Fahasa Bookstore

Fahasa began on August 6, 1976 as Ho Chi Minh City's state-run book distribution company, set up under the Department of Culture and Information shortly after reunification to get publications from the north into circulation in the south. The 1980s Doi Moi reforms nearly broke the state bookstore sector: private distributors and cheaply produced 'instant books' undercut it so badly that some state shops rented out floor space or sold unrelated goods just to keep operating. Fahasa's turnaround began in the mid-1990s, when it adopted a self-selection retail format — letting customers browse shelves directly rather than requesting titles from a clerk — and began importing English-language titles from publishers including Oxford and Cambridge. Its Nguyễn Huệ store in District 1, renovated during that period, became the model location for the new format. The company was equitized in 2006, converting from a fully state-owned unit into a joint-stock company, and has since grown into Vietnam's largest bookstore network — around 140 stores across 25 provinces as of 2025, alongside stationery, toys and an online storefront.