October 21, 2025
HANOI – The third Japanese picture book week opens today at the Cultural Information Centre of the Japanese Embassy, aiming to promote reading among children from an early age.
This year’s theme, Nurturing Nature Love, showcases more than 100 ehon (picture) books in Japanese and Vietnamese.
“The future is an open book,” said Lê Thu Hiền, founder of the Bắc Cầu Fund, which organises the event. “This saying still holds true in the 4.0 era. I believe that happy children will make a happy and prosperous country. We should join hands to bring beautiful pages to our children.”
The week has become an annual event, featuring a series of ehon book introductions and reading activities for children and parents.
“We are joyful to host the week at the embassy,” said Ogasawara Manabu, Third Secretary at the embassy, at the opening. “The ehon book experience will open up a new and fascinating world, nurturing children’s already vivid imaginations.”
Originally, ehon were paintings created as woodblock prints during the Edo and Meiji periods. Today, the term encompasses picture books with stories designed to enchant children.
Ehon books have become increasingly familiar to Vietnamese children thanks to the Bắc Cầu Fund, which first organised a Week of Ehon in 2023. This year’s series of events focuses on the theme of animals.
A representative of the event’s sponsors speaks at the week opening. Photos coutersy of the organisation board. PHOTO: COLLECTED/VIET NAM NEWS
The Bắc Cầu Fund was set up in 2019 to help young Vietnamese children develop thinking and creative skills through book projects. It was honoured by Hà Nội’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2020 for promoting reading culture.
Aside from the ‘Week of the Ehon Book’, other projects have been carried out, including building reading stations in kindergartens and in hospitals’ paediatrics departments.
During the week from October 20 to November 2, parents will have the opportunity to experience reading with their children on Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm.
Workshops on book reading will be held on October 26 and November 2.