PHNOM PENH: The 9th Cambodia Book Fair will finally return for three days from 9-11 December 2022 at the National Library, after failing to hold a large-scale event for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The committee of the Book Fair of Cambodia is organizing this year's book fair under the theme "One Day Read, One Day Know." A total of 197 booths will be featured in the upcoming book fair, 145 more than in 2019.

Undersecretary of State for the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Kim Pichpinun, confirmed at a press conference on Monday, 28 November, that this fair is designed to promote a culture of reading among young people, and to also promote the work of writers and support the publishing sector in Cambodia.

Hok Sothik, the President of the Cambodian Association of Librarians and Documentaries and Director of Sipar, noted that young Cambodians are now more interested in reading books, but the level of interest is still lower compared to young people in neighboring countries.

"We don't have to go to any country [in the world], we only need to look at [our neighbors] Thailand and Vietnam, they read far more than us, so it makes other sectors more developed than ours, both socially and scientifically," said Hok Sothik.

However, he said that he hopes the turnout at this year's book fair will be higher than in 2019 when 180,000 people attended.

He added that in general, the best-selling books at the annual book fair are mostly self-help books, such as those which discuss how to become a leader and how to become rich, followed by history books, books on Khmer culture, books sharing life experiences and success stories, other types of novels, and more.