Researcher Nguyen Dinh Tu experiences Nguyen An Ninh Digital Library Space at Ho Chi Minh City Book Street. (Photo: Vu Huong)

The Nguyen An Ninh Digital Library, focused on the southern region of Vietnam, serves as an open archive of digitized documents and data, offering valuable resources for readers and researchers interested in studying the history and people of the southern land.

It also acts as a platform for exchanging ideas, fostering a spirit of liberal education, and encouraging lifelong learning and research.

Quach Thu Nguyet, Chairwoman of the Management Board of the Hoa Sen Fund, which oversees the library, said: “We hope to create a digital data center where all documents related to the southern region can be accessed. It serves not only people within Vietnam but also for overseas Vietnamese and their descendants, helping them understand the history, geography, and culture of the southern region.”

The space to experience the Nguyen An Ninh Digital Library also displays miniatures of the southern landscape and culture. (photo: Vu Huong)

Launched by a non-profit organization last September, the library is one of Ho Chi Minh City’s digitalization projects. In just one year, it has become a shared asset for the book-loving community.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Tho, a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education and a volunteer at the library, said that the books show cultural and historical connections and thereby connect with young readers: "Although I’ve lived in Ho Chi Minh City for 20 years, I realized I didn’t know much about the history and culture of the south. Volunteering here has given me access to valuable knowledge I had never encountered before."

At Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, the library also showcases exhibitions of renowned old books and displays miniatures of southern culture, such as the Buffalo Boy and The Floating Lives.