External information helps promote Vietnam’s integration

Hanoi (VNA) – External information is one of the important channels to accelerate the global integration of Vietnam in a more proactive and effective manner.

Deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education Pham Van Linh made the remark in a recent interview granted to Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the upcoming National External Information Service Awards 2017 ceremony in Hanoi on June 14.

He recognised the significant contributions of external information to the country’s socio-economic development, especially after 30 years of reform.

The external service work disseminates information about the Party guidelines and the State’s new policies to foreign readers as well as the achievements that Vietnam has gained over the past years.

It also promotes the image of Vietnam in the overseas Vietnamese communities and rejects erroneous information produced by hostile forces, he said.

The National External Information Service Awards 2017 received 930 entries, higher than the previous year (over 800) thanks to a number of important international events held in Vietnam in 2017, particularly the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum.

To attract more reporters and editors at home and abroad and international organisations to participate in the contest, Linh suggested increasing coordination between press agencies such as Vietnam News Agency (VNA), the Television of Vietnam (VTV), and the Voice of Vietnam (VOV).

The next-year awards should focus more on foreign media representative offices, embassies in Vietnam, and Vietnamese representative offices abroad, he recommended.

He noted that the country is preparing for the revision of the 10-year implementation of the Politburo’s Conclusion No.16-KL/TW on the strategy for external information development in 2011-2020.

This is the first strategy for the external information that creates an important foundation for ministries, departments and localities to implement external information activities comprehensively and effectively, he said.

As the country’s position has increased in the world, the external service work needs reforms in both form and content by applying new information technology to reach a larger number of readers in the most rapid and active way.

He called on setting up a development fund for external information as recommended in Conclusion 16 to disseminate important external activities to the whole society.

The National External Information Service Awards 2017 was launched by the Party Central Committee’s Communication and Education Commission, the Steering Committee for External Information Service and Nhan dan newspaper.

Nhan dan newspaper is the standing agency of the awards 2017.

The competition, which is open to Vietnamese people, both at home and abroad, as well as foreigners, aims to nudge the image of Vietnam as a peaceful and proactive country to international friends.

It features seven categories, including print media, radio broadcast, television broadcast, electronic media, press photo, landscape photo and book.

Launched in 2014, the contest has drawn great attention from both domestic and foreign press organisations, publishers and reporters. The number of entries to competition has increased through years from 893 entries in 17 languages in 2016 compared to 515 works in 10 languages in 2014.

Sixty-nine press works were honoured at the National External Information Service Awards 2016, including six first prizes, 15 second prizes, 18 third prizes, and 30 consolation prizes.-VNA