Not bad, notes Vietnam News.
From the piece...
The job is full of surprises as well. "One day an old man came in and found his old book, which still had his signature on it, that had been lost years ago. He seemed very happy.
"Another day, a poor student came in, and after talking to him, I recognised his love for books, and I gave him the book he liked," he recalls.
Literature student Tran Thien Thuong is a regular client at Nam's shop.
"I often come here to hunt for old reference books for my studies. There are a lot of interesting books in these old stacks," says Thuong, as she sits on her knees searching for books.
Another renown shop for book lovers is Quang Huy on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street.
Its manager, Trinh Thi Van, says the book shop opened in 1980.
Among the stacks, I found many valuable books like Tho van Ly-Tran (Prose and Verse from the Ly and Tran dynasties), and Minh Menh chinh yeu (Records of vital socio-political facts from King Minh Menh's reign).
When someone wants to sell their books, Van goes to their houses to buy them. More importantly, she often buys books at a price that matches their real value.
"Overseas Vietnamese often search for swashbuckling novels, history books, and rare literature that capture their memories of the old days. Many people from Ha Noi travel a long way to get here, and they are often looking for books to assist with their studies.
"All the books have their prices listed on them. We don't charge clients unreasonable prices; we also offer discounts."
This shop has five staff members, and Van says they are as close as family.
Book shops on these streets have strong relationships with each other, and often co-ordinate their efforts to help clients find the books they are looking for, she says.
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