I got to know Bá Tân Bookstore thanks to a friend’s suggestion.
A cozy book haven filled with interesting titles, two cats, and complimentary tea and coffee — Bá Tân seems to have been constructed straight out of my childhood vision of a peaceful hideout. That special feeling of glee and giddiness that swelled in me, lying on the floor relishing a new batch of rental books from an old store near my school, was something that even until now, when I’m an adult with the means to buy books to my heart’s content, I rarely feel again.
Giving a new life to old books
In the mind of many, old bookstores in Saigon might appear as cramped and slapdash displays like that of Trúc in the hit TV series Bỗng Dưng Muốn Khóc, or moth-bitten archives filled with floor-to-ceiling columns of books, manned by a wise old proprietor.
Bá Tân Bookstore is a breath of fresh air in the trade of old books in Saigon. Here, the inventory is separated into two sections. The first, which is located near the opening of the alley, sells books by the kilogram, ranging from VND40,000 to 60,000 per kilogram depending on the genre. The second section is a few doors down, featuring a more spacious reading space to receive more guests. The titles here are priced based on market demand. Most of the books here are around 90–99% new, though a few are rare limited editions and special prints for collectors.
Upon entering the bookstore, one is immediately greeted with a sense of cozy comfort thanks to the warm yellow lights, which help reduce eye strain during long reading sessions. On the shelves, titles are sorted based on genres, geographies, and time periods. Interestingly, there are a number of surprising curated collections, like Higashino Keigo’s mystery novels, and manga classics like Case Closed and Dragon Ball. They are all in very good condition but sold at more accommodating prices than at major retailers.
The first time I got to flip through the yellowing pages here and saw a painting by poet Bùi Giáng hung in the middle of the store, an unnamed emotion swole in me, reminding me of my past years. I bought two philosophy books, and can't help but give them a whiff every time I read them. Patrons who wish to “cleanse” their new purchases can get a packet of 20 grams of star anise and 30 grams of cinnamon at VND35,000 to deodorize and demold their bookshelf.
Most members of staff here are still quite young. I’ve hung out here long enough to notice the bookstore’s very special demographic of customers. Every 10–15 minutes, someone on their motorbike would drop by and yell out “Hello, do you have [book title]?” without even turning off their vehicle. If the answer is no, they would zip away, but if it’s a yes, a bookkeeper will very quickly bring the book in question out and process the order, because they know by heart the particulars of the store’s regulars. Hats off to the dedicated souls here who do a sterling job without records and computers.
I had a chance to sit down with Lê Bá Tân, the store's owner. He told me about his criteria to assess the values of vintage books: the tangible factor and knowledge factor. The former often applies to recent releases in great condition. These cases are often sold at 40–60% of the cover prices. For rare or historic titles containing a great wealth of historical and intellectual values, they can’t be judged based on cover prices. A first edition of Sợi Tóc, a short story collection by Thạch Lam, printed by Đời Nay publishing house in 1942 could fetch VND30 million due to its rarity, for example.
Lê Bá Tân.
Operating with the motto “we trade in good deeds,” Bá Tân Bookstore is not just a hub for purchasing and exchanging books. There’s also a free-to-read bookshelf and the store often organizes competitions and activities where books are the prizes to promote the local reading culture, as to Tân, “reading without real-life practice is unfortunate.” Thanks to these efforts, his bookstore has grown into a welcoming home for young Saigoneers, many of whom even hand-wrote letters to express their affection and gratitude to this place.
When asked how he defines “old books,” Tân shared: “My definition is quite simple, the word ‘old’ in ‘old books’ just refers to how [the books] are passed on from one reader to another. Some pieces of knowledge have existed since 2,000–3,000 years ago, even 4,000 years in Greece or Egypt. You only think that it’s new because you only get to read about it now, but in fact, it’s ancient and natural out there. I always think that in the old there’s the new, and vice versa, just like everything else in this life.”
“I want to share a path with books until the end of time”
One of the factors that compelled Tân to start selling old books was his having received so many of them from friends. He used to teach History in school, but, due to a number of reasons, decided to stop.
“At the time, my knowledge was quite limited, and all my connections were with other teachers and students, so I didn’t know what to do next. I have always been given a lot of books, like 2–3 shelves’ worth. I often write about those I enjoy reading on the internet. Many people kept asking if they were for sale, even though I wasn’t selling anything. A thought flared in my mind: maybe the trade has picked me, so I decided to start selling books,” Tân explained.
Throughout the years of running the bookstore, Tân has experienced all the ups and downs of being an independent business. It went from an online-only shop to the first location in District 2 and a book cafe named “Sài Gòn năm xưa” (Saigon of yesteryears) on Nguyễn Khắc Nhu Street in 2019. Operating a coffee shop is no easy feat due to numerous challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted Tân to shut down everything and take a break, before finding a new beginning in Bá Tân Bookstore.
Regarding the profitability of running a bookstore, Tân just laughed and casually brushed that aside: “Honestly, I’ve never intended for this to be a temporary thing or something just to do until I get bored. I want to share a path with books to the end. Everybody has greed, but books are already a wholesome thing, if I infringe on that, perhaps I’m not that good of a person.”
Even though the store has been through many forms and locations, one thing has remained unchanged: the appreciation of Tân’s books among readers. Perhaps that fondness is rooted in his respect for books and faith in Saigon’s reading culture. Many past patrons don’t even know or remember who he is or where he’s moved to, but every time they have the need to sell or purchase old books, they find one another again in Saigon.
“Thanks to those customers, I feel even more strongly about my bond with this trade. I never thought to stop selling books even during my worst crises. I want to stick around for longer and spread farther. If possible, I want to be with books for the rest of my life.”
Bá Tân Bookstore is located at 451/22 Hai Bà Trưng Street, Ward 8, D3, HCMC.
