Book introduction contest - spreading love for books among students

The book introduction contest is an event within the Humanities Book Festival 2015 – USSH BOOK FESTIVAL 2015 (UBF 2015). This is the first time the program has been held at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. This year, the program is organized by the Union ofHi, the Union - Faculty of Information and Library Association and the Book and Media Club hosted the event and were officially sponsored by Nha Nam Culture and Media Company.

The contest was attended by Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thi Quy (Former Head of the Faculty of Information and Library), Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Duy Hiep (Faculty of Literature), MSc. Pham Tien Toan (Deputy Head of the Faculty of Information and Library), Mr. Tran Bach Hieu (Secretary of the School Youth Union), and Mr. Tran Duc Hoa (Vice President of the School Student Association).

The 2015 Humanities Book Fair is organized to create a playground for students who love reading and spread that love of reading to the student community of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Speaking at the contest, comrade Tran Bach Hieu affirmed the importance of reading and hoped that the Humanities Book Fair would become a traditional festival on reading culture of the University: “Through this event, we hope to spread the love of reading to all students in the school. With the characteristics of a university researching social sciences, books and reading culture are indispensable. Not only does it help students in their studies, but it also supports their future work. In addition, the success of the “Humanities Book Fair” will create a good premise for organizing this activity annually, making UBF a traditional festival on reading culture of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

After nearly a month of launching and going through two rounds of “Book Review Writing Contest” and “Film Adaptation Screening Week”, the Organizing Committee has selected the 6 best teams to enter the final round, including: Lavender team – Faculty of Literature; Book Thieves team – Faculty of Vietnamese Studies & Language; Shades of Philosophy team – Faculty of Philosophy; Youth team – Faculty of Linguistics; International Youth team – Faculty of International Studies and Management Science team.

In the final night, each team was given a choice of a book and a presentation about it. The Shades of Philosophy team (Philosophy Department) addressed the issue of homosexuality through the book “Mom, I’m gay”. They clearly expressed their point of view: “Everywhere in the world, regardless of country, ethnicity, or religion, homosexuality still exists whether society recognizes it or not. Through the book, my friends and I can learn about events about homosexuals in the world and the struggle of the homosexual community in the world”.

The International Youth Team (Faculty of International Studies) created a very emotional presentation script about the book "Blue Lotus" by author Son Tung, about the family and life of President Ho Chi Minh.

After 6 rounds of competition by 6 teams, the Lavender team (Faculty of Literature) won first prize and the inspirational prize; second prize and the audience's choice prize went to the Youth team (Faculty of Linguistics); third prize and the impressive writer prize went to the Shades of Philosophy team; the box office smash prize went to the Management Science team.

Winning first prize, Pham Thi Nhung (K57 Literature Pedagogy) said: “I feel very happy and excited to win first prize in the contest. There were times when we felt stuck in coming up with ideas, but with our love for books, we were able to go all the way with the contest. This program is really necessary for all students. Students today are considered lazy readers, so I hope that through this program, we will increase the love of books and reading culture among students, especially students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. I also hope that students will actively participate in clubs such as the Book and Media Club”.

This is the first time the program "Humanities Book Fair - UBF 2015" has been organized, but the program has resonated among students, connecting the passion for reading, collecting books and most of all, changing the reading culture among students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. As the head of the Organizing Committee, comrade Tran Duc Hoa said: "The event has somewhat impacted the students, although the number of audiences is not as large as expected, we will consider other forms of organization to expand the program, with more students participating. In the future, we hope to organize the program on a scale between schools. In addition to encouraging people to read books, the program will also help promote the image of units, faculties, and clubs in the school".