The exchange highlights how regional publishers are prioritising interoperable platforms over isolated products.

Vietnam Education Publishing House (VEPH) hosted Malaysia’s Pelangi Publishing Group in Hanoi this month, marking a pivotal moment for cross-border collaboration in educational publishing.

The meeting, attended by VEPH chairman Nguyen Tien Thanh and Pelangi CEO Sum Lih Kang, laid groundwork for deeper cooperation around digital transformation and curriculum development.

Digital Integration Takes Centre Stage

Both publishers exchanged expertise on balancing print and digital portfolios – a critical challenge for traditional houses. Discussions covered e-book development, AI-driven teaching tools, and integrated education solutions.

Pelangi shared insights from its digital portfolio, which serves 13,000 schools and five million users across Malaysia, while VEPH outlined its strategic vision for Vietnam’s educational landscape. The exchange highlights how regional publishers are prioritising interoperable platforms over isolated products.

Pelangi’s Digital Ecosystem

Established in 1979, Pelangi has evolved from print specialist to full-service education provider, with 41,000 titles and 11 million copies printed annually. Its digital suite includes interactive e-books, AR applications, an e-library, and the Awan AI learning chatbot.

The chatbot forms part of a broader push into adaptive learning, joining curriculum-based content for national and international programmes spanning early childhood, STEM, language learning, and coding.

Market Implications

Pelangi has invited VEPH to the 2026 International Publishing Convention in Malaysia, suggesting this partnership could catalyse wider ASEAN publishing integration.

For industry professionals, the collaboration demonstrates how mid-sized publishers can leverage regional alliances to compete with global EdTech giants, sharing R&D costs while localising content for diverse markets.

The View From The Beach

This meeting reflects a maturing approach to digitalisation – moving beyond PDF replicas to holistic ecosystems where AI, analytics, and pedagogy converge.

Publishers watching this space should monitor how VEPH adapts Pelangi’s model to Vietnam’s curriculum reforms, potentially creating a blueprint for Southeast Asian cooperation.

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This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.