Headlines
International Book Fair in Viet Nam
From 25-29 October 2007, on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the foundation of the Publishing Industry of Viet Nam, an International Book Fair was organised in Hanoi, capital of Viet Nam, with the participation of hundreds of national and international publishers and publishing agents.
Beside the activities of the anniversary such as awarding prizes for the best masterpieces in 2007, meeting with well-known writers and artists, poem recitation, literary workshops, producing folkloric paintings, etc. A festival titled "Harry Potter and the Witches" was held, attracting a lot of people, mostly young readers. At the same time, book prices were reduced from 10-80% in general.
 At the inauguration day, Walt Disney Brand publications, and stationery were was sold by Thuong Dinh Media Company . From now on, this company will have the copyright to bear the Walt Disney brand in its products. Some more similar brand names are being discussed, showing that the Berne Convention has started to be respected in Viet Nam.
One of the best-sellers "Dang Thuy Tram's Diary" - a diary of the late doctor which was kept by an American veteran for 30 years and recently returned to Viet Nam - has been translated in the United States and published by Random Publishing House. It was first shown in this fair under the title "Last Night I Dreamed of Peace".
(November 2007, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB correspondent)
Golden Star Medal awarded to the Association of Vietnamese Writers
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Association of Vietnamese Writers, the highest National Medal was awarded - the Golden Star Medal. The Golden Star Medal was officially endorsed by the late President Ho Chi Minh according to Decree No 58, on 6 June 1947, for individuals, organizations or units which gave eminent contributions to the Nation.
During the past fifty years, five generations of Vietnamese writers have appeared and many have become internationally known. Hundreds of writers passed along the Ho Chi Minh trail to the Southern battlefield and covered the fiercest and most heroic activities of the struggle for national salvation and the reunification of the country in the American war, and many among them became war-martyrs.
With 967 members (poets, writers, art critics and translators), the Association has its own newspapers, magazine, publishing house, cinema agency… and copyright centre, as well as one Young Writers' Training Centre. 127 members have won National Prizes and 15, International Prizes. At present, most of the writings or compositions reflect the present-day Vietnam after more than 30 years of post-war rebuilding and 20 years of reforming the country - Vietnam as it is.
(October 2007, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB correspondent)
Foreign Rights Purchases
Now, the Berne Convention is being fully implemented in Vietnam. Vietnamese publishers, though late, are now competing to buy foreign rights to have foreign publications to translate into Vietnamese even as they are being written . In one way, the publishing scene in Vietnam has become professionalised; Vietnam has started joining International Book Fairs and purchasing copyrights as well as searching for the best ones, so that when books appear anywhere in the world, they may also be published in Vietnamese. It shows that reading culture in Vietnam is improving while the multi-media is penetrating everywhere as well.
However, at the same time, many private publishing houses are springing up under their own names, and this competition is making readers a little worried about translation quality at such short notice. Young editors for foreign languages are limited and not mature enough to evaluate the final products. A seminar held last month in Hanoi was organised to remind translators and editors about the art of interpreting languages, not simply translating word-for-word. It's a pity that all the best translators of Vietnam are in their sixties and seventies. Most of the private publishers consider that, at present, purchasing foreign rights is no longer a difficult issue in Vietnam. The difficulty is to get good translators to retain the trust of foreign partners as well as that of their readers, since unhealthy competition would lead to shoddy products - a big issue at present.
(May 2007, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB correspondent)
Promotion of Reading Culture Among Youth
November 2006, activities to promote reading culture in general and among the youth in particular, are being held everywhere. Prices in big book festivals are discounted 20% to 80%, attracting a large number of students and book-lovers to visit and buy books. Whenever this kind of event is launched, it always gets free publicity in any newspaper.
Two special programmes for book promotion are on TV1 every day, at 6.45 am and 11.25 pm. Beside introducing new books, a short talk, with an author if possible, is always organized to help readers understand more about the context and content of the works, these programmes also help link a network of book donors, providing both new and second hand books to libraries in remote or mountainous areas.
At the same time, authors are invited to contact readers by launching talks, book signings, etc… in various public areas. These talks are also put on-line, helping to encourage authors to listen to readers, and know more about the readers' demands on them. For some authors, meeting and contacting readers turns out to be a need.
However, in the Vietnam publishing scene of there is a lack of good books or good cartoons for children. Most of the children's books or cartoon programmes are imported.
(November 2006, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB correspondent)
Before Joining WTO
Viet Nam is now being considered an attractive potential market for the international publishing groups when this country joins WTO (World Trade Organization), which might happen in late 2006. Big groups like Oxford, Simon & Schuster, Dorling Kindersley, Harvard Business School etc. will have the right to print their publications in Viet Nam. That will be big competition for the 52 local publishing houses, not all of which are ready for globalization and following the new rules of the game.
According to some leaders of the most famous publishing houses in Viet Nam, the publishing scene is still inadequately equipped to cope with the new demand. Compared with some of the best ones, like the Youth Publishing House (in Ho Chi Minh City), Kim Dong Publishing House, First News, South Star, etc., the ones which have been doing research, training themselves and preparing for the coming period, most of the provincial ones are still embarrassed. Joining WTO will make it hard for them not only to follow the Berne Convention, but also the rules by which copyright is being implemented more strictly.
For the moment, the media is helping them to understand and to get ready, first of all, by reminding the publishers to start using bar-coded products. Still, the publishing boat of Viet Nam is now facing the ocean.
(September 2006, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB correspondent)
First Viet Nam Book Prize Awarded Organized
The project of awarding prizes for "Most interesting, best-designed and special books" was planned in early 2004, but it was delayed until 28 May 2006.
The Ceremony of Book Prize Awards was held in the National Opera House in Hanoi, and attended by Minister of Culture and Information Pham Quang Nghi, Former Vice-Prime Minister Nguyen Khanh and Former Party Secretary Le Kha Phieu, together with authors of different generations and publishers from all over the country, proving that books are really highly appreciated in Viet Nam.
30 items were awarded as Most Interesting, 23 as Best-Designed and 2 as Special Prizes. However, among the titles mentioned were only five masterpieces, written by the most well known authors of Viet Nam such as writer To Hoai (87 years old) and Professor Cao Xuan Hao. The two collections which won Special Prizes were that of the Late Doctor Soldier Dang Thuy Tram's Diary, and War-Martyr Nguyen Van Thac's, titled Forever Be 20.
24 Publishing Houses were honoured together with the participation of 120 authors. Since this was the first event of this kind organized in Viet Nam, criticism was that prizes were given top generously, making them less competitive.
(June 2006, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB correspondent)
First World Book and Copyright Day
 The World Book and Copyright Day (23 April) was held properly in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for the first time this year.
In Hanoi, activities to inaugurate the day were held in the National Library, such as book shows, collecting books for poor children, meetings with famous writers and poets etc, but the most exciting initiatives were to illustrate favorite heroes in the stories or legends, special theatrical programmes where the heroes in the stories "contacted" the young readers. Thousands of children and their parents participated and highly appreciated these activities.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the World Book and Copyright Day was held in the New World Hotel, with the programme "Enjoy reading and exploiting creativeness". Besides similar activities to those in Hanoi, the programme was led by the famous British artist, Cassandra Wye, an expert on new methods in story-telling. The event attracted so many people that it created a jam in front of the Hotel, and was a great surprise to Ms Cassandra Wye.
Readers and participants gave very good evaluations of the special page of the VnExpress online as one of the most successful activities for reading culture.
(April 2006, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB correspondent)
Biggest Book Fair Held in Ho Chi Minh City
From 20-26 March 2006, Viet Nam's 4th Book Fair was organized in Ho Chi Minh City with an exhibition of 100,000 Vietnamese and foreign books. Participating in the Book Fair were 78 domestic publishers and 22 international publishers, among them Wiley&Sons, Mc Graw Hill and other famous ones.
Many contracts on purchasing copyrights and co-operation were signed. The publishing scene in Viet Nam is being integrated properly into world book trade, and it is right to say that the passion for reading still exists in this country, thanks to recent efforts made by the mass media to provide book reviews and book introductions on a daily basis.
 Furthermore, seminars, workshops, competitions are being held to promote text books, and literature with the presence of well-known authors. The Vietnam Foundation of Literature Translation was inaugurated on this occasion, aiming to remedy the chaotic situation which has produced so many badly translated versions so far.
The Literature Publishing House is considered one of the best publishing names in Viet Nam for various collections of Vietnamese literature as well as those which have won Nobel and Goncourt prizes.
(March 2006, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB correspondent)
Vietnamese Writers' Museum
Based on the creative idea of the poet Nguyen Khoa Diem, former General Secretary of the Writers' Association of Viet Nam, a compound for writers is being built by the West Lake of Hanoi.
The first part, a seven-storey building has been completed. This will be a museum for Vietnamese literature from the 11th century onward, from Old Chinese characters to Nom (simplified Chinese characters) then to Romanized masterpieces.
A database of all the well-known writers' relics, their writing processes, their stories, etc. is being compiled and maintained in this museum. Most of the late writers' and poets' families or descendants are supporting the museum by contributing relics and other items.
According to poet Tran Ninh Ho, the first director of the museum, this compound is unique in the whole region, and it will help to preserve a cultural heritage not only for the future generations of Viet Nam, but also for international researchers who want to understand about Vietnamese history via literature.
The second building, an eleven-storey one which will be completed early next year, is for literary activities such as writing clubs, writers' hostels, so that writers and poets from the 63 provinces of Viet Nam can stay and compose in a romantic, quiet setting. This will also be a training centre for the gifted and authors-to-be who want to try writing.
(November 2005, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB Correspondent)
Second Electronic Book Studio Inaugurated
After establishing the first electronic and digitized book studio in 2003, the General Scientific Library of Ho Chi Minh City started a second one on 26 October 2005. This studio is sponsored by the Force Foundation (Netherland) with a total sum of US$24,000.
The first studio run by this Library has been quite successful so far in providing 77 items of books in various ethnic minorities' languages. It has been running some minor projects to publish electronic books for ten libraries in the remotest areas in the near future.
The second one is respectively serving blind pupils and students throughout the country. Textbooks, novels, and other scientific books will be produced by this studio. The "Best Practice Manual" of Share de Vision (United Kingdom) has also been produced in books, on CD and put on the web site which has now become one of the most useful items for all the libraries and schools of the blind people in Viet Nam.
Recently, there have been more and more newsreaders volunteering to read books for blind people. Tapes are sent to the school for the blind, as well as to the Association of the Blind of Viet Nam. Deaf-mutes also have their own television programmes with subtitles, mainly for current affairs.
(October 2005, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB Correspondent)
Eminent Book by Dao Duy Anh
The collection of Professor Dao Duy Anh (1904-1988), one of the famous scholars of Viet Nam, has been published recently. The collection Nghien cuu van hoa va ngu van (Cultural and Phonetics Studies) published by Education Publishing House, is special not only for its insightful studies, but also for set fine criteria for the trend of literature, culture, and social sciences of Viet Nam from the previous century to the present. It expands people's knowledge, and is easy for people in various social strata to read and understand.
The author started his studies on Vietnamese culture and other social scientific issues in the 1920s. His phonetics analysis was a link between the old Chinese characteristics with the Nom (the simplified characters of Viet Nam before the language was romanized) and contemporary Vietnamese.
He was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize, a prize given to those who have contributed to the national culture, such as compositor Van Cao, who composed the Vietnamese National Anthem. The prize was given two years after his death, at the same time as a big avenue was named after him in Hanoi.
(September 2005, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB Correspondent)
Berne and Geneva Convention Being Implemented
After signing the Berne Convention, Viet Nam has now started to properly implement the Geneva Convention as its 74th member. Copyright for cassettes, video films, VCDs and DVDs has been protected by the Penal Code in Viet Nam since 1996 and was indicated clearly in Decision No. 55 by the Ministry of Culture and Information, dated 5 April 1999. However, just like publications, novels, and textbooks which are now creating a headache for the legal publishers, copyright violation of music and film products has become more and more serious and caused confusion for the producers dealing with this issue. Cheap, poor quality pirated products are found on sale in the street at only 10% of the original price. So, it is hard for Vietnamese composers and musicians, to demand copyright protection, even when their products are being used openly in bars, cafes, etc...
Even though the Law is in force and the Decrees are approved, the vendors are still ignoring it, because the punishment is not severe enough to prevent them. Recently, both the administrators and the mass media have been trying their best to deal with this issue, aiming to put these Conventions into effect on the path to globalization. However, it will surely take time.
(July 2005, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB Correspondent)
Classical Poetry as Best-seller 
Vietnamese is known as a poetic language, and the majority of people can compose poems - though the really well-known poets whose names remain in people's memories number only a few hundred. However, the collection titled "One Hundred Great Poets of Viet Nam" (Viet Nam Bach Gia Thi), started with a single book (150 cm x 90 cm) in Chinese which was translated into Vietnamese by the scholar Cao Tu Thanh. It appeared during the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the reunification of the country, was acclaimed by readers and reedited in small size (20 cm x 35 cm), 135000 VND (approx. 8.5 USD), Saigon Cultural Publishing House (Nha xuat ban van hoa Saigon). This collection of poems turned out to be a best-seller, and more than one thousand copies were sold in one week. It seems that beautiful, well-printed books are more popular than ordinary ones.
(July 2005, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB Correspondent)
The Berne Convention Issue
Nearly one year after the implementation of the Berne Convention, a large number of translated works are "stuck in the pipeline" since the publishers haven't been able to buy the copyright yet. The crisis of translated books in general and novels respectively have greatly affected Vietnamese readers. The fact is that the Berne Convention was signed quickly by Viet Nam during the process of joining WTO, which is why Vietnamese publishers were not fully prepared to deal with the contracts signed with translators.
According to the data by the Publication Department, in the first quarter of 2005, out of 228 titles registered to be published, only 144 were accepted. The majority, more than 100 titles, were classical or folkloric books for which the copyright terms had expired, and 25 titles got the copyright granted by Embassies based in Viet Nam. Quite a few copyrights were bought.
The suggestion from translators is that the Publication Department would have to establish a section which could give advice to Vietnamese publishers, and could discuss with foreign publishers as to how to buy copyrights and distribute books translated or published in Viet Nam, and also plan to strike a balance between purchasing, and promulgating Vietnamese works as well. Now it is mid-2005, it seems as if the publishing scene in Viet Nam is becoming more confused. While translated works are stuck, not many Vietnamese novels are being accepted as masterpieces, and reading culture is not improving, especially among young people.
(June 2005, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB Correspondent)
Vietnamese Writers' Key Arguments: Masterpieces for Modern Readers
The 7th National Congress (23-25 April 2005) has ended, however, the discussions are still going on. Criteria for judging literary masterpieces are not easy to determine. Book runs for a novel, or a collection of short stories usually begin with 1000 copies only. Reading culture is still neglected, both at home and abroad. At home, one of the common reasons is that it is not easy to compete with the multi-media, Internet, VCDs, etc., while abroad, not many Vietnamese novels are translated into other languages, so Vietnamese literature still plays a minor role in the international scene.
Besides, the fact remains that, brilliant as some of the novels are, while most Vietnamese writers are trying to develop their own style of writing, there is a shortage of proper literary critics; and some literary critics have little relation to, and very little regard for or realization of, the delicate, fallible, but aspiring nature of the creative process. Also, they are sometimes so weighed down with the intellectual jargon of the avant-garde critic that they tend to exist merely for themselves, with little relation to the novelist. A few are heavy-going, difficult to read and harder to understand, academically pompous, using abstract words and dogmatic judgments that are almost anti-literature, and all but anti-life. That also confuses readers and makes them depressed.
How Viet Nam can have literary masterpieces has been the subject of an on-going discussion - and one key argument has it that writers must bravely speak their minds, and reflect the reality of life as it is, and reviewers must criticize work not for what it is but for what it fails to be; and it is not necessarily true that a writer should try to become other than he is - that is what some of the lecturers and most of the writers in Viet Nam have been saying so far.
(May 2005, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB Correspondent)
National Workshop on Copyright
Together with the Copyright Office of Viet Nam, Ministry of Culture and Information and Kim Dong Publishing House, ACCU coorganized the "National Workshop for the Production and Utilization of the Vietnamese Version of Asian Copyright Handbook" from 15 to 18 March 2005, in Hanoi, Viet Nam, in order to promote better understanding of the concept of copyright through the handbook among the  people engaged in publishing activities in Viet Nam. More than 120 professionals engaged in publishing business participated from all around Viet Nam. From abroad, experts from France, Japan and UNESCO gave lectures. The Vietnamese edition will be published by Kim Dong Publishing House and it is to be available at Copyright page around June 2005.
(March 2005, ACCU)
Facing Competition and Globalization
During the second half of 2004 the Publication Law Amendment and the Berne Convention were signed in Viet Nam. Pirating and plagiarism of books was reduced significantly in comparison with previous years, which is why the percentage of translated books dropped to 40% of what had been planned. The casual way of working is going to be at an end.
These events should bring to the Vietnamese publication scene a favourable way of working and new challenges while going into a global track. The favourablekey changes in the Publication Law are: 1.Directors of the all the publishing houses make their own decisions in publishing; 2. Private entrepreneurs can participate in choosing manuscripts, printing and circulating; 3. Foreign publishing houses are allowed to have representative offices in Vietnam.
So, besides joining the Berne Convention, competition is appearing between state-owned publishing houses and private entrepreneurs, as well as between Vietnamese publishers in general with the foreign publishing corporations - one of the most difficult elements since they have been working more professionally and are much wealthier (so far, five foreign corporations are planning to open representative offices both in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi).
However, competition and globalization in publishing activities would bring to Vietnamese readers better quality products, bothin translated novels and Vietnamese ones, though they have to pay more. Also, with the professional publishing corporations working in Viet Nam, more Vietnamese writers will be known to the world. Therefore, together with other favourable and challenging activities in globalization, Vietnamese publishers have to deal with their own as well.
(January 2005, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB Correspondent)
A Glimpse through Current Publication Scenes
As reported by the Publishing Department of the Ministry of Culture and Information of Viet Nam, in 2003, there were 16,110 items published with 223 million copies. It means that the average per capita reached 2.8 items, and together with quantity, quality has been remarkably improved as well.Among them, 15% were on Technology and Sciences, 24% on Vietnamese Studies, Literature and Arts, 20% on Politics, and the rest were text books and others.
As for 2004, a new policy of the Government is to subsidize transportation fees for circulation. Dozens of millions of books have been reaching the remote and mountainous areas. Beside other activities such as cultural festivals being revived, books, and the media are now becoming familiar to minority people almost everywhere.
The Association of Publication has been set up, presided over by Pham Khac Hai, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Information. The Association would help coordinate private entrepreneurs, encouraging them to participate actively in circulating books so that valuable ones as well as masterpieces would reach readers nationwide. The Association also finds all the best ways to decrease the printing cost and prices.
The target for 2004 has reached 4 books per capita and reading culture is being revived among Vietnamese people. A special programme on Book Reviews has been produced by VTV1 every morning so that eminent books are properly introduced to readers.
Since November 2004, the Berne Convention has been fully implemented in Viet Nam. The chaotic pirate situation in publishing foreign books began to cease and at the same time, the Copy Right Center of Viet Nam was set up by the Viet Nam Association of Writers, to protect Vietnamese writers. It is the starting point for Viet Nam in the trend of globalization, mostly in publishing activities.
(November 2004, Phan Thanh Hao, APPREB Correspondent)
Problems in Publishing Law
The publishing scene in Viet Nam has been developing, flourishing thanks to the reform, and at the same time getting out of control. To deal with this, the mass media has started raising its voice, demanding that amendments be made, since many articles in the current Publishing Law are not clear, including the definition of editions and reprints. Private entrepreneurs and even some state publishers have been taking advantages of these loopholes to get permission as well as to neglect paying royalties, or reduce them. Authors, then readers, are the ones who have to suffer a lot, because no one will be able to know the real circulation, nor number of reprints. Presently, not many publishers, and almost no private entrepreneurs, have asked for permission or put the number of editions in the cover, which means the author has no way to complain and no basis to take legal action.
Another unclear article is the prohibition of "promulgating the pornographic and decadent way of living." Later, this was amended to: "The cultural products are prohibited to have these following contents" (with some examples).
Proper research not only by policy makers but also by the professional researchers and linguists needs to be involved in the coming amendments to make them suitable for modern life.
(July 2003, Phan Thanh Hao, ABD Correspondent)
Present State and Issues in the Publishing Scene
The publishing scene in Viet Nam continues to boom, with the amount of publications being increased by 10% annually. According to the data given by the Book Distribution Agency in Ho Chi Minh City alone, 9.8 million copies were sold in 2002, bringing a turnover of 207.5 billion VND to the Agency. But literary books in general, constituted only 30% of the total sale, and the majority of those were translations. This is to say that, in the three years which have passed since the beginning of the new millennium, many new publications such as encyclopedias, scientific and technical books, textbooks, children's books, criticism, etc., have accounted for most of the domestic book market. Meanwhile, except for translated novels, and some collections of short stories, Vietnamese writers haven't made any striking impact in the literature world yet.
Some art critics comment that some eminent writers who are now in their 40s "are getting old before being grown up" and don't respond to the hopes of readers, their writings are now all the same, the subjects are not new, and their styles haven't improved.
(February 2003, Phan Thanh Hao, ABD Correspondent)
Transitional Period in the Publishing Scene
In December 2002, two important seminars were held in Hanoi concerning copyright and translated books, aiming to put publishing in Viet Nam into order, as well as to create a chance for Vietnamese writers and translators to meet and discuss with international colleagues these issues which concern them.
There are 44 Publishing Houses in Viet Nam, and all are working mainly according to the market economy rule. In 2002, some figures regarding books were reported, for example the Women's Publishing House published 300 titles, Labour Publishing House, 180, National University of Hanoi, 415, the Literature Publishing House, 468, etc. But no one could know the total numbers of circulation and how many times a book was reprinted. Royalties are paid differently: from 10-14% of the price printed in the cover of the book, and to make sure that the publisher could make a profit, the circulation is 1,000 copies. Authors were hardly ever informed if their books were in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th edition, since no one cares to pay them for these editions. And nobody publishes books only under their own name: all are involved in translating books or literary novels.
Also during 2002, few new novels were acclaimed or popular with readers. They were easily and quickly forgotten, and not only that, they haven't been mentioned in any reviews either. Most of the literary books and novels which were sold and read are collections of works written by the late famous writers from the past ten centuries, or mostly from the last century, such as collections of the writers Nguyen Tuan, or Nguyen Minh Chau. Besides, translated books are published by all the publishing houses in the country, i.e. 40% of the books published in the Literature Publishing House were translated books, and nearly the most of the other 60% were re-edited books. Unofficial reprints and sold for 50% of the sale price without legal punitive action result in a big loss for the publishers.
Some publishers have started thinking about electronic books, and are becoming involved in the world market with its international laws, such as the Kim Dong Publishing House. The two seminars spurred writers, publishers and translators to start a proper way of producing and controlling the market as well. Some bilateral contracts were signed between Viet Nam and China, Viet Nam and Rep. of Korea, Viet Nam and Sweden, etc. The relationship between Viet Nam and the United States is being continued with some bilateral publications, but very few have been published by the big publishers so far.
However, it will take time during this transitional period for the Vietnamese publishers to put everything on the right track, together with globalisation in general.
(January 2003, Phan Thanh Hao, ABD correspondent)
Reformed Textbooks for Primary Education
The Department of Primary Curriculum, Ministry of Education and Training, together with the ad-hoc experts on educational issues, have launched reformed textbooks for primary schools to be used nationwide from this school year beginning in September.
This event has created a big debate in the country, since a new beginning was created for first grade children: i.e. E is the first vowel instead of O as well as many changes in text and exercises. A lot of criticism has been published in the mass media in general.
However, this is the first year for it to be implemented, and according to the experts, the aim is to help children have an easy beginning, so that they can have a real childhood instead of being loaded up with books, classes and extra classes. Vietnamese teachers will reach a conclusion at the end of the year.
(September 2002, Phan Thanh Hao, ABD correspondent)
New Royalty Law to Solve the Publishing Contradictions
The book market in Viet Nam has had a very loose control on the pricing system. Prices are rather high for readers since the circulating fee was from 22% to 45%. Meanwhile, writers or translators get only 10% of the price for royalties, which is not encouraging incentive for good translators to work on books. Few good ones have been found over the past few years, and the quality of translation is rather low.
To deal with this reality, on 11 June, the Prime Minister launched Resolution No 61/2002/ND-CP on new royalty system aiming to encourage the creativeness of the authors and assure their property right as well as their copyright.
In short, a publication office can use 10% of its turnover for royalty funds, and the editor-in-chief or the director can decide special payment for a book or an article according to the quality of the work. This new resolution will be applied immediately.
(July 2002, Phan Thanh Hao, from ABD 33-1)
Publishing Scene: More to Be Improved
Wandering around the bookstores in Viet Nam at present, one can see abundance in various forms. To attract customers, not only are book covers beautifully designed, but also the bookstores are fancily decorated. Thanks to the economic development, all the bookstores are crowded, and more and more retail bookshops are being founded. But it is easy to see that the customers are the wealthy ones; poor people often hesitate to enter these places.
So, to help poor readers in the remotest areas, some kinds of books and magazines were given away free of charge. In some places, secondhand books, magazines and newspapers were also given to village libraries, where they are much welcome, and these are considered good examples for other areas in the country to follow.
According to some quick surveys, it is true that books are made for rich people now. For a one-thousand-page title, the cost is equivalent to US$10-14, while a collection might cost from US$40 to 600 - a price which, given the ordinary workers' salaries, is impossible for them to pay. The reason is that books are mostly financed by private investors who, after buying the publication right from Publishing Houses, have to make a profit. In general, the publishing scene is rather open, if not to say a little messy. Prices are decided by individuals instead of being fixed by certain rules, and these individual investors also decide who will be their retailers. They also publish collections of short stories using stories which have already appeared in magazines, or been published elsewhere, passing them off as theirs and selling them under other titles. Readers could easily be cheated into thinking they are a new collection. Cheap, bad-taste books, such as horoscopes, fortune-telling for the year etc., are made illegally, and sold legally by the street sellers, including pirated ones, and nothing much has been seriously done to stop this.
Certainly, some readers are forced to buy books, mostly students or researchers, and librarians. However, proper publishers have really been getting annoyed and, though the policy makers are trying their best to rearrange the scene, so far, it has not been much improved. What a pity for poor people in a country where 80% of the population are still farmers and they all need books to improve their knowledge and to catch up with regionalization and globalization.
(Phan Thane Hao, February 2002)
Supermarkets Parallel with Direct Sale of Textbooks
For years, publishing situations in the market economy have created chaos in Viet Nam, with translated books and childrens books sometimes being published by several publishing houses at the same time, especially textbooks for pupils which were a big headache issue for a country with 25 million pupils and students, since books were sold everywhere on the pavements of the big cities, and little guidance was given, while among children in the remotest areas, there had always been a shortage of books in general.
After a national seminar held late 2000, many measures are being taken to master the book market in general and textbooks especially. One of them is the organizational system of supermarkets for books and educational materials in each province and bringing books directly to each school. In the supermarkets, most people are able to choose what they need, guided by the staff. Fake and copied books cant intrude into such system, and pupils and their parents can buy at proper prices instead of the "black market" prices as in the past.
A model Community Primary School Library is being operated in Hanoi, and if this model proves successful in its service, it will be implemented widely.
The Provincial Departments for Education and Training have been assigned to bring books and textbooks to the remotest areas as well as to the areas which are often hit by flood and typhoons, so that almost all pupils could have enough textbooks for this school year. Another activity is the rental of textbooks, however, it is not yet very widespread.
These activities help narrow the gap between city-dwellers' children and children in the countryside, which account for 80% of the total number in the whole country. (Phan Thanh Hao, September 2001)
Books for Children, Worrying Issue for Parents
According to a recent study made by a group of Vietnamese sociologists, only 10% of the total amount of families buy books for adults, while nearly 38% of the families buy books for children. And also in a recent study at random, 70% of children like books translated from foreign languages. Actually, the circulation of an illustrated foreign book could be 20 to 30 times higher than a Vietnamese one (from 30,000 to 50,000 copies, while a Vietnamese one could be only 2,000 or so). In reality, there are cases where private publishers reprint books and sell them in the free market, and it is very hard to control. As for the children who can't afford to buy books in series, they go and queue up to rent books in the street rental bookshops.
It would be quite nice if the imported books were properly chosen and translated. However, the publishers have been running after profit, and let the casual translators invent whatever language they want. At the same time, the children imitate violent activities depicted in detail in the illustrations. Some parents complained that they don't deny the entertaining characteristics of foreign illustrated books for children, but apart from some good ones, many of them go against educational aims, not to mention the fact that bad books will keep the children away from their national tradition and literature, and lead them to be thrilled by violence.
There is a big debate being held among the Vietnamese mass media, and many writers, journalists and translators have raised their voices. Although Viet Nam is an agricultural country with 80% of the population living in the countryside, books for children hardly describe the rural dwellers' living conditions, and the children's image of real life might be twisted. At the same time, books are mainly read by young city-dwellers, and children in the countryside can hardly afford to buy them.
Vietnamese writers are appealed to think about this issue carefully, and encouraged to compete with foreign books for children. However, this problem can't be solved in a short time. (Phan Thanh Hao, June 2001)
Adjustment on Book Production
The Publishing Houses in Viet Nam, though state-owned, have recently had their right to decide. People are free to publish if they invest by themselves. In the year 2000, 80% of publications are from new authors. The majority are collections of poems, collections of articles published or some short stories, etc. Most of these publications are to make one's dream come true: to have a book published, as a real poet or author, and, most of them are dedicated to friends. Certainly, quality has not been a high priority. Among them are very few impressive novels which could be considered remarkable for the past century.
As for children's books, besides some re-edited national legends, every week, there have been 38 illustrated books translated from Japanese or Chinese Hong Kong published in Viet Nam. No one can judge the quality of translating and editing.
Visiting some big bookshops in Viet Nam, one can say that the reading culture hasn't decreased at all. Readers gather around the stands, looking for the books they need, and books are beautifully designed. But the prices are too high for poor people, mostly poor students, pupils, and children, to buy books. Vietnamese people like reading a lot, whenever, wherever one can find something to read, they read. Since e-books are not so popular in the cities yet, let alone in the remotest areas like mountainous areas or in the islands, all kinds of books are in short supply, so books are still in great demand. The cultural policy makers are having headaches finding a way to strike a balance in a long and not so well infrastructured country. (PhanTanh Hao, January 2001)
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