Vietnam’s Publishing Industry Faces Growth, but Piracy Threatens Progress

Vietnam's book publishing industry is on the cusp of explosive growth, yet the old nemesis of piracy continues to undercut its potential. At the Digital Publishing Summit (DPS 2025), industry leaders laid bare both progress and persistent challenges in the digital era (VnEconomy).

The revised Law on Intellectual Property (2022) and Decree 17/2023 laid the regulatory ground for stronger copyright protections. But the stark reality is that these frameworks are not translating into robust enforcement. In an interview with Vietnam Economic Times / VnEconomy, Hoang Dinh Chung, Director of the Digital Copyright Centre, noted that "criminal penalties…are extremely difficult to apply, especially in the digital space, where proving specific damages is far from simple." As a result, most piracy cases only attract administrative penalties, which lack teeth and fail to deter violators.

Piracy is not just a local problem. With advanced content theft tools, even sophisticated DRM/TPM systems can be readily circumvented. Chung warned that the ability to bypass detection is escalating, and a piecemeal legal approach won't cut it. A more unified and proactive strategy is urgently needed, one that blends stronger enforcement, publisher vigilance, and public awareness.

In the same interview, Chung also pointed out that most adult consumers already know that accessing pirated content is wrong. Yet many persist under the assumption that content should be free, or that it's too much hassle to comply with proper copyright protocols. "Changing this mindset and behaviour isn't something that can happen overnight; it will take a long-term strategy to shape a culture of responsible content consumption gradually," he said.

Despite these challenges, the publishing sector, valued at $151 billion globally in 2024 and forecast to grow to $192 billion by 2030, must continue to innovate in Vietnam, where it is estimated to reach VND 4–5 trillion ($160–200 million) annually. Leaders like Alpha Books (CEO: Nguyen Canh Binh) believe Vietnam could scale to VND 20–40 trillion ($800 million–$1.6 billion) if issues such as copyright infringement can be resolved.

Sources:

Publishing industry: Reading the market