The public library network administered by the National Library of Việt Nam comprises 64 provincial/municipal libraries, 577 district libraries and some 7,000 commune and village libraries or book cabinets.

Since the promulgation of the Library Ordinance in 2000, the attention of local authorities to the provision of library facilities has increased steadily, leading to significant overall investment in new buildings, equipment and budgets for provincial and district library facilities. However, funds remain limited, and at the time of writing such development has tended to focus mainly on the larger and more affluent centres of population; in many rural areas (particularly the mountainous regions) library provision remains largely underdeveloped and the work of local library staff continues to be hampered by sub-standard premises and equipment, limited reading materials and inadequate operating budgets. Overall, in a country of nearly 80 million citizens, there is still a ratio of just one public library for 40,000 readers and one book for four readers.