At around 4:10 every morning, a truck carrying over a tonne of newspapers parks in front of the gate of the Central Press Company on Dinh Le Street.

Distribution agents gather there and classify newspapers for delivery to retail newspaper stands, agencies and units.

Duong Hoang Duc, who has 27 years of experience driving trucks to carry newspapers, said that over the past 5-7 years, there has been a significant decline in the circulation of printed newspapers. Major newspapers used to distribute 60,000-70,000 copies per issue, but the figure had halved.

At 4:20 on Wednesday morning, some 20 people gathered on Dinh Tien Le Street to classify newspapers.

Minh Tuan, 36, has sorted and transported newspapers for nearly five years. This job requires concentration to avoid confusion or errors when delivering newspapers to customers.“ The job takes place every day, regardless of weather, I leave home at 4 am and return around 7:30 am,” he added.

The decline of printed newspapers has brought about a significant decrease in Tuan’s income. Now, the work gives him a monthly income of VND3-4 million (USD122.4-163.26).