A Vietnamese publishing official assumed the rotating presidency of the ASEAN Book Publishers Association (ABPA) for the 2022-23 term in place of his Thai predecessor at a virtual handover ceremony on Wednesday.

At the event, Hoang Vinh Bao, president of the Vietnam Publishers Association (VPA), expressed his honor to take over the new role from Thipsuda Sinchawarnwat, who is president of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT).

Thipsuda said her nation and the other country members of the ABPA will assist Vietnam in fulfilling its role in the new term.

Bao hailed the achievements that his predecessor had gained in 2020-21, a hard time for all industries including publishing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PUBAT made many efforts to connect the ABPA’s country members, set up forums for sharing their experience in copyright and publication of educational books, and coordinate the efforts to fight pirated books.

Bao promised that during his term, the VPA will further develop the relationship among the ABPA members, focusing on strengthening cooperation in copyright exchanges, promoting a reading culture, and organizing seminars including those on crisis management.

The VPA is planning to launch an international book fair at the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, located on Nguyen Van Binh Street in District 1, in April 2022, if conditions permit, the new ABPA president said.

On the contrary, this event will be organized virtually, he added.

In October or November 2022, the VPA also expects to host a symposium on crisis management to discuss what the publishing industry should do in response to a crisis like COVID-19.

Besides Bao, another Vietnamese representative, Pham Tran Long, director of The Gioi Publishers, has also assumed the post of general secretary of the nine-member ABPA.

The ABPA was founded in 2005 by six countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam.

It has since welcomed three new members, including Brunei, Laos, and Cambodia.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) consists of 10 member countries, including the above nine nations and Myanmar.

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