Textbook shortages force Vietnamese parents into hours-long queues, bookstore-hopping

On Wednesday, many parents arrived at a Vietnam Education Publishing House sales outlet in Ho Chi Minh City as early as 4:00 am to buy textbooks for their children.

Parents line up before dawn for textbooks

Huyen Trang, from An Hoi Tay Ward, arrived at the Vietnam Education Publishing House outlet at 4:00 am with a list of ninth-grade textbooks her child was still missing.

Trang said she and her husband had visited numerous bookstores since the weekend but had been unable to complete the set. After friends told them the publishing house's outlet had the books in stock, they decided to arrive early and queue.

"For days, I have visited nearly 10 bookstores in the area, and they all told me the books were out of stock.

Friends told me to go straight to the Vietnam Education Publishing House outlet because they were sure the books were available, so I had to take time off work and come here before dawn to get a place in line.”

"My husband and I barely slept because we were afraid that if we arrived late, we would not be able to buy the books for our child. My child is in the final year of secondary school, so we are very worried," Trang said.

Similarly, Tran Van Hung, from Bay Hien Ward, said he began queuing at 5:00 am to buy textbooks. He needed three sets but could purchase only two, so he had to return and queue again.

Many parents from the former Binh Duong area and Dong Nai City also arrived at the publishing house's outlet early in the morning, hoping to buy enough books for their children.

Parents said they had visited numerous bookstores without finding complete sets. Some stores had only second-semester books left, while first-semester titles were already out of stock.

Some parents said they had registered to buy textbooks through their children's schools at the end of the previous school year.

However, the schools later told parents to buy the books themselves and said they would reimburse them, leaving many families struggling to find books.

In Hanoi, some parents have also reported being unable to buy workbooks for their children.

"Parents searched everywhere but could not find them, so eventually they encouraged each other to download the PDFs online and print them for their children. However, printing shops refused to print them in color for fear of copyright violations and would only print them in black and white," Hai said.

Parents struggle to find books in Can Tho, Da Nang, Dak Lak

On Wednesday evening, Xuan Truong, from Can Tho City in southern Vietnam, said his son had been in Grade 11 for three days but was still missing several books, including literature, history, mathematics, physics and chemistry.

Before the school year began, Truong repeatedly searched for the books at bookstores but could not complete the set. On September 4, he visited bookstores three times but still could not find the titles he needed.

"Every day after work, I stop by to ask, but the staff said they did not know when the books would arrive. I am really tired and do not understand why there is such a shortage," Truong said.

That afternoon, despite the rain, Khanh Ngoc in Can Tho City visited a bookstore on Hung Vuong Street, looking for a Grade 1 mathematics textbook for her child, only to be told that it was not yet in stock.

The bookstore staff recorded her phone number and said they would call when the book arrived.

"I hope the book arrives soon so my child can study without difficulty," Ngoc said.

In Da Nang, many parents are also struggling to find textbooks.

Truong Lieu, whose child is in Grade 6, said he had visited seven bookstores but still could not find the required music textbook.

A bookstore representative said books from the Vietnam Education Publishing House were being delivered in several batches, but many books remained unavailable, making it difficult for parents to buy complete sets at a single store.

The Vietnam Education Publishing House's Da Nang branch had not responded to Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper's inquiries.

In Dak Lak Province in the Central Highlands region, many parents have also been unable to buy complete textbook sets.

Some students are missing several books, prompting parents to ask teachers to help find them from different sources, but some titles remain unavailable.

N.T.N., from Tan Lap Ward, said her family had prepared textbooks in advance but was still missing several titles. Other parents have asked acquaintances to find books, borrowed them or sought alternative sources.

Pham Van Sinh, principal of Le Duan High School, said some students were still missing books for elective subjects. While waiting for additional supplies, the school plans to let students use digital versions, while teachers may guide them in photocopying materials needed for exercises.

Publishing house faces questions over supply shortages

Tuoi Tre repeatedly contacted representatives of the Vietnam Education Publishing House in Ho Chi Minh City about textbook supplies but received no response.

Earlier, on September 6, the publishing house said it had distributed 228 million textbooks and 84 million workbooks and supplementary books as of September 3, with textbook supplies reaching more than 150 percent of the initial order volume.

It said all schools in remote, border and island areas, as well as 108 inter-level boarding schools in border communes, had received sufficient textbook supplies.

The publishing house also said it planned to print an additional 17 million textbooks and workbooks in September and prepare reserve supplies in case of natural disasters, including storms and floods.