Suggestions for journalism economics in Vietnam

Today e-magazine (ngaynay.vn) became the first e-magazine in Vietnam to charge readers on March 29, 2021. Photo: Ta Hai

The paywall concept, sometimes known as a hard paywall, requires users to check in and pay before they can access information. A hard paywall typically only enables the title, intro, or a few paragraphs of an article to be seen before requesting payment. Newspapers offering specialized content, such as scientific research, finance, and economics, frequently use the hard paywall.

A hard paywall, according to many, is a dangerous business model. If this approach is implemented immediately, it will result in a significant decrease in the number of people in the public. Since making registration required in June, The Times has lost over 90% of its online readership compared to February, according to its figures.

The Financial Times is a good example of how to use a hard paywall. The Financial Times now offers four basic subscription packages: $68/month (unlimit ed access to all content, including in-depth research and articles); $40/month (don't miss any basic content); $68/month (unlimit ed access to all content, including in-depth research and articles); $68/month (unlimit ed access to all content, including in-depth research and articles); $68/month ( The newspaper's online version costs $24.75 per month, while the student package is $4 per month.

The Soft Paywall/Metered Model allows readers to read a specific number of articles before having to pay to continue reading. It's critical to keep track of the quantity of free articles and the amount of premium content while implementing a soft paywall. The soft paywall gives the public more options than the hard paywall because they can view a number of optional articles before deciding whether or not to pay for readership. As a result, many news organizations prefer the soft paywall to the hard paywall.

The New York Times was the first to use a soft paywall and has had a lot of success with it. It currently allows the public to access 5 free news and articles every month. The public must register to read the newspaper if they wish to continue reading.

In the meanwhile, the term "Freemium" comes from a combination of the words "free" and "premium." Freemium is a business model in which users are given free access to basic aspects of a product or service in exchange for a fee for additional or advanced capabilities. A company that uses the freemium model offers basic services for free, generally in a "trial" or limit ed version for the user, while simultaneously charging for more sophisticated services or features.

Customers are influenced by this model because of the word "free”. Naturally, the public prefers "free" things, especially those that are both free and of high quality. Many users just have simple requirements, which the free version may easily handle. The general population is allowed the freedom, autonomy, and time to consider their options before paying to increase their reception.

The Wall Street Journal, being a business-oriented publication, provides two basic packages: The first bundle gives you access to all digital content for one dollar for the first two months and 9.99 dollars for the following month. The second bundle costs 52 USD and includes access to all digital content as well as three sub-packages of print newspapers.

There is still no news agency in Vietnam today that has truly succeeded in applying paywall. The first online newspaper to use this form was VietnamPlus, which did so on June 20, 2018. Today e-magazine (ngaynay.vn) became the first e-magazine in Vietnam to charge readers on March 29, 2021. The VietNamNet newspaper implemented a paywall for its VietNamNet Premium column with in-depth stories on June 15, 2021.

As a result, the public fee model in Vietnam is still in its early stages, with many hurdles ahead; it will take time for the above model to gain traction, despite the fact that it is an unavoidable trend in the international and Vietnamese press.