by Tao Jun, Bui Long

HANOI, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese students flocked to a conference hall at the Hanoi University of Culture here on Tuesday to attend the Vietnam-China Book Reading Festive Day.

On the sidelines of the colorful book-related fiesta, many Vietnamese students, lecturers and educators told Xinhua that they love reading books, including those by late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh, late Chinese leader Mao Zedong and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"Because I am studying Chinese, I read a lot of Chinese books, including Xi Jinping: The Governance of China. I'm deeply impressed by his Belt and Road Initiative," Dinh Thi Luong, a bright-eyed third-year student at the Hanoi-based Dai Nam University, told Xinhua.

Besides books by Chinese leaders, Luong also likes reading Chinese romance novels. "Among romance novels I have read recently, I love San Sheng San Shi Shi Li Tao Hua (Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms). It has been made into TV series and a feature film," she said.

Luong said after graduation, she wants to work as a Chinese interpreter, while seeking opportunities to further study Chinese in Beijing.

Like Luong, Tran Thi Thanh Liem, vice dean of the Language and Culture Studies Department of Dai Nam University, is fond of reading books by Chinese and Vietnamese top leaders.

"Their books are bags of wisdom, containing many profound philosophies, lessons, proverbs and even poems," the sharp-minded woman said, comparing reading good books with standing on the shoulders of giants to see further.

"Both late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh and late Chinese leader Mao Zedong were true visionaries and wrote good poems. Uncle Ho said, for the sake of 10 years, we should plants trees; for the sake of 100 years, we should cultivate people. Mao Zedong pointed out the importance of thoughts. I am deeply impressed by their maxims," Liem said.

With the right way of thinking, a clear vision and an optimistic spirit, there is nothing people cannot do, she said.

The vice dean said after reading Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, she further realized that he is the very person who leads the Chinese people. "His profound ideas are useful not only for China but also for other countries, including Vietnam," she stated.

Liem said that she has written, compiled and translated over 50 books, including textbooks for Vietnamese learners of Chinese, Chinese-Vietnamese dictionaries, history books, and novels, and that she is compiling her fifth textbook for Vietnamese learners of Chinese based on a textbook published by Peking University Press.

"Three months ago, I visited Peking University and Beijing Language and Culture University. I saw a lot of good Chinese books there. I want to translate them, including books by Chinese leaders, into Vietnamese," Liem said, adding that she hoped Vietnamese and Chinese entities will give a big helping hand to translators and lecturers like her to further disseminate good thoughts.

Not only Vietnamese adults, but also local teenagers are interested in Chinese books and movies.

Nguyen Thien Ngan, in the seventh grade at the Vietnam-Algeria Junior High School in Hanoi, said that besides history books, she has read Chinese classic novels, including Sanguo Yanyi (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) and Xi You Ji (Journey to the West).

Addressing the first Vietnam-China Book Reading Festive Day on Tuesday, Tran Nhat Hoang, vice director of the International Cooperation Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said both Vietnam and China attach importance to the book reading culture, while the Internet and social networks are garnering more and more attention of young people.

Hoang said the festive day is very meaningful and should be held annually, not only in Hanoi but also in other localities.

According to him, youth and knowledge are the foundation for more friendly and cooperative ties between Vietnam and China.

Also addressing the festive day, Peng Shituan, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, said normally, reading books is personal, but such events as Vietnam-China book reading days and exchange programs have received due attention and strong support of the governments, and contributed to the closer friendship and solidarity between the two countries and the two peoples, especially their youths.

The festival, under a cultural exchange program, was supported by the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, and implemented by China's Guangxi Normal University for Nationalities and Vietnam's Dai Nam University and Hanoi University of Culture.