From November 29-30, 2022, the 18th Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians (CONSAL XVIII) hosted by the National Library of Cambodia in collaboration with the Library Association of Cambodia took place online with the theme “Libraries United: Raising to  the Challenges”. There were approximately 700 delegates from 23 countries in the region and the world attending the Congress, in which Viet Nam had more than 100 delegates, ranking second position. At the opening ceremony of the Congress, keynote speeches by Mr. Hok Sothik – Chairman of the CONSAL XVIII Organizing Committee, Dr. Phoung Sakona – Minister of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia, Ms. Khlot Vibola – Director of the National Library of Cambodia all affirmed the important role of libraries for the sustainable development of the society, and emphasized the need for solidarity and extensive cooperation within ASEAN libraries to overcome challenges together in the post-COVID-19 new normal era.

To carry out the Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's decision to entrust the National Library of Vietnam (NLV) with the implementation of national standards projects, on November 22, 2022, NLV held a symposium (northern area) to contribute to the formulation of the National Standard "Document management - Electronic document file format for long-term preservation" by M.A. Kieu Thuy Nga - Director of NLV as the Project Manager. The symposium is being held with the view to exchange, discuss, and receive comments from scientists, managers, and specialists in the fields of library, information, and information technology for the second Draft of the Standard. The National Standard "Document management - Electronic document file format for long-term preservation" was created in response to the actual operational demands of information agencies - libraries, archive agencies - in storing and utilizing electronic documents, finding and assessing document management systems, information technology firms that have produced application software equipment for information activities, libraries, archives, and information technology.

On November 23, 2022, the National Library of Viet Nam (NLV) organized a Conference on "Position and role of the National Library of Viet Nam in the digital transformation of the library industry in Viet Nam - Tasks and solutions" to commemorate the 105th anniversary of the National Library of Viet Nam's founding. The Conference listened to 11 reports and several serious, responsible and enthusiastic exchange of opinion on major subjects such as the Party and State's directives and policies on digital transformation of the library sector in Viet Nam; NLV's tasks in Digital Transformation; NLV's position and role in the creation of the National Digital Library; Building Union Catalog; NLV’s role in building modern libraries; Issues of standardization (data standards, cataloging standards, etc.); Collaboration, linking, and sharing of knowledge resources at home and abroad; Tools to support professional activities (keyword dictionaries, subject headings, etc.); International exposure; models of national libraries in the world; Strategies, plans, development orientations and proposals, recommendations, and solutions for improving the quality and efficiency of digital transformation in the future; proposed models, equipment, and technological solutions, as well as resource management and exploitation; Lessons gained and endeavors to efficiently integrate digital transformation in library activities.

On the afternoon of November 14, 2022, the National Library of Viet Nam (NLV) in collaboration with the Embassy of Belarus to Viet Nam held the Opening Ceremony of the “Photo exhibition Famous sights in Belarus under the protection of UNESCO”. Ms. Kieu Thuy Nga – Director of the National Library of Viet Nam and Mr. Vladimir Baravikov – Ambassador of Belarus to Viet Nam co-chair the ceremony. 17 large-sized photos about Belarusian landmarks that are very popular with tourists and recognized by UNESCO were introduced at the exhibition, such as: Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park since 1992 with rich flora and fauna; Struve geodesic arc since 2005; The Mir Castle Complex from the 16^th century and the unique architectural complex of Radziwill in Nesvizh city. The exhibition has deeply portrayed Belarus as an independent sovereign state with more than a thousand years of history and carefully preserved national traditions on the basis of selective absorbing the quintessence of the world civilization.

On November 10, 2022, a group from the National Library for Children and Young Adults of Korea (under the National Library of Korea), led by Ms. Kyung Hee Lee - Deputy Director, visited Hanoi as part of the Project on Developing Reading Culture in ASEAN Countries and Korea. Since 2019, the National Library for Children and Young Adults of Korea has been implementing this initiative in collaboration with national libraries from ASEAN nations, including the National Library of Viet Nam (NLV). The survey was first conducted at the NLV, and through the NLV, connected the survey at the Library of Hanoi and the Library of Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi to learn about library activities, programs, and services for children and young adults. Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Deputy Director of the NLV, welcomed the delegation and spent considerable time discussing activities related to the ongoing Project (Read Me a Book with a common symbol: Yellow apron), the extent of its spread to libraries in the library system at all levels, and cooperation with school libraries to develop reading culture among children and young adults. The delegation expressed their impression when witnessing an interesting and exciting reading session at the NLV's Children's Cultural Library.

Under the permission of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, on November 4 - 5, 2022, the National Library of Viet Nam (NLV) coordinated with the Library Department and related units to organize the Conference-Workshop "Application of information technology in professional activities of Vietnamese libraries (2017 - 2022)". The Conference-Workshop listened to 20 reports and several lively, serious and frank discussions on the implementation situation and results of information technology application in the construction and development of electronic/digital libraries and digital transformation at libraries and information centers; advantages, disadvantages, and challenges in the process of applying information technology and digital transformation (development policies, infrastructure aspect, data, budget, human resources, etc.); activities of creation, administration, preservation, and distribution of digital collections; mechanisms, policies and requirements for information technology application and digital transformation activities in libraries and information centers in the future; proposed models, technological solutions, utility software, lessons learned, initiatives to effectively apply information technology and digital transformation of Vietnamese and international library activities; activities of cooperation, linkage and sharing of information resources at home and abroad; plans and projects to promote the application of information technology in professional activities at libraries.

The 28th Conference of Directors of National Libraries in Asia and Oceania (28th CDNL-AO) hosted by Indonesia with the theme “Library Service Impacts on Community: Sustainability, Inclusion, and Innovation” took place from October 24-27, 2022 in Jakarta, Indonesia. There were representatives of over 30 member national libraries in Asia and Oceania attending the conference both in-person and online mode. At the welcome remark, Ms. Vicki Mc Donald – President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) mentioned the mission and vision of IFLA related to the development of libraries and librarians in the future. In addition, the conference also welcomed invited speaker, Ms. Lin Li Soh – Director of the IFLA Asia and Oceania region. The National Library of Viet Nam (NLV) delegation consisting of 2 delegates led by Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Anh – Deputy Director attended the conference in-person and presented paper on “Inclusive library services – an important transition step to build a learning society in Viet Nam”. Focusing on three main themes “Sustainability”, “Inclusion”, and “Innovation”, besides the presentation of the NLV, the delegates also listened to presentations of the national libraries of Indonesia, Iran, the Philippines, Singapore, Qatar and China. All presentations discussed about the transformation of libraries based on social inclusion and the role of libraries in supporting achievement of sustainable development goals.

On the afternoon of October 26, 2022, a delegation of officials from the Department of Literature and Publication – Distribution, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos led by Ms. Chăm phệt Khăm Phong, Director of the Department, paid a working visit to the National Library of Viet Nam. Ms. Kieu Thuy Nga, Director of the National Library of Viet Nam received the delegation. Ms. Doan Quynh Dung, Deputy Director of the Library Department also attended the meeting. At the meeting, the Director expressed her pleasure to welcome the delegation of Department of Literature and Publication – Distribution of Laos and spent time to briefly introduce the establishment and development history of the NLV over the last century, its main roles and mission, the information resources, especially ancient and rare collections, the library products and services, activities of building digital library, promoting reading culture, fostering and providing professional guidance; projects and international cooperation activities; as well as future development orientation of the NLV.

On the afternoon of October 25, 2022, the National Library of Viet Nam (NLV) hosted a seminar on "French and Vietnamese detective literature through the perspective of famous writers" in partnership with the French Institute in Viet Nam and Nha Nam Culture and Communication Company. Within the framework of the discussion, Ambassador Nicolas Warnery - author of Epitaphe pour un traître (Tentatively translated as "Inscription for Traitors") and La nuit du hussard (Tentatively translated as "Night of the Cavalry"); Writer Michel Bussi; and female writer Di Li - dubbed the "Queen of Vietnamese detective genre" - discussed the two countries' detective literature, similarities and differences, opportunities and challenges for anybody interested in pursuing a career in writing, particularly writing in the detective genre. The speakers also discussed the principles and methods of writing detective stories to strictly ensure logic, rationality, drama, and surprise; especially, the ability to think about the vast amount of knowledge and information that the author must be able to use as material for the work, thereby ensuring that detective remains a literary genre that attracts a large number of readers.

On October 20, 2022, as part of a series of activities commemorating the opening of the Francophone Book Space, the National Library of Viet Nam (NLV) collaborated with the International Organization of La Francophonie to organize a seminar on Francophone Literature. The seminar is led by Dr. Tran Van Cong, Dean of the French Faculty at Hanoi University, President of the Association of Schools Teaching Francophone Literature and Humanities, and Chairman of the Jury for the Five Continents Prize of the Francophonie in Viet Nam. Topics covered by the speaker include: French Literature and Francophone Literature, as well as Typical Francophone Literature and Vietnamese Francophone Literature. France is a country rich in literature, the birthplace of many world-famous authors such as Molière, La Fontaine, Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Balzac, and Zola... with romantic and realistic literary styles. Throughout its history, French literature has been renowned and recognized all over the world. Not only do we look at the novel, but also works in other genres such as theatre, poetry, allegory, memoir, and so on. Furthermore, Francophone literature is also the literature of other French-speaking such as Belgium, Canada, Tunisia, and Viet Nam…