Publishers and book companies around the country are offering discountsof up to 50 percent to hundreds of book titles to attract students andyoung readers during the summer vacation.

More than 2,000 titles,most of which feature literature of Vietnam, are being offered byPhuong Nam Book Company with discounts of 30-50 percent.

Amongthe highlights for Phuong Nam's books are children stories written bywell-known writer and translator Ly Lan, including Bi Mat Giua Toi vaThan Lan (Secrets Between the Black Lizard and Me), Ngoi Nha Trong Co (AHouse in the Meadow) and Ba Nguoi va Ba Con Vat (Three Men and ThreeAnimals).

Lan wrote the stories years ago. Her stories were reprinted several times by local publishers to meet reader demands.

Lan is the translator of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books into Vietnamese.

Lastweek, Kim Dong Publishers, which specialises in books for children,launched a reading campaign called Happy Summer Holidays with Kim DongBooks, with the release of many Vietnamese cartoons for children underseven and the Vietnamese version of 15 much-loved stories by Roald Dahl,including Matilda & Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The MagicFinger and Sophie and the Big Friendly Giant.

Kim Dong also hascompleted the translation of The Book of General Ignorance by John Lloydand John Mitchinson for publication in Vietnam.

The Tre (Youth)Publishers is offering more than 2,500 children books titles at itssummer book fair opened at its office on Ly Chinh Thang street, District3 until August 31.

Fahasa plans to open two books fairs forchildren in the suburban districts of Hoc Mon and Nha Be from June 1-7to greet International Children's Day.

Fahasa, HCM City'sleading book distributor, will offer discounts of 5-50 percent fornearly 20,000 books, including textbooks for use in primary and highschools in September. All the books are new.

This summer, e-bookstores run by several companies, including Tiki and Vinabook, have cutprices of many of their books, some of them up to 40 percent.-VNA