Nguyễn Tiến Thanh, Chairman of the Members’ Council and General Director of NXBGDVN, speaks at the meeting. Photos courtesy of VEPH

HÀ NỘI — The Việt Nam Education Publishing House (VEPH) and Malaysia’s Pelangi Education Publishing Group have agreed to step up comprehensive cooperation in digital publishing technology, artificial intelligence (AI) applications, human resources development and the development of high-quality educational products.

The agreement was reached on September 8 at a meeting between the two leading educational publishers in the region.

Attending the meeting were Nguyễn Tiến Thanh, Chairman of the Members’ Council and General Director of VEPH; Nguyễn Văn Tùng, Member of the Members’ Council; Nguyễn Chí Bính, Deputy General Director; representatives of the publisher’s professional departments; and representatives of the Hà Nội Education Publishing Services JSC, a subsidiary of VEPH.

The Pelangi Education Publishing Group was represented by Sum Lih Kang, Executive Director and General Director, and Dr. Poh Swee Hiang, Editor-in-Chief.

Speaking at the meeting, Nguyễn Tiến Thanh, Chairman of the Members’ Council and General Director of VEPH, said he was pleased that cooperation between the two groups had moved beyond diplomatic commitments to become substantive and deliver tangible results.

“The most important milestone demonstrating our mutual trust and joint efforts is the successful development of the ‘Khám phá’ (Discovery) book series, the first collaborative publishing project between the two educational publishers. This provides a solid foundation for the two organisations to move forward and deepen their cooperation,” he said.

Representatives of VEPH and Pelangi exchange gifts.

Previously, the Hà Nội Education Publishing Services JSC, worked with Pelangi to successfully compile and publish the ‘Khám phá’ book series for primary school students from Grades 1 to 5.

The series comprises 30 books covering five subjects: Mathematics, available in Vietnamese and Vietnamese-English bilingual editions; Vietnamese; English; Informatics; and Science, available in Vietnamese-English bilingual editions.

The series follows Việt Nam’s curriculum and textbooks while combining Vietnamese educational content, culture and values with Pelangi’s creative approach and modern design. It aims not only to help students consolidate foundational knowledge but also to develop comprehensive thinking and practical application skills.

The series also incorporates digital competencies and AI, helping enhance students’ access to English in their learning.

The completion and publication of the series have helped leverage the strengths of both organisations in educational publishing while laying the groundwork for further research and development of high-quality educational learning resources to meet the demands of educational reform and international integration.

Sum Lih Kang, Executive Director and General Director of Pelangi, affirmed VEPH’s position as a strategic partner. He highly valued VEPH’s professional expertise, working procedures and the quality of its educational products, expressing his confidence that the combination of Pelangi’s international experience and VEPH’s strong localisation capabilities would create new breakthroughs.

Sum Lih Kang, Executive Director and General Director of Pelangi, speaks at the meeting.

VEPH representatives Nguyễn Văn Tùng and Nguyễn Chí Bính proposed further exchanges on Malaysia’s textbook management model, textbook publishing and distribution policies, and distribution networks.

Practical insights shared by Pelangi provided both sides with broader perspectives on optimising publishing and distribution systems in their respective countries.

Concluding the meeting, the two sides agreed on a strategic vision for the next phase of cooperation.

Beyond traditional printed books, VEPH and Pelangi will expand cooperation in developing digital learning-resource ecosystems in line with modern learning trends; integrating AI into editorial processes, publishing management and personalised education solutions; and organising professional exchange programmes and capacity-building activities for editors and education specialists from both sides.

Representatives of VEPH and Pelangi exchange gifts.

The meeting reaffirmed VEPH’s determination to strengthen international integration and enhance the quality of Việt Nam’s educational publishing sector by proactively connecting with reputable educational groups in the region.

Pelangi is a leading educational publishing group in Malaysia. Established in 1979 to publish examination reference materials, the group has since published 41,000 titles and served 13,000 schools, reaching around 5 million users. Its annual print output is approximately 11 million copies.

Pelangi provides comprehensive educational publishing solutions featuring content based on national and international curricula and covering a wide range of areas, including early childhood education, English Language Teaching (ELT), Mathematics, Science, coding and AI, English and Mandarin.

The group is currently actively developing digital products, including interactive e-books, online learning systems, learning applications incorporating augmented reality (AR) and enhanced multimedia features, e-library services for children, and the Awan AI learning chatbot. — VNS