The book market is booming.

(Baonghean) - The new school year is still more than a month away, but the market for textbooks, reference books, and school supplies has already started to become vibrant…

The Book Distribution Center of the Joint Stock Company for Books and School Equipment is the most popular place for people to buy books in Vinh City. To meet this demand, from May 10th to June 10th, the Joint Stock Company organized a summer sale with many promotions and discounts. Following that, from July 10th to August 10th, a book distribution month for the new school year continued. During this period, all items were discounted by 10-15%. Other eligible students, such as those who have won international and national awards, outstanding students, and advanced students, received discounts of 12-15% on textbooks.

This year, Ms. Tran Thi Hai's child is entering third grade. Although she lives in Hung Linh commune, Hung Nguyen district, she still takes her child to Vinh to buy books. For her, this is partly a habit and partly because she feels reassured buying from an authorized dealer, eliminating the worry of counterfeit or low-quality books. This school year, the third-grade textbooks haven't changed much compared to previous years, so choosing books isn't too difficult. However, she faces difficulties choosing English books because in Vinh City, starting from the 2014-2015 school year, all schools will switch to teaching English using a new curriculum, while in Hung Nguyen, many schools still teach using the old Let's Learn program.

Unsure about her child's school curriculum, she had to call the homeroom teacher to double-check the information to avoid buying the wrong books that didn't match the program. Regarding this year's textbook market, Ms. Ho Thuy Hang, an employee at a bookstore, said: Except for the English curriculum for grade 3, which has changed and requires parents to buy new books, textbooks for all other grades remain the same. Prices this year are also not higher than last year. On average, a set of textbooks from primary to high school ranges from about 150,000 to 200,000 VND. Besides buying new books, students can also save money by buying used books. Currently, many used textbooks are available at prices only about 1/3 or 1/2 the price of new books (depending on the condition of the books). At the bookstore, there is also a separate section selling used books with nearly 6,000 titles for all grade levels.

Parents buy books at the Bookstore of the Joint Stock Company for Books and School Equipment.

Currently, the Joint Stock Company for School Books and Equipment has 45 retail outlets in 21 districts, cities, and towns throughout the province. Nearly 800,000 textbooks have been delivered to all localities through channels such as education departments, distributors, and retail stores. Ms. Mai Thi Bich Thuy, Deputy Director of the company, affirmed: “Textbooks for the 2014-2015 school year are sufficient to meet all the needs of the people, ensuring there will be no shortage, price surges, or complete lack of books.” Also, in accordance with the policy of the Ministry of Education and Training, this year, various types of books such as textbooks, workbooks, continuing education books, targeted program books, English books under the national foreign language program, educational technology books, life skills education books, etc., have been reprinted and are being used normally.

In addition, there are some revised editions of textbooks, such as Math and Vietnamese workbooks for grades 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5; English textbook and workbook for grade 3; and Biology, History, Geography, Music, Art, and Civic Education workbooks for grades 6, 7, 8, and 9. However, the revisions are not extensive, and students can still use the old textbooks. For a long time, counterfeit or pirated textbooks have rarely been found in the textbook market in Nghe An. Nevertheless, parents should remain vigilant and choose textbooks with the Education Publishing House's stamp, purchasing them from reputable sources.

Along with textbooks, the market for reference books is also very vibrant. However, according to many parents, there are currently too many reference books, making it difficult to find a suitable one for their children. For example, in grade 3, the Education Publishing House alone has nearly 20 different math reference books. That's not including books from other publishers, many of which have the same content. Speaking with high school students, Huynh Thi Thuy Duong, a 12th-grade student at Cua Lo High School, said: "Previously, when buying reference books, I didn't read carefully, so many books I bought had duplicate content. It could be the same book, the same content, from the same publisher, but printed in different years, resulting in different covers. Or, in some cases, books from one publisher are copied by another, with a little bit mixed in. If you don't check carefully, it's a waste of money." Furthermore, not to mention the numerous reference books with poor, even inaccurate, offensive content that goes against Vietnamese customs and traditions.

To avoid buying low-quality books, student Huynh Thi Thuy Duong advises that when buying books, one should read them very carefully. It's advisable to buy books from reputable publishers such as the Education Publishing House, university publishers, or books by author's name. For those preparing for the university entrance exam (Group A), focus on books with multiple-choice questions. For elementary school students, parents should consult with teachers or parents whose children have studied the subject. It's best to buy reference books or advanced books that match the child's abilities and academic level. Avoid books that are too difficult or those that stimulate intellectual development, rather than ready-made answer books or sample books that can easily foster reliance on the information provided.

My Ha