Digital publishing is seeing a sharp upward trajectory in Vietnam, the publication Vietnamnet reported. It was on March 22nd that luminaries from the publishing realm convened to reflect on the year that was 2023 and to introspect as to what lies ahead in 2024. What emerged from this conference, hosted by the Authority of Publication, Printing, and Distribution under the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), was a testament to the undeniable rise of digital publishing.
The gathering took stock of the scenario where books aren’t just ink on paper but vibrant entities thriving in the digital realm. In 2023, that world became more tangible than ever and there are hard-core numbers to support that fact. Clearly, there has been a surge in publications powered by smart technologies, with e-publications leading the charge. A staggering 4,000 titles that came into existence which marks a 19.4 percent increase from the previous year. Also, the titles aren’t any vaporware either as they amounted to a remarkable 36 million copies, which itself marks an 11 percent jump from the year before.
What’s even more remarkable is the participation rate. Out of 57 publishing houses, 24 dared to venture into the digital frontier, it being 26.3 percent more compared to the previous year. This again accounts for a whopping 42.1 percent of the total number of publishing houses. What’s more, the e-publication market share surged to 15.3 percent, surpassing the initial target of 12 percent.
The excitement also does not end there. Audiobooks witnessed a sharp rise in revenue that jumped to $4.83 million during 2022-2023. That’s not just meeting the target—that’s surpassing it with flying colors.
Nguyen Nguyen, the visionary director general of the Authority of Publication, Printing, and Distribution, articulated it best. “Vietnam’s e-publication market is catching up with its regional and world peers,” he declared proudly. And he’s right. With a growing array of e-publications catering to local audiences, the landscape of publishing is undergoing a profound transformation.
“AI is being widely applied in editing book content and creating audiobooks with different voices to meet audiences’ specific needs, helping to enrich the publishing sector’s offerings,” said Nguyen.
“It is time for the publishing sector to embrace strong innovation for subsistence and development, heralding a new development chapter in digital publishing and a combination of traditional and digital publications,” said Hung, Minister of Information and Communications.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.