Editor's Note : Why, in a developing society like Vietnam, has reading not yet become a widespread habit? This series of articles by author Pham Quang Vinh suggests a different approach: Reading is not a single individual choice but a product of an ecosystem – where policies, education , the market, and social values ​​all come together to shape it.

VietNamNet presents this series as an open forum, hoping to receive diverse perspectives from readers, managers, educators, and publishers: How to build a reading society in the context of a knowledge-based economy ?

Lesson 1: From the dream of "gold and jewels in a book" to the reality of the knowledge economy

Lesson 2: The Disruption of the "Scholar" Tradition and its Consequences for Reading Culture

Looking deeper into the infrastructure and foundation of reading habits, several relatively easy-to-identify factors become apparent. For example, in countries with high reading rates, strong reading habits, and a developed publishing industry, such as the US or Europe, public libraries can be easily found in almost every community, from small towns to city and national libraries. Organizations and businesses also have a "habit" of maintaining their own book collections and libraries to serve the reading needs of their employees.

Japan also maintains a system of bookstores and libraries as part of its cultural infrastructure, funded by public finances and community support.

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, the infrastructure for reading can be said to have been significantly weakened.

People's bookstores, which used to have branches in even the smallest towns and villages, are now almost nonexistent. The main bookstores in provinces and cities have largely disappeared, replaced by commercial buildings, after book publishing companies were privatized and new owners lost interest in the book business, especially in the context of declining reading demand during the early stages of economic reform. Meanwhile, the locations used for these bookstores were all in prime urban areas with high commercial value.

The disappearance of bookstores not only weakens the distribution system, but culturally, it deprives people of a place to access books, of the opportunity to stumble upon them by chance.

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The habit of reading and self-learning must become an important foundation. Photo: VietNamNet

Our public library system has also weakened considerably. Except for a few localities that maintain a certain level of existence (and mainly at the provincial level), there are almost no public libraries at the grassroots level, and school libraries focus primarily on educational books. There are hardly any new books, reading guides, or community activities, and the complete lack of a grassroots library system is a significant weakness that contributes to the decline of reading habits.

In a society without access to books, reading becomes a solitary individual act, rather than a social activity.

Publishing industry: From a tool of knowledge to a weak business sector

Against the backdrop of declining reading habits and low demand, Vietnam's publishing market also exhibits unique characteristics reflecting its difficulties. Perhaps the most significant is the weak and fragmented nature of book companies and publishers. Even the leading companies in the Vietnamese publishing market are too small in scale and capacity, with very limited financial resources. It's evident that most of the best-selling books over the years bear the personal imprint of their authors, including manuscript organization, production decisions, and even distribution.

The publishing market is fragmented, with small-scale publishers and a lack of large enough publishers or book companies to invest long-term in foundational book lines. Bestselling books are often those that cater to short-term needs, while those that require time to accumulate value struggle to survive.

In large cities, bookstores still exist (although they mainly sell educational books and stationery), but outside these centers, access to books decreases rapidly. In many places, buying a book is no longer a simple matter.

This is different from developed economies, where publishing is an industry, with large-scale publishers capable of long-term investment and well-organized manuscripts, playing a role in shaping knowledge.

In today's publishing market, publishers primarily function in a managerial role, while book-making businesses are often small, fragmented, lack capital for large projects, and rely on fast-selling books.

For example, in Vietnam, there is almost a complete lack of publishing consultants who help authors organize manuscripts, develop their works, and work with authors and publishers to publish and bring books to market.

This leads to a vicious cycle: the market lacks good books, so there are no readers; few readers mean a small market; and a small market means no investment in good books. The fact that publications mostly sell only a few thousand copies, or even fewer, paints a relatively bleak picture.