The Party Central Committee’s Commission for Popularisation and Education and the Steering Committee for External Information Service are organising the first National External Information Service Awards 2014.

The organising board said on December 8 that the awards will honour the best works either in Vietnamese or foreign languages intended for foreigners and overseas Vietnamese in the four categories of print media, radio and television broadcast and electronic media.

Entries should have been published or broadcast by either domestic or international press agencies between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014.

The awards, consisting of the first, second, third and consolation prizes, will be announced on May 2, 2015 and presented at a ceremony on May 19, 2015.

The Commission for Popularisation and Education will establish the organising board for the competition, while leading news and press agencies in the external information service will take turns in chairing the event.

The Vietnam News Agency will chair the 2014 competition.

The Commission for Popularisation and Education and the Steering Committee for External Information Service plan to organise the event every year and extend the scope of the awards to other fields related to foreign information and communications, including programmes, events and publications.

External information service plays an important role in the ideological work of the Party and the State, and has contributed to maintaining socio-political stability and strengthening and expanding relations between Vietnam and other countries and international organisations.

It has also helped speed up global integration, promote economic cooperation, attract foreign investment and tourists and tighten the link between the overseas Vietnamese community and the cause of national construction and defence.-VNA