The "Autumn Reading Room: People, Nature, and Comics" program will take place over two days, November 7-8, at Villa 49 Tran Hung Dao, Hanoi . The event is organized by the French Institute in Vietnam in collaboration with Du But. Admission is free and open to book lovers, families, young readers, and anyone interested in nature, the environment, and storytelling.
The organizers have selected comics and graphic novels from various countries: Vietnam, France, the United States, and Japan, that have been published in Vietnam. The program invites participants to explore how humans perceive, connect with, and live in harmony with the natural world.
The works range from animal life, forests and seas to memories of landscapes, urban life, ecological crises and imaginary worlds .
The reading room is designed as an on-site reading space where participants can choose their own books and read. The program encourages readers to put aside their phones and daily distractions to focus on the pages of a book.
The works are linked by three thematic groups: "Gentle Nature" explores animals, forests, seas, and the relationships between species sharing a common habitat; "Fierce Nature" tells stories about the power of nature, the fragility of humanity, and the ability to adapt; and "Imagining Tomorrow" envisions changes in urban areas, climate, ecosystems, and life itself.
Introductory materials, language labels, and age suggestions are included with the books to help attendees find suitable works. Content selection is handled by Ms. Than Trong Thanh Quynh, co-founder and editor of Du But, and Ms. Tra Nhu, illustrator and art lecturer. These two "reading room librarians" will accompany readers, introducing works and suggesting approaches to reading.
Through this program, the organizers aim to introduce comics as a literary and artistic form with rich expressive potential. The focus of the reading room is on non-fiction comics and documentary comics. Through visual language, knowledge about science , the environment, and social issues can become more accessible, while also opening up diverse perspectives on human experience.
As part of the program, the "One Hour of Deep Reading" sessions provide an opportunity for readers to fully focus on a work, especially books they've wanted to explore but hesitated to approach. Each session lasts approximately 45-60 minutes, with a maximum of 8 people, including 60 minutes of focused reading, disconnected from phones; and a voluntary discussion period of about 15-20 minutes, moderated by the facilitator.
In addition to the free reading session, the program also included two talk shows: "Graphic Novel - A Different Perspective on Comics" and "Recreating Reality: The Power of Non-Fiction Comics." From three perspectives—image creation, translation, and editing/publishing—the guests shared how to translate knowledge and materials into visual stories; and the challenges in balancing accuracy, appeal, and artistic flair.
The event attracted a large number of readers, especially young children. Many parents brought their children to participate; each family member chose a book and spent time reading it, then discussed the content together at the end of the session.
The "Autumn Reading Room" aims to create more opportunities to access books, encourage the habit of slow, deep reading, and post-reading discussions. Through stories about people and nature, the program opens a space for encounter, where the public can find new works, new ways of reading, and thought-provoking questions about the world they live in.