Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy General Director of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Doan Thi Tuyet Nhung received a delegation from Agence France-Presse (AFP), led by its Chairman and CEO Fabrice Fries, at the VNA headquarters in Hanoi on November 5.
Welcoming the AFP delegation, Nhung described the meeting as an important opportunity for the two agencies to review their cooperation, share development priorities and identify practical areas for closer coordination in the coming time.
Briefing the guests on VNA's operations, she said the agency is developing into a key multimedia and multilingual media organisation, with a network of 34 domestic bureaus covering all provinces and cities and 30 overseas bureaus. VNA provides a wide range of information products, including news, photos, videos, infographics and digital journalism in Vietnamese and several foreign languages, including French. Its Le Courrier du Vietnam is currently the only French-language newspaper in Vietnam.
Highlighting AFP's role as an important international news source supporting VNA's coverage of regional and global developments, Nhung expressed appreciation for the longstanding partnership between the two agencies and effective coordination with AFP colleagues, particularly its Hanoi bureau.
Building on this foundation, she proposed the two sides strengthen the use of in-depth analyses and background materials to provide greater context for international issues and emerging trends, particularly in economics, trade, science, technology, innovation and developments in Asia.
She also suggested expanding exchanges of experience in data management, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in news production, editing and distribution, digital fact-checking, copyright protection and information reliability.
VNA hopes AFP will support its correspondents in France in arranging interviews with French leaders, experts and scholars on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest, and work more closely to promote positive information about Vietnam to international audiences.
The VNA Deputy General Director also proposed reviewing and updating existing cooperation agreements to ensure they meet current requirements for news production, distribution and use, particularly regarding photos, videos and multimedia products, and strengthening information exchanges based on each agency's strengths.
For his part, Fries noted that the meeting offered an opportunity for both sides to gain a better understanding of each other's needs and development orientations and explore new cooperation opportunities.
Briefing VNA on AFP's operations, he said the agency has a long-standing tradition and an extensive global network, and is accelerating innovation in news production and distribution, particularly in video, live broadcasting and digital content, to meet increasingly diverse client demands.
He also highlighted AFP's strong focus on fact-checking, supported by a global network of specialised journalists. The agency works with social media platforms on verification and provides fact-checking training programmes for media organisations.
Fries expressed his wish to strengthen exchanges of experience and expertise with VNA and explore potential cooperation in fact-checking.
Both sides expressed their confidence that their respective experience, strengths and extensive networks will create significant opportunities for complementarity and enable them to develop concrete cooperation programmes delivering practical benefits in the future.
On the occasion, the AFP delegation toured VNA's international news editing operations at the World News Department./.
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