According to the Department of Publishing, Printing and Distribution under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vietnam released 51,443 book titles in 2024, including 4,050 electronic publications, an increase of 120.7% compared with 2023.
Of the 597 million books distributed nationwide, more than 20 million were e-books, while audiobook listens surpassed 27.5 million, up 19.7% year-on-year.
For young readers, digital platforms offer convenience and flexibility. In Pleiku Ward, 25-year-old office worker Nguyễn Thế Viễn spends 6-8 hours weekly reading e-books and 3-4 hours listening to audiobooks.
He often listens while exercising or doing housework, preferring genres such as information technology, programming, and artificial intelligence.
Similarly, Phan Gia Khanh, a fourth-year architecture student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, said he listens to five or six audiobooks each month.
“It used to take me a week to finish a book. With audiobooks, I can complete one in just over eight hours,” he said.
Audiobooks in Vietnam are increasingly produced with expressive narration, background music, and sound effects to enhance the experience.
In remote areas where bookstores are limited, they also provide vital access to knowledge.
High school student Rcom H’Nguyệt from AyunPa Ward said local bookstores offer few choices, and new titles require a 90-kilometer trip to Pleiku.
Instead, she downloads e-books that often cost 50,000-100,000 VND (about USD 2–4). “E-books are convenient, but print books give me a sense of closeness,” she added.
Experts caution that each format serves different purposes. Phạm Thị Ngọc Anh, a lecturer at Van Lang University, emphasized that e-books suit quick reference, audiobooks optimize travel time, and print books foster deep reading and concentration.
She suggested schools and libraries expand digital collections, offer discounted accounts, and integrate e-books and audiobooks into reading festivals and workshops to build a sustainable reading culture.
