General Director of the Vietnam News Agency Nguyen Duc Loi (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Liberation News Agency (LNA) is a rare and uniquecase in the world’s press history, Party Central Committee member and GeneralDirector of the Vietnam News Agency Nguyen Duc Loi highlighted in his writing entitled“Liberation News Agency – a heroic news agency”, on the occasion of the 60th founding anniversary of the LNA (October 12) and its being honoured as “Hero ofthe People’s Armed Forces”.
Under the 1954 Geneva Agreement on peace restoration in Indochina, Vietnam wastemporarily divided into two regions, pending elections to reunite the country.While the north became completely independent and began the transitional periodto socialism, the south was under the rule of the Ngo Dinh Diem administrationwhich received support and direction from the US imperialists. The US-backedadministration tried to tear up the pact, and refused to negotiate with the DemocraticRepublic of Vietnam in the North to hold nationwide free elections to reunitethe country within two years as provided for in the agreement.
In face of the complicated developments of the situation in the south andinevitable requirement of the revolution in the new context, the Southrevolution shifted from political struggle to the combination of political andarmed struggles. In service of the fight, after a short preparation ofpersonnel and equipment, the LNA aired its first news bulletin from Chang Riecforest in Tay Ninh province through its 15W transmitter on October 12, 1960.The event marked the birth of the news agency which carried out its gloriousmission of creating and maintaining a smooth and timely flow of information onthe fight of justice by the southern people and army for national peace and reunificationto domestic and international audience.
Articles and photos by LNA reporters (Photo: VNA) As the LNA, the official mouthpiece of a resistance force, was born and grew upin the fiercest period of time of the resistance war against the enemy, thedamage it suffered was more than any other press organisation in the world did.
In its debut, the LNA announced: “The Liberation News Agency is the officialnews agency of the National Front for the Liberation of the South Vietnam, witha mandate to disseminate news and combat experience of compatriots across thenation. The news agency also reflects the increasing ascendency of therevolutionary movement and the collapse of the South Vietnamese government.”
In over 15 years of operation, the LNA provided information for domestic andforeign media in a timely manner, pioneered in information and communicationswork, and became a key organisation in the revolutionary press in the Southduring the fight against the US and the initial phase of national reunification.
LNA reporters in the Junction City battle in 1967 (Photo: VNA) Besides the information work, LNA reporters and technicians also took a directpart in the fight and became real soldiers. Many of them laid down their livesin combat postures, guns in hand, and remains of some have not been found. Tenswere seriously wounded, and many others are struggling against the effect of AgentOrange.
More than 240 reporters, editors, and technicians, or half of the LNA’s staffin late 1974, lost their lives carrying out information or combat missions. TheLNA is the press agency with the largest number of martyr journalists in thehistory of Vietnamese revolutionary journalism.
LNA reporters on mission in the Southern battlefield (Photo: VNA) Recognising such huge contributions by the LNA, the Party and State havehonoured over 200 organisations and individuals of this special pressorganisation. On September 1, the State President decided to grant the “Hero ofthe People’s Armed Forces” title to acknowledge the outstanding achievements ofthe LNA during the resistance war against the US.
The South was completely liberated on April 30, 1975, and the countrysubsequently reunified. On May 24, 1976, the LNA merged with the Vietnam NewsAgency, marking a new development stage of the news agency.
On May 12, 1977, the Vietnamese National Assembly approved the renaming of the VietNam Thong Tan Xa (VNTTX) into Thong Tan Xa Viet Nam (Vietnam News Agency).
The current strong growth of the VNA – the national multi-media news agency withhigh prestige in the global press – is a fruit of immeasurable contributions bygenerations of journalists, including those from the LNA./.
VNA
