Pre-orders still lack books
Ms. Vu Thi Lan - living in Tan Son Nhat ward, doing business at Nguyen Du bookstore on 121 Banh Van Tran street, Ho Chi Minh City - fell into a situation where she had to constantly apologize to customers for not having enough textbooks, and also find books for her relatives herself. Many customers have booked in advance for many days, but by the time students return to school, the store still cannot fully meet the demand.
“For a whole week now, customers keep asking for books, I have scheduled week after week but the goods have not returned in full. When customers return, some people have to go very far to buy but in the end still do not have enough books” - Ms. Lan shared.
According to Ms. Lan, in recent days, the number of people looking to buy books has increased sharply. The number of books customers have pre-ordered has reached dozens of sets, including textbooks and notebooks for many grades.
Not only customers encounter difficulties, but bookshop owners also have to find and buy books for their relatives themselves. "If customers order and I don't have them, it's very awkward, because after receiving the money, I don't have goods to deliver. In the end, I have to go and buy books for the children in the house first," Ms. Lan said.
It is known that in previous years, book imports were carried out in batches with large quantities. However, this year, switching to new books has made it difficult for the store to balance the source of goods. Old books are still in stock, while some new book titles are not enough to sell.
Parents running 5-6 places still find it difficult to get enough of a set of books
Recorded on August 20 at the Education Publishing House in Ho Chi Minh City (231 Nguyen Van Cu), despite the rain, the line of people was still waiting. Some people had to go to 5-6 places to gather enough a set of books for their children.
Ms. Vo Thi Hien - living in Vuon Lai ward - said that to buy enough books for her children, she has to go to many places such as Nguyen Van Cu bookstore, Nguyen Tri Phuong and Education Publishing House.
Today, I have to go to many places to buy books for my children after listening to acquaintances' introductions. Every year, I buy books quite comfortably, almost no shortage. This year, my child is a 3rd grade student and is facing a shortage of books" - Ms. Hien said.
According to a representative of the Education Publishing House in Ho Chi Minh City, in the past 10 days, the number of people flocking has increased tenfold compared to normal days. Each day, about 5 tons of books, equivalent to 25,000 copies, are imported but still not enough to serve people's needs.
According to the Vietnam Education Publishing House, recently, due to the psychology of waiting for the free textbook policy, some schools and students have not registered or pre-ordered books and school equipment companies in the locality. This has led to the fact that in the days leading up to the new school year, a large number of parents and students are flocking to buy books at retail stores.
Due to the sudden increase in demand in a short time, there has been a shortage of some book titles, not enough for a complete set.
As soon as registration is received, bookstore - educational equipment stores under the Vietnam Education Publishing House system and local school book - equipment companies will prepare and supply full textbooks and homework books for all subjects and levels of education" - Vietnam Education Publishing House affirmed.
