Hanoi's Premier Complex Cultural Space Completed with Our Technology

Ministry of Culture Supports Automation System at Hanoi City Library
Successfully Completes Project Carried Out Over 3 Years

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recently announced on the 26th that it has successfully completed a project carried out over the past three years by providing additional support for an automation system at the Hanoi City Library in Vietnam. Choi Seong-hee, Director of Regional Cultural Policy, stated, "We hope it will establish itself as a representative complex cultural space for Hanoi citizens and serve as a foothold for spreading advanced examples of Korean libraries." She added, "We will continue to actively provide Korea's excellent library services for the sustainable development of knowledge and culture worldwide."

Since 2020, the Ministry has been promoting the establishment of overseas public libraries as part of its Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects. The initiative aims to create spaces for reading and cultural enjoyment in beneficiary countries and support lifelong learning, information utilization, and cultural exchange activation. The first target, Hanoi City Library, completed its renovation at the end of March. Although the project faced difficulties early on due to lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, both countries cooperated actively to achieve the goal.

The newly opened building features an efficiently reorganized interior space, including an open lounge created through remodeling of the main building. A digital resource room utilizing information technology (IT) and a Korean resource center were established, and training programs to strengthen the capabilities of staff such as administrators and librarians were also implemented. The automation system supported this time was provided in response to requests from staff who participated in the training. The Ministry supported equipment and software for building the library automation infrastructure, including an access control system applying Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and smart shelves that support automatic lending and returns.

As a result, the number of users at Hanoi City Library increased by more than approximately 200% compared to before the COVID-19 outbreak. User satisfaction with the library space and facilities also exceeded 90%. A representative of Hanoi City Library reported, "Citizens have been lining up from early morning for months to get library cards."

The second public library establishment target is the Ulaanbaatar City Library in Mongolia. A Ministry official said, "We will begin full-scale project implementation from next year," adding, "By 2025, we plan to construct an annex, provide equipment such as books, furniture, and IT devices, and support the capacity building of local librarians."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.