Cheers and greetings from leaders of the Party, the government, central agencies and various localities nationwide have been extended to the mass media staff on the occasion of the 88 th anniversary of the Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21).

One June 19, Dinh The Huynh, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Polularisation and Education visited the Academy of Journalism and Communications, the Hanoi Radio and Television, the Communist Review, and Radio the Voice of Vietnam.

Highly valuing efforts and contributions made by generations of journalists to the national revolution, Huynh called on the media to exert greater efforts and make stronger reforms to pen on all aspects of social life in an accurate, multi-sided, diverse, subjective, attractive and useful manner, to deserve the front fighting force in the culture and ideology fields.

Besides, the media should bring the nation, people and culture of Vietnam closer to international friends, he said.

The same day, Le Thanh Hai, Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, and the Ho Chi Minh City National Assembly deputy delegation visited the Vietnam News Agency’s staff at the agency’s headquarters in Hanoi .

Hai said the revolutionary journalism of Vietnam and VNA in particular have remarkably contributed to the victory of the struggle for national independence as well as the national construction and reform.

Since its inception on September 15, 1945, VNA has become an official news source of the Party and State, taking on an important role in popularising their policies, directions and law while timely, accurately and comprehensively reflecting the country’s socio-economic, defence and security situation, contributing to raising Vietnam ’s prestige on international stage.

In reply, VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi pledged that the agency will work harder to be worthy of its role as a reliable strategic information centre of the Party and State and make more active contributions to the country’s development cause in the new period.

On the occasion, VNA received a flower bouquet sent from Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The same day, leaders from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, and other localities, as well as leaders of central sectors and agencies also visited and extended greetings to VNA and its HCM City representative office.

On June 20, the Vietnam Red Cross presented the insignia “For the cause of the Vietnam Red Cross” together with its certificate of merit to VNA’s leaders and reporters.

Apart from enthusiastically responding to the Vietnamese Red Cross’s charitable programmes for the poor, VNA’s Relief Fund for Agent Orange Victims has so far raised 4.2 billion VND and built 40 houses for the victims of the toxic chemical.-VNA