External information service awards to be presented on June 7 hinh anh 1Standing Vice Chairman of the central steering committee for external information service Bui Truong Giang (Source: vpctn.gov.vn)

Hanoi (VNA) – The prize presenting ceremony of the 2018 National External Information Service Awards will be held on June 7.

On the eve of the event, Standing Vice Chairman of the central steering committee for external information service Bui Truong Giang granted an interview to the Vietnam News Agency on the new points of this year’s contest, the external information service’s contribution to national development and solutions to promote the efficiency of the work.

According to Giang, the number and structure of prizes in this year’s contest have been extended, with works published on a number of electronic news websites eligible to enroll. The maximum duration of video entries is also increased to 120 minutes from 90 minutes.

The official informed that the 2018 contest received nearly 1,000 entries in 13 languages. Around 30 contestants/groups of contestants are foreigners or Vietnamese living abroad, he said, citing as examples ITAR-TASS resident correspondent in Vietnam Yuri A. Denisovich, or Russian specialist Grigory Trofimchuc who has published many articles on Vietnam in Russia.

He said in order for the external information service awards to earn wider recognition, it is necessary to improve the quality of entries, with attention paid to the application of advances of modern media. He also urged domestic media agencies to expand publications in foreign languages, increase information exchange with foreign partners and use social media to promote the image of Vietnam to both domestic and foreign audiences.

The Standing Vice Chairman of the central steering committee for external information service highlighted the great contribution of the external information service through the timely coverage of the country’s policies and its achievements in socio-economic development and international integration, thus helping the world gain deeper and more accurate understanding of Vietnam.

The National External Information Service Awards is organised by the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education and the Steering Committee on External Information Work to honour outstanding authors, press works and books in the external information sector.

First launched in 2014, the contest has drawn great attention from both domestic and foreign press organisations, publishers and reporters. The number of entries to the competition has increased through years from 515 works in 10 languages in 2014 to 970 entries in 15 languages in 2016 and 2017.-VNA
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