According to the report of HCMC Department of Information and Communications, 03 publishing houses, from beginning of 2016, under the city have published over 2,300 book titles with 7 million copies, 04 publishing houses under universities have published 850 book titles with 2, 6 million copies.

There are now 820 establishments engaging in packaging, label printing in HCMC. Printing sector has achieved a growth rate of 7%-10% compared to the same period of last year. Till June 2016, 48

Till September 2016, there are 48 publishing units registered for operation. Large publishing companies in the city are now playing the key role in publishing activities of the city such as FAHASA with 85 book-stores nationwide. Department of Information and Communications has coordinated with relevant units to launch Nguyen Van Binh Book Street, Binh Than Lunar New Year 2016 Book Festival, HCMC Book Festival 2016, etc. These activities have made a focal point to improve the reading culture for local citizens.

A representative of HCMC Printing Association proposed to remove administrative procedures related to label printing and packaging activities, saying that printing and exporting activities of foreign printing companies in the city are unbound by administrative procedures as domestic companies, this causes lots of difficulty for domestic printing companies. 

It is a proposal of HCMC Printing Association that HCMC People’s Committee considers printing industry as a support industry that needs to be given priorities for development, the city should create favorable conditions for printing companies to access to preferential loans of the city to renew technology and to approach global supply chain.

In addition, HCMC should create a clean land fund for constructing printing industry park, allocating funds for scientific research on printing industry, establishing training center for printing technology.

A representative of publishing house suggested that the city needs to improve the awareness of reading culture for local citizens, making it a cultural characteristic of the city, launching Kids’ Book Awards, promoting literature books and scientific and technical books, strengthening exchanging activities with publishing houses, opening concentrated book super markets to serve reading demands of local citizens.

In his closing speech, Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong highly valued printing-publishing activities in the first 10 months of 2016. According to Mr. Phong, economic growth must be accompanied by culture development, including reading culture. The city’s common support programs include support for printing-publishing enterprises. Mr. Phong agreed with proposals of FAHASA to build modern book center in Nguyen Hue Street and a printing industrial park in Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park. He assigned related departments of the city the job of dealing with these proposals.

HCM CITYWEB