VietnamPlus wins two second prizes at the National External Information Service Awards 2016 (Photo: VNA)The awards included sixfirst prizes, 15 second prizes, 18 third prizes, and 30 consolation prizes.
This is the third timethe awards have been organized by the Party Central Committee’s Information andEducation Commission and the Central Steering Committee for ExternalInformation Services.
The 2016 contest received893 entries in 17 languages, up 21 percent in number of entries and sixlanguages more compared to the event in 2015.
President Tran Dai Quangand head of the Party Central Committee’s Information and Education CommissionVo Van Thuong presented awards to the first prize winners.
The prize winning worksfocused on such themes as Vietnam’s political and diplomatic activities, seaand island, culture, environment and climate change.
The State-run VietnamNews Agency (VNA) won one first prize, four second prizes, two third prizes,and five consolation prizes.
The first-prize photo work“Early election in Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago” by Tran Le Lam from theVNA’s Press Photography Department was evaluated to have produced good impactwith excellent photographic techniques.
The VNA’s e-newspaperVietnamPlus won the second prize with a series of stories in the “mega-story”style, featuring the Monsoon Music Festival in Hanoi.
Speaking at the event, Thuongsaid external information is an important part in the communication andexternal work of the Party and State, which will help people around the worldunderstand better Vietnam’s policies and the country’s stance on regional andinternational issues.
The work also promotesthe country’s land, people, history and culture as well as achievements in the“doi moi” (renewal) process, he added.
At the same time, the externalinformation service keeps the domestic public updated on the latestdevelopments in the region and the world, connects Vietnam with theinternational community and Vietnamese abroad, and garners support andcooperation from international friends along with consensus and contributionsof expatriates to the cause of national building and defense, the officialsaid.
The service also providesaccurate information to fight against wrong viewpoints and distortedallegations about Vietnam of hostile forces, he noted.
The head of the PartyCentral Committee’s Information and Education Commission urged externalinformation agencies to continue with efforts to improve their performance andreach wider audiences.
The National ExternalInformation Service Awards was launched in 2014.-VN
