Hanoi (VNA) - After more than three decades in operation, Viet Nam News has upheld its role as an information bridge, bringing real stories about Vietnam to the rest of the world, according to the newspaper’s editor-in-chief Nguyen Minh.
He was speaking at a ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the publication of the first issue of Viet Nam News, the national foreign service newspaper of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
On June 17, 1991, the first issue of Viet Nam News reached readers at a time when Vietnam had just emerged from the early years of the Doi moi (Renewal) process and was implementing strategic directions aimed at developing the economy, expanding foreign relations and promoting regional and international integration.
The newspaper’s establishment was a strategic decision by the VNA aimed at pioneering efforts to convey the image of a transformative, dynamic and responsible Vietnam to the international community.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minh, who leads the Viet Nam News and Law newsroom, said: “Viet Nam News has consistently upheld international journalistic standards, providing English-language news coverage from diverse perspectives in a way that is clear and accessible to global audiences. This has been a key factor in establishing Viet Nam News as one of the country’s leading English-language news brands in the field of external communications.
“With its innovative spirit and values, Viet Nam News has affirmed its role as an important bridge of information, helping bring comprehensive and authentic stories about Vietnam to the world.”
On March 1, 2025, Viet Nam News was merged with Vietnam Law & Legal Forum magazine to form Viet Nam News and Law, in accordance with Resolution 18-NQ/TW of the Party Central Committee on streamlining and restructuring the organisational apparatus.
This milestone opened up new opportunities for growth, as the newsroom took on dual missions of a national English-language daily newspaper and a specialised law magazine serving external information services.
Addressing the event, VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang said: “Over the past 35 years of development, generations of the newspaper’s staff, reporters and editors have worked tirelessly to uphold the identity of a national publication dedicated to external communications, while continuously innovating to adapt to the evolution of modern journalism.
“Viet Nam News has continuously enhanced its content and storytelling formats, expanded its publishing platforms and strengthened its engagement with international audiences. Many of its high-quality journalistic works have been recognised through national journalism awards, national awards for external information service and prestigious international honours.”
World Bank Division Director for Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR Mariam Sherman noted that Viet Nam News holds a particular interest for many people in the international community.
“As the leading English-language outlet, the newspaper has long been our window into the conversations shaping this country – often our first read of the morning, and our clearest signal of what mattered that day,” she said at the ceremony.
“Thirty-five years is not just a celebration of the past; it is a foundation for what comes next. The World Bank is proud to have been part of Vietnam’s development journey, and we look forward to continuing that journey with partners like Viet Nam News.”
For the occasion, Viet Nam News and Law officially announced a cooperation agreement with Vietnam Law Communication Joint Stock Company (LuatVietnam), marking a new phase in the newsroom’s efforts to enhance content quality and strengthen its role in external information service and multi-platform communications.
At the ceremony, Viet Nam News and Law was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the VNA General Director in recognition of its outstanding achievements during the 2021–2025 period and its contributions to the development of the VNA, in addition to a Certificate of Merit from the Vietnam Journalists’ Association for the newspaper’s contributions to external communications. /.
