Little-known story about the most unique and ancient bookstore in Hanoi
When mentioning Dinh Le Street, people will immediately remember the quiet, gentle appearance of the woman who is considered the "female tutelary goddess" who gave birth to the oldest book street in the capital. And when mentioning Mao bookstore, I believe that no one on this street does not know Mr. Le Luy and Mrs. Pham Thi Mao, two people with humble origins but with a wandering and passionate soul.
Mao Bookstore is located in a small attic in alley number 5, Dinh Le street.
Stepping into the small attic, I no longer encountered that warm image. Instead, I met a man with burning love, enthusiasm and simple but emotional sharing that contained many profound morals. Today, I do not want to talk too much about the intellectual business story of two people with a lot of passion and courage. Because what attracted me most was probably the affectionate eyes and warm voice of Mr. Le Luy when talking about his deceased wife.
"His mother prepared the betel box
If there is a river, I will build a bridge for you to cross.
I went home and told my parents.
Our fate has ripened with the richness of our homeland"
(Author: Le Luy)
Mr. Le Luy shared: “Because he works in the police force, he has to investigate the background of anyone he loves, perhaps that is why his relationship with her is even more special. At that time, she was a pretty, obedient girl with impressive academic achievements that made him admire her at first sight.”
Before that, she had many suitors, men who were well-off in terms of family and material economy. However, she still chose him - a man who lost his parents at the age of 7 and had to struggle alone in the bustling capital. He was also a generous, righteous, intelligent man, whose love for her had not been damaged over the years. Love is inherently something that no one can predict, sometimes it is fate, sometimes it is debt. Perhaps Mr. Le Luy - Mrs. Pham Thi Mao were destined to become a perfect, complete couple with a love that had both emotion and intelligence.
Mr. Le Luy shared that he still maintains the bookstore but not for economic reasons. If he rented it out, the profit from the book business would probably be nothing, but he did not do so. Although he did not say it, I know that, more than the desire to have a place for young people who love reading culture to visit, the reason he still keeps the bookstore is probably mainly because it is also a place and a memory. It seems that this place is the last thing left for him to feel that his grandmother is always by his side, sitting with him on the chair in front of the door reading books and drinking tea under the shade of an old tree.
There are a wide variety of books to choose from.
One weekend afternoon, I heard the emotional sharing of Mr. Le Luy, a person of the previous generation, of an old and profound Hanoi. Now his hair has turned white, his hands tremble, but his voice is still warm, with the heart of an intellectual and his love still radiant.
Treasure for bookworms
Not only listening to Mr. Le Luy's story, I also got lost in a treasure trove of wisdom with a variety of different book genres, there are all kinds of books for all ages from children, literature, spirituality, foreign languages... Because of the huge number of books, both new and old, there are some types of books that I cannot ask the owner for their exact location and have to go and "search" the shelves myself. Like a treasure hunt, there is nothing more wonderful than the feeling of joy when finding a book that you love.
It contains hundreds of thousands of books with a treasure trove of different genres such as: Vietnamese literature, foreign literature, foreign language books, comics...
In addition, Mao bookstore is also an ideal check-in place for young people who love classic spaces and want to immerse themselves in the beauty of books tinged with time. The space surrounded by books will make you feel like you are truly lost in paradise.
After climbing the typical spiral staircase, I set foot on the second floor. There are some small tables for those who want to read books while sipping coffee to find a comfortable, relaxing, quiet feeling, completely different from the modern bookstores outside.
A place to find comfort, relaxation, and quietness, completely different from the modern bookstores outside.
I am sure that there are many young people like me here, looking for the old things of the Capital or simply a gentle, quiet space to forget the fatigue of a busy, hurried life. If you have the chance, visit Mao bookstore to return to childhood memories through literature, sip a cup of coffee and enjoy the ancient space containing a simple but familiar love story.
