander all day in search of the book they want or, simply, find a quiet corner to savor their readings. Ngọc Anh is the daughter of Phạm Thị Mão. “Our bookstore was created thanks to the love of books of my mother, Phạm Thị Mão, who was a true specialist. The works she selected are very popular with readers. Antiquarian book bidders also come to us to search for rare books. We are very proud of it“, she confides.
Paper books, and especially second-hand books, have a special value that digital books cannot offer. Upon entering a used bookstore, the reader is often immediately captivated. Not just by the smell of the paper, but also by the stories told through each page, the thoughts and emotions that the author conveyed through his words.
The stories unfold slowly, page by page, like a diary, bringing back precious memories and moments to many readers, fascinating entire generations. In particular, as Ngọc Anh points out, some rare books can only be found in these used bookstores. “Old books have a unique value. Their price is affordable, and the translations are often more faithful than those produced with artificial intelligence tools today. Old books also have a particularity: the smell of paper. In our bookstore, we have loyal customers who come regularly. In such a space, people have time to meditate on each word, each sentence.“, she points out.
| On Lang Street, a second-hand bookstore displays thousands of various books. |
| Photo : ST/CVN |
On Lang Street, second-hand bookstores open their doors every morning at 8 a.m. Although the space is often cramped, it is full of thousands of different titles. Textbooks occupy a large part of the shelves, followed by reference books, novels and stories. Some passages are so narrow that it is difficult for two people to pass at the same time, but this does not seem to bother any of the visitors. Each reader has their own reasons for frequenting these bookstores. Some people look for rare books that they can’t find anywhere else. Others come to smell the particular smell of old books, imbued with the scent of time.
“As a great lover of books, I come to second-hand bookstores about three times a month. I especially like to look for works on Vietnamese literature. By coming here, I find not only books, but also the peace of soul I like to slowly turn each page, feeling the memory of ancient times.said a young person.
“I come here to find works by the writer Nguyễn Nhật Ánh published a long time ago, books that have taken the mark of time. These first prints are rare and bear the mark of the author’s initial style. I want to find books that are no longer in circulation today”said another.
“I’m particularly drawn to old comic books. The atmosphere here is calm and silent, everyone concentrates on reading”shares an avid reader.
Not only Hanoi residents, but also many foreign tourists are attracted to these second-hand bookstores to enjoy a moment of calm and serenity amidst the hustle and bustle of city life. “I really like books, and I really like the atmosphere of second-hand bookstores. I hope to be able to buy some books here“, said an English-speaking woman.
Although discreet, these second-hand bookstores hide an inestimable cultural wealth. Their existence in Hanoi proves that ancient books remain a cultural horizon and an ocean of knowledge that many seek to discover. Even as time passes and Hanoi evolves, these bookstores will always remain an essential part of the city for all book lovers.
VOV/VNA/CVN
