Vietnamese mother and friends open online bookstores in Scandinavia

Quynh Hanh – the founder of Tiem Mot and her child in Finland. Photo: Vietnam Net

Tiem Mot bookstores were launched on the idea of giving Vietnamese people access to the Vietnamese language and culture while living abroad and the bookstores are now available in several countries including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Germany, and England, media Vietnam net reports.

Originally launched in Finland in early 2021 by Vietnamese mother Quynh Hanh, the idea has now been spread by some of Quynh Hanh’s Vietnamese friends in their countries of residence. Quynh Hanh started brainstorming the idea shortly after having her first child in Finland. She wanted her child to know her heritage as Vietnamese, to acknowledge her homeland, and love it like she did while still being raised abroad. But Vietnamese books were hard to come by and therefore Quynh Hanh took matters into her own hands.

Tiem Mot means ‘book worm’ in Vietnamese and in the beginning the selection was mostly Vietnamese children’s books and books about Vietnam but Quynh Hanh quickly experienced a diverse demand from Vietnamese students, workers, and housewives living abroad and now more areas have been added including business, cooking, skill developing, fiction and best-sellers.

Tiem Mot’s selection also includes international bestsellers published in Vietnamese and all books are selected with good quality of paper, printing, and illustration from prestigious publishers in Vietnam. Depending on demands, the books are being delivered from Vietnam every two to three weeks and according to Hoang Trang, manager of Tiem Mot in Germany, the books bring such joy. “It is very rewarding when customers can find Vietnamese books in another country and create a habit of reading for their children. Their kids are always excited to listen to stories before bedtime,” she says.

Tiem Mot also provides an online forum for Vietnamese abroad to discuss their love of reading, the importance of remembering their culture, and the ability to pass it on to their children who grow up outside Vietnam. Tiem Mot has also recently launched a book review game called “Reading in lockdown” to introduce books that help readers relax, stay positive, mediate and remain balanced during the pandemic.

With Tiem Mot, Quynh Hanh hopes to preserve the beauty of Vietnam in the heart of every Vietnamese expatriate and bring Vietnamese culture and language to other countries.

About Mette Larsen

Guest writer

View all posts by Mette Larsen

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *