Decision No. 40/2002/QD-BVHTT on approving the Development Plan for the Publishing, Printing, and Book Distribution Industry until 2010

DECISION OF THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND INFORMATION

Regarding the approval of the Planning for the Development of the Publishing, Printing, and Book Distribution Industry until 2010Planning for the Development of the Publishing, Printing, and Book Distribution Industry until 2010

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THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND INFORMATION

Pursuant to Decree 81/CP dated November 8, 1993 of the Government on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Culture - Information;

Pursuant to the Cultural Development Strategy until 2010;

Considering the proposal of the Publishing Department at the report number 1506/TTg-CXB dated December 17, 2002 of the Publishing Department and the opinions of relevant Ministries and sectors regarding the Planning for the Development of the Publishing, Printing, and Book Distribution Industry until 2010;

At the proposal of the Director of the Planning Department,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approves the Planning for the Development of the Publishing, Printing, and Book Distribution Industry until 2010, with the main contents as follows:

1. Objectives

- The Vietnamese Publishing, Printing, and Book Distribution Industry shall be led by the Communist Party of Vietnam, managed by the State, and developed towards independence, self-reliance, progress, and rich national characteristics.

Publishing products shall be diverse in genre and abundant in content, serving well the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country, meeting the increasing demand for publishing products of the people, promoting and disseminating outstanding Vietnamese publications to countries around the world. Absorbing the finest cultural elements of humanity to introduce to the domestic population.

- Maintaining an average annual growth rate of 15-20% in the number of books, 10-15% in printed pages. By 2005, reaching 4 books per person per year, 485 billion standard printed pages, export turnover of publishing products increasing by 1.5 times compared to 2000. By 2010, reaching 6 books per person per year, 785 billion standard printed pages, export turnover of publishing products doubling compared to 2005.

- Striving to bring the Vietnamese publishing-printing-distribution industry up to the middle level of Asia by 2010.

2. Orientation for Development

a) On Publishing:

- Completing the publication of classic works on Marxism-Leninism; books by President Ho Chi Minh; full sets of party documents and state legal texts; national-level scientific research programs, collections, and comprehensive works on the development of literature, art, science, and technology corresponding to the country's development.

- Ensuring the satisfaction of textbooks for secondary education, teaching materials for colleges, universities, and postgraduate studies. Emphasizing technical and scientific books serving industrialization, modernization, and vocational training; books for teenagers, children aimed at educating love for the country, pride in national cultural traditions, benevolence, self-reliance, and self-strengthening... forming healthy personalities and lifestyles for young generations.

b) On Printing:

- Shifting the printing structure towards increasing high-quality print product volume, including books about 10-15%; newspapers and magazines 20-25%; packaging and labels 25%; advertising 10-15%, and other management documents.

- Concentrating on researching and investing in the field of printing various packaging products on different materials such as: composite films, cardboard, and metal to gradually meet the increasing demand for packaging for domestically produced products.

- Continuing to improve offset printing modernization with advanced technology and equipment, while focusing on investing in flexographic printing technology for complex composite film packaging. Testing non-film and digital printing technologies at some printing facilities that require quick printing, emphasizing the research and production of certain printing equipment and auxiliary materials.

c) On Book Distribution:

- Striving to distribute books to all regions of the country, especially mountainous, remote, and border areas, contributing to reducing disparities in cultural enjoyment among the people in different regions. Expanding the market abroad, particularly traditional markets.

- Building a healthy, diverse, and rich book market in terms of genres, with good ideological content to serve the increasingly high cultural enjoyment needs of the people and introduce Vietnamese culture to other countries.

3. Main Solutions to Implement the Planning

a) On Organization:

* Publishing:

- Publishers shall be organized according to the model: general publishers, specialized publishers, and some publishing groups (including three stages: publishing-printing-distribution).

- Establishing additional specialized scientific and technological publishers at the central level, researching the establishment of publishing groups in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Limiting the establishment of additional publishers with the same functions under mass organizations, social organizations, and localities, studying mergers or dissolution of publishers with the same functions.

- Publishing enterprises shall be considered special enterprises and not subject to privatization according to Decision 58/2002/QĐ-TTg dated April 26, 2002 of the Prime Minister.

* Printing:

- Gradually building three printing centers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang. Forming printing hubs in Hai Phong, Nghe An, Can Tho, Dak Lak.

- For provinces and cities with many difficulties and small printing needs, only establishing one printing facility to serve newspaper printing and other Party and local publications.

- The organizational model and operating mechanism of printing facilities include: printing enterprises, public service units with income, individual business households, and printing facilities with foreign investment. Studying the parent company-subcompany model for printing facilities in some industries and localities with many printing facilities and conditions for implementation.

- Printing enterprises that do not meet the criteria for state-owned enterprises shall be privatized, except for the following:

+ Printing for security - National defense

+ Printing money, identity cards, national certificates and diplomas.

+ Printing Party newspapers, People's Army newspapers, and the sole state-owned printing facilities of provinces and centrally-administered cities.

* Book Distribution:

- For book distribution facilities in particularly difficult mountainous provinces, encouraging activities in the form of public welfare enterprises or public service units with income.

- Encouraging other economic components to participate in book distribution business.

b) On Investment:

* Publishing:

- Implementing commissioned orders and funding for important works and projects approved by the State to be widely disseminated.

- Gradually supporting capital investment in material infrastructure for some publishing houses and piloting investment in electronic book production facilities.

* Printing:

- Modernize three printing centers and major printing hubs through various sources of capital. Provide budgetary support for investment in printing facilities in provinces without such facilities and those facing difficulties.

- Encourage foreign investment and other economic sectors to invest in packaging and product label printing.

* Book Distribution:

- The State will partially fund or provide preferential loans to build some bookstores in large cities.

- Continue to implement subsidized shipping rates for books, newspapers, and magazines to highland, remote, and mountainous areas with difficulties. Subsidize international book exhibitions and fairs according to approved plans.

- Encourage other economic sectors to participate in investing in self-service bookstores in provinces and cities.

c) Regarding human resource training:

- Maintain undergraduate training in publishing at the Journalism and Propaganda Institute under the National Academy of Political Science Ho Chi Minh City, moving towards postgraduate training after 2005. Continue and enhance training of Engineering and College-level Printing Technology at Hanoi University of Science and Technology and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education. Offer undergraduate training in publishing business management at the Cultural University.

- Expand various forms of training for printing technical workers.

- Encourage expanding international cooperation with advanced countries in research and training of publishing, printing, and book distribution staff.

d) Strengthen state management in the publishing-printing-book distribution sector:

- Prepare all conditions to amend the Publishing Law, develop comprehensive solutions regarding organizational models and policy mechanisms for the publishing, printing, and book distribution industry.

- Improve state management agencies for publishing-printing-book distribution from central to local levels, primarily the cadre workforce.

Article 2. Organize the implementation of planning

1. Ministry of Culture and Information

- Take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to draft and promulgate related documents on managing publishing, printing, and book distribution activities.

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance to study and issue supportive policies and explore investment capital to implement projects.

- Adjust promptly the goals, indicators, and projects of the plan based on the actual implementation situation from now until 2005 to align with national socio-economic development.

- The Publishing Department leads and coordinates with the Planning Division to guide and implement the basic content of the Plan for Developing the Publishing-Printing-Book Distribution Industry until 2010 to units within the entire publishing-printing-book distribution sector in the first half of 2003 plan.

2. Ministries, sectors, provincial people's committees, and centrally governed city people's committees shall direct subordinate publishing, printing, and book distribution units to strictly follow the approved contents of this plan.

3. Publishing, printing, and book distribution units shall base their production and business plans, investment plans, training plans, and organizational restructuring on the approved Decision and their functions and responsibilities to effectively achieve set objectives.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect fifteen days after its signing. Abolish previous regulations that conflict with this Decision.

Article 4. Ministers, The Minister of Culture and Information, the Director of the Planning Department, the Director of the Financial Accounting Department, the Director of the Publishing Department, the heads of the main management agencies of publishing-printing-book distribution units, and the Directors of cultural information departments and publishing-printing-book distribution units are responsible for implementing this Decision./.