On June 24, 2025, Vietnam took a significant step toward redefining its publishing landscape with the Digital Publishing Forum 2025 (DPS 2025), themed "Future of the publishing industry in the digital age." Hosted under the auspices of the Vietnam Digital Media Association (VDCA) and organized by Alpha Books alongside the Vietnam Digital Content Creation Alliance and the Digital Copyright Center, the forum marked the nation’s first national-level specialized dialogue dedicated to digital publishing.
The event gathered a diverse array of stakeholders—government officials, publishing leaders, technology experts, and innovators—to openly discuss the pressing challenges and promising opportunities presented by the digital transformation sweeping the global publishing industry. With Vietnam’s population exceeding 100 million, the potential for growth in this sector is enormous. Yet, as underscored repeatedly during the forum, the country’s publishing industry, which generated over 4,500 billion VND in revenue in 2024, remains far from realizing its full potential, with estimates suggesting it could expand to 20,000 billion VND annually.
Dr. Nguyen Minh Hong, Chairman of VDCA, opened the forum with a compelling reminder of the digital era’s profound impact: "We are living in an age where technology not only changes how we communicate, learn, and work but fundamentally reshapes how humans access and consume knowledge." He framed digital publishing as a historic opportunity to foster a new reading culture, boost competitiveness, and connect Vietnam’s knowledge base to the global community. However, he was equally candid about the hurdles, citing the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and persistent copyright infringement as significant challenges that the industry must confront.
Echoing this urgency, Nguyen Canh Binh, Chairman of Alpha Books and Director of the ABG Leadership Institute, painted a vivid picture of the publishing sector’s evolution. "Publishing was once simply about printing books," he said. "Today, it is a journey of personalization, interaction, and continuous information updates through digital formats like ebooks, flashcards, and microlearning." He emphasized that digital publishing slashes costs and shortens distribution chains, making knowledge more accessible to a broader audience.
One of the forum’s key themes was the transformative power of technology to diversify and expand content offerings. Mr. Binh detailed how modern publishing leverages technology to restructure core content—such as a single book—into a rich ecosystem of derivative products across multiple platforms. "From one physical book, over ten derivative products can be recreated digitally," he explained, "reaching tens of times more readers and amplifying the original content’s impact exponentially." This approach, he argued, is central to building a vibrant and sustainable digital publishing ecosystem.
Supporting this vision, Le Quoc Vinh, Vice Chairman of the audiobook platform Fonos, highlighted how content diversification can bring knowledge to those who might shy away from traditional reading. "If you hesitate to read an 800-page book, you can now choose from various derivative content forms that better suit your preferences," he noted. This flexibility not only broadens access but also aligns with changing consumer behaviors in Vietnam and worldwide.
Yet, despite these promising developments, the forum acknowledged that Vietnam’s digital publishing sector is still grappling with significant obstacles. The so-called "gold mine" of the global digital publishing market—estimated to be worth 120 billion USD annually—remains largely untapped domestically. Factors such as technological limitations, entrenched conservative mindsets, and rampant copyright violations have hindered progress.
Nguyen Nguyen, Director of the Department of Publishing, Printing and Distribution under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stressed the critical need for robust copyright protection mechanisms. "The publishing industry is central to the cultural industry’s development in Vietnam," he said, "but digital copyright infringement remains a pressing issue that must be addressed to safeguard creators and encourage innovation." Nguyen The Hung, Director of Aki Electronics Company, added a practical perspective, observing that many readers do not disrespect copyright but lack official channels to purchase legitimate digital books. He also lamented the scarcity of specialized e-reader devices in Vietnam, despite their global availability since 2008, which hampers the growth of the ebook ecosystem locally.
Technology’s role in combating piracy was another vital topic. Experts suggested adopting advanced tools similar to those used by Facebook and YouTube to detect and block copyright-infringing content immediately upon upload. This proactive approach could help protect intellectual property rights and foster a healthier digital publishing environment.
The forum also spotlighted innovative applications of AI in publishing. Tran Chi Hieu, founder of Orion Media and Director of the AI Center at the Vietnam Blockchain Association, shared dynamic examples demonstrating how AI can optimize book production and distribution. "AI does not replace books," he affirmed, "it helps each book reach more people at the right time and in the right way." This sentiment captures the potential of AI as an enhancer rather than a threat to traditional publishing.
In parallel, Hoang Nam Tien, Vice Chairman of FPT University and a prominent digital content creator, emphasized that understanding reader behavior is crucial for effective engagement in the AI era. His insights underscored a broader shift in publishing strategy toward data-driven, personalized content delivery that resonates with modern audiences.
A highlight of DPS 2025 was the launch of the "Beta Garden" project, a startup competition designed to ignite innovation in publishing technology. By encouraging young entrepreneurs and content businesses to develop fresh ideas, the initiative aims to nurture a vibrant ecosystem that can sustain Vietnam’s digital publishing ambitions.
Throughout the forum, participants expressed a shared conviction: Vietnam’s publishing industry stands at a crossroads. The path forward requires synchronized transformation—updating editorial mindsets, embracing cutting-edge technologies like AI, blockchain, and big data, fostering collaboration across the content value chain, and building a Vietnamese-led digital publishing ecosystem. As Dr. Nguyen Minh Hong poignantly put it, "Digital publishing is no longer a choice but a necessity. The question is whether we have the courage to cross the threshold and truly transform." The stakes are high, but so are the rewards. If Vietnam seizes this moment, it could unlock a new era of cultural vitality, knowledge accessibility, and economic growth.
