Digital books are gradually becoming familiar to book lovers in general, and young people in Hai Duong in particular. Currently, digital books are increasingly attracting readers.
Digital library in the palm of your hand
Striving to read at least 10 pages of a favorite book or story every day is the goal of Mr. Nguyen Duy in Tu Minh ward (Hai Duong city), co-owner of the Chu Kafe chain in the city. Mr. Duy said that 20 years ago, when he was a student, one of his hobbies was hanging out on Dinh Le street (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi). The place is considered a book paradise for students with thousands of books of all genres.
“When I first started working, I occasionally ordered a book to read. But now that my job is quite busy, I have switched to reading e-books or listening to audiobooks. In my free time, my smartphone becomes a book of all genres. Moreover, instead of reading before going to bed, I now listen to books to relax after a long day of work,” Duy shared.
Not only Mr. Duy, digital books are also the choice of many people, of many different ages. As a retired teacher, Ms. Do Thi Thuy in Nhi Chau ward (Hai Duong city) still maintains the habit of reading books every day.
“The only difference is that I read more e-books than paper books. Before, if I wanted to read a few hundred books, whether text or picture books, I had to go to the library or rent them individually, because few people had such a large personal bookshelf. But with e-books, that entire giant bookshelf is contained on a small screen,” Ms. Thuy shared.
Waka.vn, gacsach.online, thuviensach.vn or some famous e-book reading applications on both iOS and Android platforms such as Wattpad, Amazon Kindle... are websites or applications that have helped Ms. Thuy "bring the entire library to the palm of her hand" every day.
Depending on the platform and genre, each book will cost from a few tens of thousands of VND to a few hundred thousand VND. Some books are only available to members who register for an account. Membership packages are usually divided into 3-month, 6-month or 12-month terms, with costs ranging from 90,000-330,000 VND/package. However, most websites or applications for reading and listening to books provide a certain amount of free books.
Having once cherished the project of opening a "coffee library", Ms. Pham Thi Van Quynh in Le Thanh Nghi ward (Hai Duong city) is currently developing a new idea.
“We are a group of four people who share a passion for books and want to bring books closer to everyone, especially young people. However, we realized that with e-books, sharing and spreading them to everyone is easier. Therefore, our book cafe project needs new ideas,” Quynh shared.
A book, once digitized, will reach millions of readers online in a short time. “When a book is published, we need to think about versions of that book on Facebook, Zalo or any other online platform. Our book cafe is the same, it will not only be printed books, but also a digital library. That will be the starting idea for the new project,” Quynh added.
Recommended reading in the digital age
Children under 7 years old are basically not proficient in using smart devices. At this age, the need for interaction such as touching, touching objects, colors, sounds is very large and necessary for development. Therefore, paper books are still an effective means of providing knowledge, difficult to replace.
However, for older generations, the daily use of smart devices, with many different platforms on the internet, gradually becomes a habit. Books now have to be supplemented with other forms, such as e-books or audio-books.
Generation Z, is the name given to people aged 13-28. In Vietnam, this generation accounts for about 1/3 of the working-age population nationwide. In Hai Duong as well as other localities, Generation Z is deeply influenced by technological life. A survey once showed that the number of Gen Z reading paper books in their free time is relatively low, mainly to surf the internet.
Mr. Vu Quoc Tuan in Dai Son commune (Tu Ky), a lecturer at Hai Duong University, believes that young people, even middle-aged people, are gradually moving away from paper books, not because they are turning their backs on books. They have gradually formed new reading habits, modern and suitable for the development of the technological age.
New contexts and new reading habits may form new concepts, or expand on reading culture, which has long been associated with the image of turning pages of a book.
“The technology era requires a technological perspective, we need to promote reading culture, especially among young people by developing other modern book formats such as audiobooks and digital books. We also cannot forget or ignore paper books. Traditional paper books and e-books need to coexist and develop, complementing each other to bring readers a better experience,” said Mr. Tuan.
At the workshop organized by the Department of Information and Communications at the end of November 2024 on some contents in the field of publishing, the leader of the Department of Publishing, Printing and Distribution (Ministry of Information and Communications) emphasized that in the context of digital transformation, publishing, printing and distribution activities are strongly affected. Accordingly, publishers, printing establishments, distribution establishments... in the province need to strongly apply the benefits of digital technology, develop digital products such as audiobooks and e-books to expand reading space.
Reading culture is very important, because it not only raises awareness but also shapes each person's personality. Switching from paper books to digital books is an inevitable trend. E-books and audiobooks may be popular forms of books in the future.
Flipping through a paper book, reading an e-book, or listening to an audiobook is also "reading". With digital books, swiping through each page and listening to each line of text is a completely different experience.
Digital books may not have the scent of paper, but they will be lines of text interwoven with images, even illustrated videos. Colorful, instead of just the common black and white of paper books. That requires content creators and book makers to innovate in writing style and presentation for each genre of book.
It should be noted that state management agencies in this field should also review more carefully the contents of digital books, to contribute to promoting reading in the digital age.
Some popular e-book reading and audiobook listening platforms
Most of these platforms are compatible with different phone lines and operating systems.
E-books
Wattpad: For those who are passionate about reading and writing, the Wattpad application is definitely not to be missed. With more than 20 million books, diverse genres, Wattpad brings a colorful world of books.
Amazon Kindle: A popular and widely used online book reading application in the world and in Vietnam with thousands of books from many different genres such as magazines, comics, novels... The content of books on Amazon Kindle is all in English.
Waka: Free offline book reading application on mobile phones. This application owns a treasure trove of knowledge from best-selling books and major e-magazines in Vietnam.
Apple Books: Free reading app exclusively for iOS devices. You will find bestsellers, classics, and popular authors.
Google Play Books: Free book reading app on Android phones. The app gives you an e-book library with millions of works in the world and is always updated.
Audio books
Spotify: One of the top platforms in the list of online music listening applications. What makes it special is not only its popularity in the music field, but also the huge and diverse audiobook library that the application brings.
Fonos: The leading copyrighted audiobook listening app on iOS and Android in Vietnam. This platform also offers many exclusive features such as book summaries, bedtime stories...
Voiz Fm: Audiobook listening application stands out with its pioneering role in purchasing copyrights and ensuring copyrights for authors, with hundreds of free titles.