Saigon libraries
From: Saara Leppanen <saara.t.leppanen@helsinki.fi>
Date: Sep 7, 2006 7:46 AM
Subject: [Vsg] Saigon libraries
Dear list members,
I just arrived to Saigon, and I would like to ask if you have information
on whether there are any libraries in the city where I could find books in
English. I am doing a research on Caodai religion for my master's thesis
(anthropology), so my main interest would be religious life. I study at the
University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Dinh Tien Hoang street,
with their libraries I am already familiar with.
Any piece of advice is welcome! Thank you for your help!
With friendly regards,
Saara Leppanen
From: Le Dong Phuong <phuong@fpt.vn>
Date: Sep 7, 2006 3:52 PM
Subject: RE: [Vsg] Saigon libraries
Why don't you check with the Thu vien khoa hoc thanh pho. Vien Kinh te TP
HCM is also an adress you could go to. Dai hoc su pham in District 5 has
also a good library.
From: v s <verneyseb1@yahoo.fr>
Date: Sep 7, 2006 5:43 PM
Subject: [Vsg] Saigon librairies
Hello saara,
You search librairies in Saigon ? You have the choice :
The National Librairies (69 Ly Tu Truong)
The Science and social Libairie (same street)
(Do you see university's librairie where you learn the vietnamese ? Thu vien Truong Dai hoc xa hoi : the first floor ?)
The bookstore : Le Loi, Dong Khoi Street (Faasa)...
How long you stay in saigon ?
Bye;
Seb.V
And you can find many books in the smal librairies (message on the VSJ by George Dutton, thanks George !)
Tiem Sach - 20 Ho Huan Nghiep (between Dong Khoi and Hai Ba Trung)A large selection with lots of French-era stuff including scholarly reprints. I believe prices are mostly listed in US$, meaning that things are fairly expensive. I was able to bargain for a few books that were parts of an incomplete set. The books are neatly shelved and titles are easy to see.
Eden Bookshop (in a warren of shops in the tunnel (called Passage Eden) that runs through the middle of the complex bounded by Le Loi, Nguyen Hue, Dong Khoi and Le Thanh Ton: can enter from either Dong Khoi or Nguyen Hue (by the park in front of the City Hall)A good selection in a cramped setting. I had to shift books around a lot to view titles. Good selection of older Vietnamese titles and some French-era and English-language books. Prices are fixed and also on the expensive side.Cua Hang Sach 176 - 176 Nguyen Chi Thanh (843-6707) (between Su Van Hanh and Nguyen Duy Duong, on north side of the road)Small selection of materials, but very reasonably priced. Not much lit and history (2 small shelves), the rest being more recent local and translated fiction, section for sciences and medicines.
Quay Sach - 110A Nguyen Chi Thanh (839-0603)A great place with a large selection of lit, reference and historical titles, but in a rather chaotic setting. The prices are reasonable, though fixed (as at most places), and the staff get out of your way to let you browse.(No name)
- 103 Nguyen Chi Thanh (on south side of street, between Nguyen Duy Duong and Nguyen Tri Phuong)A small selection, including a few older historical titles, incl. eg. Minh Menh Chinh Yeu(?), and the prices are rather on the high side and the proprieter showed no interest in bargaining.(no name) - small shop almost directly across from the one above on Nguyen Chi ThanhSmall selection, though very neatly arranged. Minimal materials relating to history and literature and staff seemed very uninterested in assisting me. I found nothing interesting here, but perhaps for someone interested in non-history/lit. titles it might have something.
Hieu Sach Cu - 204 Vo Thi Sau (between Tran Quoc Thao and Le Quy Don)A small place, but with a wall of older literature and history materials where I found a few worthwhile titles. Here the prices were not fixed, but the proprietor was helpful and priced the books very fairly. He was also the person who put me on the track of all the used bookstores on Nguyen Chi Thanh.
Nha Sach 28 Dong Khoi - 28 Dong Khoi (between Ho Huan Nghiep and Nguyen Du) A fairly good selection, including especially a lot of older French-era materials and a fair amount of older English-language material related to Vietnam as well as other topics. The more valuable books are kept in glass cases. The prices are quite high - eg. a copy of a very worm-eaten 1980s book on village names had a fixed price of 150,000D (I later bought the same book, in the same condition for 1/3 of that price.)
From: Joe Hannah <jhannah@u.washington.edu>
Date: Sep 7, 2006 8:58 PM
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Saigon librairies
Getting access to these libraries is not always straight forward. To get access to teh Social Sciences Library I needed a letter of introcuction from my sponsoring institution stating the reason, duration, etc. I would suggest you discuss this problem with and ask for the appropriate letters from) the Office of International Relations and Research Affairs at USSH -- they were helpful to me.
Joe Hannah