The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) held a get together in Ho Chi Minh City on April 28 with more than 200 of its leaders, former leaders, reporters and technicians who had directly participated in the war of resistance against the US.

VNA General Director Tran Mai Huong highlighted the VNA’s contributions to the 1975 Spring Victory and expressed his gratitude to the war correspondents and the families of fallen journalists, who wrote a glorious chapter in the VNA’s history.

With help from the Party and the State, the VNA has to date built up its staff to almost 2,300 people, most of them fully trained and politically consistent, said the general director.

Following in the steps of the previous generations of journalists, who laid down a firm foundation for the news agency’s development over the past 65 years, the current VNA staff are always aware of their responsibilities. They have committed themselves to ensuring a bright future for the agency to turn it into a powerful communications group, he added.

The participants, including former VNA General Director Do Phuong and former Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc Giap, recalled the historic days in the country’s past, the news agency’s glorious tradition, as well as its stages of development.

They also reminisced about the combatants, who laid down their lives for the cause of national liberation, including more than 260 fallen VNA journalists, to encourage each other to uphold their revolutionary tradition and accomplish all their assigned tasks in the new era.

On the occasion, the VNA’s representative office in HCM City opened a exhibition of photographs, showcasing 103 photos taken by VNA staff during the US war.

Entitled “Historical Moments”, the exhibition is the part of VNA’s lead up to the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the 1975 Spring Victory and the liberation of South Vietnam , which reunified the country.

The black and white photos depict the Vietnamese people’s struggle against the US , the army’s battles and glorious victories, the people and the elation on the streets on liberation day - April 30.

The exhibition is to revive the memory of those war years as well as honouring the soldiers, journalists and photographers who have preserved these valuable historical moments./.