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current regulatory scope. Third, interoperability and data portability are insufficiently
regulated. This creates risks of technological fragmentation and limits user mobility across
platforms. Fourth, platform accountability remains underdeveloped. While obligations
exist, there is no comprehensive framework governing how platforms should balance
DRM enforcement with user rights and innovation.
4.4. Practical challenges in implementation
Despite this emerging legal foundation, the implementation of DRM and platform
ecosystems in Vietnam faces several major challenges.
First, the law treats DRM primarily as a copyright-protection tool rather than a
mechanism of market governance. There is limited recognition of DRM’s role in shaping
competition, interoperability, and platform power.
Second, competition-related implications of “walled gardens” are not explicitly
addressed.
Issues such as ecosystem lock-in, data control, and exclusionary technical standards fall
largely outside current regulatory scope.
Third, interoperability and data portability are insufficiently regulated. This creates
risks of technological fragmentation and limits user mobility across platforms.
Fourth, platform accountability remains underdeveloped. While obligations exist,
there is no comprehensive framework governing how platforms should balance DRM
enforcement with user rights and innovation.
4.5. Overall assessment
Vietnam is moving from a traditional copyright protection model toward a more
complex system of digital rights governance. While DRM has gained legal recognition and
initial practical adoption, it has not yet been fully integrated into ecosystem strategies or
platform governance frameworks. The emergence of domestic “walled gardens” remains
partial and experimental, lacking deep technological integration, strong interoperability
standards, and strategic use of DRM as a market-structuring tool.
This gap suggests that future development should not only focus on strengthening
copyright protection but also on redefining DRM as a core component of digital
ecosystem governance—balancing innovation, competition, and user rights in the
platform economy.
5. Recommendations for Vietnamese businesses on implementing the “Walled
Garden” model and DRM
Building upon the empirical findings from the Vietnamese context—particularly the
fragmentation of DRM implementation, the predominance of anti-piracy approaches,
limited interoperability, and the absence of a platform-governance perspective—this
section proposes a set of recommendations structured according to a problem–solution
logic. These recommendations aim to align business strategies with the evolving dynamics
of the platform economy.
5.1. Transitioning from anti-piracy orientation to digital asset governance
Vietnamese enterprises predominantly approach DRM as a tool for copyright
enforcement, with limited recognition of its broader economic and strategic functions.
Enterprises should reconceptualize DRM as a digital asset governance system rather than
merely a protective mechanism. This shift enables firms to manage the entire lifecycle of
digital content (creation, distribution, monetization, and reuse); develop diversified
revenue models (subscription, pay-per-use, licensing); and leverage user data generated
through DRM systems for value creation. By adopting this perspective, DRM evolves into

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