(HNNN) - Editor's note: The strong development of information technology has posed many problems for socio -economic sectors, including the Publishing - Printing - Distribution sector. How to change and adapt is a big question, especially for young bookmakers. On the occasion of Vietnam Book Day (April 21) and World Book and Copyright Day (April 23), Hanoi Today introduces an article by Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director of Times Science and Education Publishing Joint Stock Company Vu Trong Dai on this issue.
Three waves of publishing
The first wave: The 1990s. The renovation, which began in 1986, has brought great achievements to modern Vietnam. The impact of renovation on the publishing industry has been evident since the 1990s. At that time, Vietnam gradually opened its doors to the world , and Vietnamese people increasingly learned about the outside world to exchange and cooperate. That context led to the need for books to learn about Southeast Asian countries, about countries with historical relations and becoming major investment partners in Vietnam such as France, Japan..., and more broadly, international organizations that Vietnam campaigned to join. A number of international cultural funds supported Vietnamese publishers during this period, such as the Japan Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Some publishing and distribution units have begun to operate according to the market economy mechanism, along with the appearance of some of the first private enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, such as First News - Tri Viet, East-West Language and Culture Center...
The second wave: 2010s. The Enterprise Law (issued in 1999, officially effective on January 1, 2000) and the Berne Convention on Copyright Protection were two important boosts, opening up opportunities for publishing businesses in Vietnam. In addition to publishers with long-standing traditions such as National Politics - Truth, Education, World, Culture - Information, Ho Chi Minh City Synthesis, Tre, Kim Dong..., a series of book companies were born during this period, to date, some companies are still among the leading brands in Vietnam such as Nha Nam, Alpha Books, Dong A, Dinh Ti, Thai Ha Books... Books in this period not only provided general information to help learn about the world like in the 1990s, but were also clearly differentiated according to the fields: Literature, children, economics, skills...
The third wave: 2015 - 2020 period. Basically, Vietnam has reached agreements with international organizations, blocs of countries, and countries around the world to complete bilateral and multilateral agreements, becoming one of the most open economies in the world. To cooperate more deeply and develop further, Vietnamese people need to delve deeper into the fundamental knowledge of humanity. This is also the fastest and most vibrant development period of the Publishing, Printing and Distribution industry in Vietnam. The concept of "reading culture", after nearly a decade of campaigning, has become familiar in the mass media, present in policy agendas. Scientific knowledge, which was thought to be "difficult", is now widely disseminated, warmly received by readers, becoming a new trend with the phenomenon of the birth and strong development of Omega Vietnam Book Company - specializing in publishing basic science books, followed by many other publishing units also making science books. The publishing market during this period also exploded with the mark of e-commerce: Consumer habits have changed, the market share of traditional bookstores has narrowed, facing strong competition from e-commerce platforms, most notably Tiki, and a series of stores and online book sales on different technology platforms, typically Facebook.
Proactively welcome the fourth wave
Although the revenue of the Vietnamese Publishing industry has been growing steadily at double-digit rates every year for the past decade, the context of globalization and especially the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic raises some big questions.
The first question is, does traditional publishing still play the role of a driving force for the development of the economy, science, culture and education as it has in history? Looking back at the past, we can see the great role of publishing as a driving force for human progress. Since Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type printing in the mid-15th century, for nearly 600 years until the 1990s, it was an era that people called the Gutenberg Era. Paper book publishing played an almost exclusive role in accumulating and transmitting knowledge, forming the first Scientific Revolution, which in turn laid the foundation for the first Industrial Revolution. However, the throne of paper books or traditional publishing began to be shaken by the emergence and rapid popularity of computers and the Internet. Publishing technology is no longer at the top of the technology chain, no longer the sole means of accumulating and transmitting human knowledge. As a result, publishing revenue as an economic sector no longer accounts for a large proportion as in the golden past.
Second question: So will the Publishing industry decline and disappear? It seems that the answer will be “yes” if the Publishing industry does not transform with the development of the times, specifically based on new technology. Paper book publishing certainly will not disappear, but the scope of use has narrowed significantly compared to before. The world Publishing industry has been redefined as a content industry, that is, the industry that provides content (information, knowledge) - something that is constant even though materials and technology may change over time. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese Publishing industry is slow, still not redefined to keep up with the changing pace of the content industry in the world. The "Covid shock" in 2020 and 2021 made people realize the trading limitations of paper books, printing and distributing in the traditional way, recognizing the advantages and strengths of digital books (e-books, audiobooks) and electronic transactions, and moreover, the sudden demand of readers for forms of receiving information and knowledge via the internet.
Third question: How is the Publishing Industry changing? Recent achievements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning such as ChatGPT, Midjourney or Google Translate... have raised great concerns, to the point that Bloomberg news agency has warned about job losses in a series of fields and professions, including the creative field (including publishing). AI can write content, design covers... while translation and editing software are becoming more and more popular, threatening the jobs of personnel in almost every stage of traditional publishing activities: Copyright, editing, design... There is no other way, the Publishing industry cannot just shout the slogan of digital transformation, but must truly grasp advanced technologies, transform/upgrade the workforce to be able to apply technology, develop digital products to meet the needs and tastes of society that are changing extremely rapidly. This is the Fourth Wave, a great challenge that the Vietnamese Publishing industry must overcome and conquer, only then can it continue to play an active role in the country's development process.
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