With its capacity and strength, the press must be a leading force in promoting patriotism and solidarity, fully tapping its potential, intellect and creativity to translate the goal of turning Vietnam into a modern and industrial country by 2020.

In his speech delivered at the 9th Congress of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA) for the 2010-2015 period in Hanoi on August 12, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed that the Party and the State have always supported and created favourable conditions for press development and for journalists to promote their creativity, social responsibility and civil obligation in serving the country.

Chairman Trong, who is a Party politburo member, said that as for the people, the press needs to exert efforts to raise people’s cultural standards, create a high degree of consensus in society and encourage greater national solidarity.

The press must also encourage people from all walks of life to participate in the implementation of the country’s renewal process, accelerating industrialisation and modernisation for a strong country with rich people and an equal, democratic and civilised society.

He praised and thanked the great contributions made by the press and the VJA to national construction and defence.
Apart from reviewing operations and praising achievements and contributions, pointing out weaknesses and discussing measures to enhance the role and position of the association in the upcoming tenure, the VJA’s 9 th Congress, which saw the attendance of nearly 18,000 members nationwide, passed the revised VJA regulations in line with the operation of the press and the association for the 2010-2015 period.

The congress also adopted its resolution, focusing on continued implementation of the Party Central Committee’s Resolution on ideology, theory and press, enhancement of measures and new methods in training and raising revolutionary skills and socio-political awareness, and improvement of professional skills among members.

The VJA’s resolution also focuses on effective involvement in press management, protection of rights and legal benefits for members, acceleration of cultural and sporting activities and the expansion of external activities and international cooperation for the association.

The congress elected a 51-member executive board, with journalist Dinh The Huynh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan newspaper, re-elected as chairman.

Four vice chairmen are Ta Ngoc Tan, Editor-in-Chief of the Communist Magazine, Pham Quoc Toan, vice chairman of the 8 th congress of VJA, Ha Minh Hue, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam News Agency, and Ma Dieu Cuong, Deputy General Director of Ho Chi Minh Television.

As of December, 2009 there were 706 print press agencies (178 newspapers and 528 magazines), a national news agency, two national radio and television stations, 64 local radio and television stations, 37 online newspapers and 160 media websites./.