TNH

There's something thrilling about browsing the realm of 2nd hand fiction. Somehow you feel you’re handling the stuff of dreams. Other people's dreams; old tram tickets, betting slips, wine stains, minute traces of narcotics, pornographic doodles, love dedications; some annotated and expanded, others bitterly scratched out; and the odd snot encrusted on the page like a punctuation mark.

Then there's the writing itself of course. Personally I find it instructive to peer in there when considering a purchase. The paragraphs at the end and at the beginning of chapters can prove fruitful for separating the
Kerouac/Ginsberg from the dross and for finding out if you’re handling a mixed bag of clichés or a glittering masterpiece! If I discover myself confronting a Jily Cooper-style little number I usually zoom in on the penultimate sex scene, just to see what kind of twisted shit is out there. Last, but not least there’s the brief author biography, always good for a little reminder of the unconquerable achievements of the past and my own abiding irrelevance.

So, it was with relish that I learned of the existence of Bookworm. I idly day-dreamed for a number of weeks about the treasures I would find there, first editions once owned by Graham Greene, soldier's Bibles with chilling notes penned during wartime.. sticky copies of "Riders". Eventually one "quiet" afternoon I resolved to go and after a dizzying search around town in close heat I finally caught the hook and made my way inside.

Unfortunately, instead of a safe haven I found a little jumble shop of horrors. At Bookworm the cobwebs of the mind have been well and truly dusted off and the books painstakingly sheathed in squeaky plastic covers. With the novels compartmentalized thus like so many test tubes in a lab the scrutiny of the patron is limited to the cover and the blurb. Like a paperback version of safe sex the titles on display rub up against each other in a sterile fashion and no words sing.

From the depths of my literary frustration I was reminded of Flann O’ Brien’s third policeman, for all eternity keeping the bicycles in his parish under lock and key to prevent them from committing acts of 2-wheeled copulation. In any case I felt deflated at that point and, distracted by the sinister squeaking sounds coming from the direction of another customer who was hectically fingering the books I hastened towards my exit.

After about 6 desperate minutes more of looking for that diamond in the rough I already knew I wouldn’t find I left the shop, truly unenlightened and relieved to be gulping in the soupy air.

Bookworm, Pah. Can you imagine what it would be like to be a worm stuck in one of those plastic sleeves? Then you have some idea of the sensations that a trip to this bookshop affords.

Bookworm is a cozy little bookshop that provides several invaluable services to its largely expat patrons.

The shop carries a decent selection of current sellers and classics along with a few random tomes thrown in for variety - do remember that the shop is a small one; there are only so many books that they can fit onto the shelves. There is a wall of children's stories as soon as one walks through the door, a wall displaying books on Vietnam by the front desk, a room dedicated to fiction, and a room divided between non-fiction categories, e.g. leadership, spirituality, and English-teaching books. People have been known to occasionally come across what are known to be treasures in the ESL world in that last section. The bookshop also features a small gallery for your enjoyment.

Whatever book Bookworm doesn't have readily on-hand, patrons are welcome to request. As long as it's not a book that would raise Communist eyebrows too much, Truong, the owner, will fulfill your request as quickly as he can - with no deposit required at that. What's more, the bookshop gladly buys books for resale at 1/3 of the store's price tag, irregardless of whether the book came from the shop. This is a win-win-win situation: the previous owner trades in an old read for a bit of money, the bookshop adds a book to its inventory at a discount and sans importing costs, and other patrons have another book to perhaps catch their interest.

Truong is awesome at responding to emails in a timely manner and answering questions clearly and cordially. Robert, his dad and a familiar face at the bookshop, is a wonderfully friendly guy who's quick to strike up a conversation with patrons when not busy ringing up sales or slipping books into vinyl sleeves to shelve. He's also generous with offering information and advice to help out the shop's patrons with expat issues.

As a general rule, the books are placed in protective sleeves prior to shelving. The sleeves are of the envelope sort rather than the bookcover sort, meaning that curious readers would have to open the sleeve and remove the book in order to scan through the pages. While this makes browsing for a new read a bit of a pain, credit must be given to the shopkeepers for the effort they put into maintaining the condition of the books, new or pre-owned, in notoriously dusty Vietnam.

Slow down and browse the somewhat eclectic literary mix that the shop has to offer, take in the artwork on display, take a load off on the huge black lounge seat, maybe chat it up with the shopkeepers. It's all a part of the reason why Bookworm holds a special place in the hearts of Hanoian expats. Having bid Hanoi farewell and recently relocated to Saigon, the services and atmosphere of Bookworm are greatly missed. Should anyone know of a similar establishment in the sprawling city of Ho Chi Minh, a PM would most certainly be appreciated!

The weather was nice that day, I remembered. Cutest book store location I've ever seen! Unfortunately, their Fiction selection seemed to lean on the contemporary and classic side as I'm more for the modern lit. Though they make up for it with a Wowie worthy selection of non fiction! Great lookin art books and the like, as well as a cute selection of children's books. Alas, my brokea** couldn't/can't afford any of it..

This place is a real gem of a bookshop. I've never failed to find a decent read here and I've always been impressed with the range on offer. All the books are wrapped in clear bags, which is a nice touch and shows the professionalism of the owners. The classical music is also a pleasing diversion from the crazy traffic noise outside.

The staff here are unquestionably friendly and helpful, and I always stop to chat when I come in.

The prices are a little high for Hanoi but I think it's worth every dong spent. The fact that they buy your books back (as well as any others you have lying around) is a sweet deal and I've brought so many books here that its almost a secondary income after teaching :).

At the minute the shop is on a very unlikely-looking alley off Nguyen Thai Hoc, but they have just announced that they will be moving to 44 Chau Long shortly. Good Luck to them in the new place :)

As far as I can tell this is the best english language bookstore in Hanoi. If there is a better one I'd like to know. Really.

The selection is okay and it's certainly nice to see books that don't fall into the romance/thriller/recent best seller categories on the shelves, however, as previous posters have noted this is a small bookstore so don't go in with your heart set on buying some obscure work.

They have postcards, some cookbooks, and a lot of coffee table books on Hanoi and VN that look rather interesting if you're into that sort of thing or have presents to purchase for those back home.

Oh Hanoi, you are a wasteland for us bibliophiles