The northern mountainous province of Lao Cai has been collecting ancient books written in the ethnic Dao language in preparation for a large conservation project.

The provincial Department of Culture and Information will also use this as a chance to teach Nom, the Chinese transcription system of Vietnamese, to residents.

According to the department's statistics, more than 500 books from 80 villages are ready to be restored. Most are religious or cultural texts, said officials

Those deemed of high value will be translated into modern Vietnamese and put in libraries located in Dao villages. (VNA)