A ceremony was held in Hanoi on June 21 to honour 115 outstanding works by journalists across the nation which won the National Press Awards for 2013.

The works covered various topics including politics, economics, national sovereignty over seas and islands, as well as other hot and major socio-economic issues.

Particularly, many winning pieces of journalism focused on the national boundary and territorial sovereignty topic, with 11 works.

Addressing at the ceremony, which marked the 89th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Education and Communications Dinh The Huynh hailed the role of the press in the victory of the national struggle for liberation in the past as well as the current national construction and defence.

He said in the current world and domestic context, the press takes an increasingly significant part in the implementation of the national reform under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the protection of the sacred and inviolable national sovereignty and the maintenance of a peaceful and stable environment for the country’s development.

Huynh also asked journalists to continue fighting against corruption, wastefulness and other social evils with a constructive and responsible spirit, while rejecting enemy’s wrongful arguments and information.

Organised by the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA), the annual National Press Awards this year attracted the competition of 1,665 entries, the largest number so far.

Major State-run media outlets such as the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), Vietnam Television (VTV) and radio The Voice of Vietnam (VOV) have continued confirming their position at the forefront of journalism.

The VNA bagged four prizes, including a second prize in the online newspaper category.-VNA