Digital book ecosystem: A "gold mine" not to be missed

The decisive moment to convert

Despite reaching a revenue of more than VND4,500 billion in 2024 (according to statistics from the Department of Publishing, Printing and Distribution), the Vietnamese publishing market is still assessed as "not commensurate with its potential". With a population of over 100 million people, it is estimated that this industry can reach a scale of VND20,000 billion per year if it effectively exploits the opportunities brought by digital technology .

Introducing derivative products from books at a book fair in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: DUNG PHUONG

At the 2025 Digital Publishing Forum recently held in Hanoi , Mr. Nguyen Minh Hong, Chairman of the Vietnam Digital Communications Association, affirmed that digital transformation is inevitable in the new era. He emphasized: “We are living in the era of digital technology and artificial intelligence, where the approach to knowledge has completely changed. Publishing cannot continue to operate as before but must really act to transform, build a synchronous and integrated national digital publishing platform.”

Quoting book companies, Mr. Nguyen Canh Binh, Chairman of Alpha Books, said that publishing today is no longer simply about printing books. Instead, it is a “personalized, interactive journey”, through flexible formats such as ebooks (electronic books), flashcards (summary books), microlearning (knowledge courses from books)... “Digital publishing helps shorten the intermediary chain, reduce costs and most importantly, make knowledge more accessible”, Mr. Binh shared.

However, despite the strong potential, there are also many barriers and obstacles. According to the publishing industry, Vietnam is still struggling at the starting line. Mr. Nguyen The Hung, Director of Aki Company (specializing in book import and export), pointed out that barriers in infrastructure, outdated thinking and especially the issue of copyright assurance are making it difficult for the publishing industry to break through. "The demand for digital books among domestic readers is huge, but they currently lack a place to access copyrighted digital books conveniently and officially," he said. According to Mr. Hung, while e-readers have been popular in the world for more than 15 years, in Vietnam, support for these specialized devices is still very limited. The lack of support tools makes the reading experience incomplete, and invisibly pushes users to copyright-infringing platforms.

Building a modern knowledge ecosystem

To exploit the “gold mine” of digital publishing, changing the mindset from single products to a content ecosystem is a prerequisite. “Diversifying content is the core feature of modern publishing,” affirmed Mr. Nguyen Canh Binh. Thanks to the application of technology, a paper book can be restructured into many derivative products such as audiobooks, summaries, summary books, short videos, podcasts or interactive courses.

The growing demand for reading is a great potential for the development of a digital book ecosystem. Photo: QUYNH YEN

A typical example of this approach is the 600-page Blue Ocean Strategy, which Alpha Books has reborn into many formats: from flashcards (memory cards of book content), 60-minute courses for leaders, to microlearning models (short lessons of just a few minutes from the book's content). "This is a content lifecycle management model, each original product can be reborn into dozens of versions, the number of people accessing the book is dozens of times higher than the original traditional book version," Mr. Binh analyzed.

However, to build a sustainable ecosystem, the publishing industry cannot stop at content production. According to Mr. Vinh, there needs to be an overall structure from production to distribution, and at the same time, the copyright problem must be thoroughly addressed. “If there is no fundamental solution to the copyright problem, no one will dare to invest in digital content,” he emphasized. One proposed direction is the “Airbook” model proposed by Mr. Nguyen The Hung. This is an integrated ecosystem including specialized reading devices, standardized content, distribution platforms and copyright protection technology. According to Mr. Hung, this model not only helps readers have a complete experience but also creates a sustainable source of income for publishers.

Digital publishing is not just a technological solution, but a comprehensive strategic orientation. It is a historic opportunity for the Vietnamese publishing industry to transform, create a breakthrough development and affirm its position in the global content economy.

MAI CHI

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/he-sinh-thai-sach-so-mo-vang-khong-the-bo-lo-post802871.html