Third-grade textbook incident involving a blacklisted web link: Dai Truong Phat Education Group, owner of i-Learn Smart, holds 30% of Vietnam's English-language textbook market

Dai Truong Phat Education Group has attracted several million USD in foreign capital from Japan and Singapore. Related to the 3rd-grade computer science textbook containing a 'blacklisted web' link, Hue City Police's PA03 unit has intervened. The publisher confirmed the error appeared in 2022 print editions due to the learning-material domain being hijacked by a third party recently. According to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Huy, Chief of Office at Hue University, police have met with the head of Hue University Publishing House and are continuing investigations; initial indications suggest the link may have been hacked since the original address appeared highly reputable. Formed in 2003, Dai Truong Phat Education Group has evolved into an educational ecosystem under the leadership of Chairman Vo Dai Phuc. The Huế-born entrepreneur has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and previously played a foundational role in bringing famous curricula such as Let's Go or Family and Friends to Vietnam. Currently, Mr. Phuc serves as chairman of the group and as the legal representative for the core entity Education Solutions Vietnam Co., Ltd., along with a number of satellite companies covering publishing, digital software, and school equipment supply. The group's financial capacity has been strengthened through multiple rounds of international fundraising. In 2019, the predecessor entity, DTP Education Solutions JSC, was established with charter capital of VND 10 billion, in which Mr. Phuc held 51% of shares. After restructurings, Abbpe Fundco from Singapore joined and gradually raised its stake to 22.83% by the end of 2022. By 2023, Japan's Gakken Holdings continued investing about USD 7.57 million to acquire 35% of shares, becoming the group's largest shareholder. Foreign participation coincided with expanded operations, with consolidated revenue hitting about VND 637 billion in 2022. According to Nikkei Asia, as of 2023 DTP accounted for around 30% of Vietnam's English-language textbook market, with flagship series such as i-Learn Smart Start. Based on the 2025 published price list, the group's titles range from just over VND 11,000 for computer science books to VND 88,000 for language books. To optimize the value chain, under Mr. Phuc's leadership the group is shifting its focus to educational technology via the Eduhome management platform, the Edufun self-study app, and the online testing system i-Test. To remedy the incident, Dai Truong Phat is coordinating with Hue University Press to recall and replace all faulty editions, remove related digital materials, and work with cybersecurity authorities to review its data governance processes.