Hanoi (VNA)ཧ – Viet Nam News, a publication of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), held a ceremony to celebrate 25 years of development in Hanoi on June 17.

Uong Chu Luu, member of the Party Central Committee and National Assembly Vice Chairman, presented the Labour Order, third class, to the newspaper. He congratulated Viet Nam News on its achievements over the past 25 years and expressed his belief that the young, enthusiastic, dynamic, and well-trained newspaper staff will build on the attainments and implement more effectively the political missions of one of the leading external information agencies in the country. The legislator urged Viet Nam News to reform and improve quality of information and develop itself into a prestigious English external newspaper in the region and around the world. Apart from promptly and exactly providing the Party and State’s external policies and refuting erroneous information, the newspaper serves as a bridge to connect Vietnam and the world as well as popularise Vietnamese history, its land and people, he said. He asked the newspaper to train more writers who can produce in-depth analysis articles and consult the Party and State about communicating external information, while building a journalist staff with foreign language proficiency and modern journalism skills. The newspaper should improve its technical infrastructure and organisation in addition to bettering the capacity of management and enhancing international cooperation to reinforce its position as the leading English newspaper in Vietnam. NA Vice Chairman Luu also asked the VNA and Viet Nam News in particular to continue to reform news reporting methods, to better implement the Party and State’s missions, including the implementation of the Resolution adopted at the 12th National Party Congress. Addressing the celebration, VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi recognised the achievements made by Viet Nam News in reporting external information. The newspaper is accompanied by 11 VNA external information units, who provide daily information for both domestic and foreign press agencies and readers through 10 different languages and various forms such as bulletins, photo, audio programmes, online news and a TV channel, which create a large-scale and effective external information network, he said. He added that the celebration offers an opportunity for Viet Nam News to look back on its 25 years of development, learn from experience, and address difficulties and shortcomings. He said he hopes the newspaper will continue to reinforce its position as the leading English daily newspaper in Vietnam, a reliable source of information for readers at home and abroad, and that it will make further contributions to the VNA, to build the agency as a strong national multimedia complex. Born on June 17, 1991, Viet Nam News has incessantly evolved from publishing a four-page newspaper printed in black and white, to eight, and then 28 pages with colour printing. In 1998, Viet Nam News Online was officially launched, marking its new development into the digital era. As one of the five members to establish the Asia News Network (ANN), Viet Nam News has actively shared articles, photos and exchanged correspondents and editor training with others, while enhancing press cooperation and organising international events to increase the status of the VNA and the newspaper, domestically and globally.-VNA