An old book town in a modern city
October 1st: The sun turned out late that evening. The cars and scooters were still rushing to avoid the unusual scorching heat of the fall. Only the Old Book Town was left. Tranquil. Separate from the bustle and living in its own poetic world.
The paradise of affordable books
There a street called Tran Nhan Ton Street where old books are sold in District 5, Saigon. It is called “Old Book Town” because it used to be a large area that sold books. The street is quite small and hard to find. Those who are not familiar with Saigon’s streets will very easily to get lost. It’s known as a town of books, but books are not the only thing sold here. There are cafes, grocery stores and residences, which make the “town” a lot more colorful.
It’s lovely to just slowly saunter down the sidewalk and take a look at all the bookstores built in close proximity to one another. Although near the city center, the houses here are not very spacious. The walls and the roofs have been aged by time. This kind of simplicity is somehow contrary to the modernity of Saigon.
There are a variety of books here. They are often put in piles. Sometimes the shop-owners line them on the sidewalk. Most of the books are used books or very old ones that are hard to find nowadays. Customers can come here and get whatever genre they want, from textbooks and reference books to comics that created childhood memories.
People have flocked to sell books on this street since the 1990s. At that time, there were not many bookstores. Mostly there were just small stalls or carts selling books along the way. And then just like that Tran Nhan Ton Street earned the name “Old book town.”
The “town” that is raised by love
I walked into a random store that caught my attention. The owner is a lady with a very bright smile. Her name is Tien Lanh. She has a giant world of books that every reader would dream of.
The smell of wood emanating from the tall stacks of books was just so sweet and fascinating. There is an article that says that the smell of old books is always preferred to new ones because it evokes remembrance and emotion. Perhaps so, for more than a decade, this Old book town still attracts a certain number of visitors, despite the appearance of other new and modern bookstores in the city.
All the books are sold at low prices, mostly around tens of thousands of dong. But rare books are a little more expensive
“People came here to sell books that are not used anymore. So I bought them back. For the rare books, I have to collect from many sources. You know what, selling used books is really joyful. Sometimes behind the book, there are interesting stories about its former owner” — Ms. Tien Lanh, a shop-owner, said.
The main customers at Old Book Town are students and ordinary workers. Tuan Duong, a student of Polytechnic University, shared: “Since I knew this place, I often come here to buy books. All are good and the prices are cheap. English learning books are often quite expensive, so I prefer to buy second-hand ones to save money.” Some people come here to buy books. Some just come to read their favorite works as a way to recall memories.
People sell books not only to make ends meet but also to fulfill the love for them and the close attachment to this land. Mr. Nghia, a another young shop-owner, has grown up from the passion for books and this “town.” He is now a bookseller in his own family store.
“My store is nearly 23 years old. It is passed from my father’s generation. The importance is that this is a family-owned store. So I don’t want to move anywhere else even the profit I earn is not that much. I’m here because I love it, and I want to,” Mr. Nghia said.
After that, he pointed to the bookstore two houses away and introduced that as his brother’s bookstore. “Every member in my family is attached to this kind of job and love,” he said.
The booksellers are usually not from Saigon. Most of them come from different places. They went to this “promising city” to start a life. Gradually, the affection for Saigon and this street of books has become rooted and firmly attached to their souls.
A peaceful side of Saigon
Today, selling used books is not an easy job to make a living at. People only need a few clicks or a little typing on the computer to read a good book. However, those words on the screen can never give people the feeling of excitement that real pages do.
Old Book Town has also undergone many changes. The booksellers start buying new books to suit the tastes of readers, rather than just selling used books as before. However, the books are also cheaper than in other places.
Books are everywhere, and can be sold by anyone. But not everyone can do it with a kind and caring heart like the people in this “town.”
