A book festival on gender equality, the first of its kind, was officially launched in Hanoi with dozens of exciting and creative activities.

Book festival launched in Hanoi from Mar 4 to Mar 11. Photos: UN Women Vietnam

With the name "Vut Bay" – Read and Rise, the week-long event starting from March 4th to March 11th at the Vietnamese Women's Museum.

The book festival brings together works that honor the diversity and equality conveyed throughout history and towards the future. The event also discusses new trends in books and reading culture in recent years such as feminism, empowerment, e-books, audiobooks, sexuality education, among others.

This is an event to celebrate International Women's Day with the global theme "DigitALL: Innovation and Technology in Promoting Gender Equality", organized by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), with financial support from the Australian Government, and the collaborating agencies include Vietnamese Women's Museum, Eduforlife - the “Sach Oi, Mo Ra" (Open, Dear Books) project and the Center for Training, Science and Technology Transfer (PowerAlive).

The Vút Bay – Read and Rise BookFest attracts readers of all ages with its interactive display “Is it WEIRD or WONDERFUL?” about discovering oneself and the world around that individual. In addition, there were two talk shows with the participation of well-known authors, speakers, and experts from UN Women Vietnam. One named "Break The Mold, Create The New: Books and Gender equality in the Digital Age" is for the youth and the interested audience while the other "Is it WEIRD or WONDERFUL? – Sexuality, Reproductive Health and Gender Equality Education Start at Home” is for parents, teachers and interested audiences.

The event attracts a large number of visitors.

Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Country Representative of UN Women Vietnam believed that the book festival aims not only to promote gender equality in literature but also to serve as a platform for future generations to have access to diverse works. It helps break down barriers and social conceptions that prevent women, men, boys, girls and other genders from enjoying and realizing their full potentials and abilities.

“Gender equality is not only visible in books but also a very real story that happens to each of us,” she noted.

On this occasion, UN Women Vietnam also launched the Vietnamese version of the RESPECT Framework Toolkit (RESPECT FOR WOMEN). RESPECT stands for Capacity Building Framework to prevent violence against women according to the global theoretical and practical framework “Respect for Women” of UN Women.

Other meaningful and exciting activities besides the interactive exhibition include “BOOK and US” playground for children facilitated by Room to Read Vietnam, WildAct and “Sach Oi, Mo Ra” (Open, Dear Books), Used books exchange Mini-fair “Sach Oi, Mo Ra” (Open, Dear Books) and Book donation for orphaned children who lost their parents to Covid-19.

Children come to the book festival.

Publishers and distribution companies participating in the festival also committed to deduct 20% of revenue from book sales to support the Peace House Shelter Vietnam, a shelter for abused women to temporarily stay in order to settle down and reintegrate into their lives.

The Vút Bay Book Festival - Read and Rise BookFest 2023 is organized with the cooperation of Room to Read Vietnam, WildAct Vietnam Center for Wildlife Action, Kim Dong Publishing House, Women’s Publishing House, Youth Publishing House, Crabit Kidbooks, Tan Viet Books, Nha Nam Culture and Communication Joint Stock Company, To He Social Enterprise and SpeedReading Vietnam.