The sixth congress of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) chapter of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association chapter took place in Hanoi on May 14, focusing on raising the role of a state news agency and building VNA into a strong national communications group.

In his report, VNA Vice General Director Ha Minh Hue, Chairman of the VNA chapter for the 2005-2010 term, highlighted that the chapter thoroughly grasped and played the role of a political, social and professional organisation in the past term.

As one of the country’s largest chapters and experiencing 65 years of developing along with the country, VNA has made great efforts to maintain its position as a strategic, reliable news agency of the Party, State and people, the VNA chapter chairman said.

VNA experienced difficult stages and challenges for development, VNA became a prestigious news agency in the region as well as the world, contributing to the common development of the country’s revolutionary press, he added.

He praised the news agency’s strength with a network of domestic bureaus in 63 provinces and cities nationwide and 26 overseas bureaus around the world.

He stressed VNA’s right step of establishing a VNA television channel, catching up with the modern press’s trend in the region and the world.

VNA General Director Tran Mai Huong said that in the new term (2010-2015), the VNA chapter needs to foster and improve awareness on politics, professional skills and social accounbility for its members in combination with the “studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s moral example” movement.

He emphasised the chapter executive board’s due attention to VNA major programmes, particularly improvement of news quality and competitiveness.

The agency’s tasks in the coming years require each journalist to unceasingly improve professional skills, meeting the tasks’ demand as well as maintaining its position as the strategic information centre of the Party and the main reliable resources of the society.

The congress elected a 19-member executive board with VNA Vice General Director Ngo Ha Thai as chairman for the 2010-2015 term./.