Despite authorities cracking down on illegal publications, pirated educational books have been flooding many bookstores in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces.

A two-month inspection of the publishing market was conducted in July and August by the General Department of Market Surveillance under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The authority found widespread availability of pirated educational books produced with sophisticated counterfeiting techniques circulating on the market, according to Mai Ngoc Lien, deputy general director of Phuong Nam Education Investment and Development JSC, a subsidiary of the Vietnam Education Publishing House.

Many of the illegally printed books were discovered in Ho Chi Minh City, neighboring Binh Duong Province, and other provinces.

These books can fool consumers at first look because of their similar appearance to the genuine ones, Lien said.

However, the difference lies in the quality of the paper used, the book-binding technique, and the content inside.

Pirated books are poorly made with thinner paper, untidy prints, and pictures with fuzzy or uneven color shades.

As no publishing house serves as the guarantee for the content of such books, there may be serious errors knowledge-wise, Lien said, which could hurt users' benefits and negatively affect the teaching and learning quality.

Lien suggests that parents, teachers, and students shop for books at official distribution systems for prominent schools or local publishers.

Meanwhile, local education and training departments need to collaborate with educational institutions, teachers, and parents to raise awareness about selecting books from reputable and trustworthy places and say no to fake books, the company leader said.

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