VIETNAM NEWS AGENCY

MAJOR MULTIMEDIA NEWS AGENCY

IN NATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM

The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) is the national news agency, playing the role of a key national multimedia news agency.

Principal tasks of VNA: Providing news and reference information to serve the leadership of the Party and the State management. Rectifying information that goes against national interests; combating fake news and when necessary, issuing statements to reject intentionally distorted information.

Collecting, compiling, and distributing information in multimedia formats for mass media agencies and the public, including information in written languages of ethnic minority groups to serve these populaces.

Performing the tasks of a national key press agency for foreign service; providing information about Viet Namin various languages to international news agencies and organisations, as well as to foreigners, and overseas Vietnamese.

Creating an information database, managing the national photo archive, and providing data resources for internal and external information tasks.

Serving as a bridge, connecting the people and the political system; bringing the Party and State’s policies into life promptly.

Rolling out schemes, projects and solutins to carry out digital transformation throughtout the entire working process and participating in the building of a digital government.

Structure:

VNA operates under the model of a multimedia complex with 20 information units (comprising five source news departments, two information centres, eight newsrooms, one publishing house, two regional ofces, and two systems of representative bureaus in the country and abroad) along with four units to assist the General Director, four information service units, and two printing companies.

Personnel resource:

VNA has a well organized contingent of reporters working in Viet Nam as well as many key areas around the world, with representative bureaus in all 63 municipalities and provinces nationwide, along with 30 overseas bureaus based in fve continents.

Partnership:

VNA has the bilateral and multilateral partnerships with more than 40 news agencies and international media organizations.

Additionally, VNA is an active member of regional and international media forums, as well as a member of Executive Board of the Organization of Asia-Pacifc NewsAgencies (OANA) for many consecutive terms.

Products:

VNA provides more than 60 media products, from source news in text, photo, video, infographics, and audio to multimedia publications, to the domestic and foreign press systems and the public.

Mission:

VNA affirms its position and key role on the ideological front, performing the task of popularizing the guidelines of the Party as well as the laws and policies of the State. Information from VNA fosters consensus, guides the society, protects the information sovereignty of the country in cyberspace, consolidates the Party’s ideological foundation, and supports the country’s international integration process eﬀectively.
As the key national press agency for not only domestic but also foreign audiences, VNA spares no eﬀorts in promoting multimedia information about Viet Nam to the world in many languages through various distribution platforms.
The agency also provides information to ethnic minority groups living in remote, border, and island areas via a pictorial magazine published in ethnic minority languages in both paper and electronic versions. In serving these groups, VNA contributes actively to the consolidation of national unity, political stability, national defense, and socioeconomic development in strategic regions of the country.

In the digital era, VNA does its utmost to maintain eﬀectiveness and creativity by promoting mainstream news, in addition to advancing and publishing multimedia information products, thereby fulfilling its political mission as a trustworthy news source for the People, the Party, and the State./.

GLORIOUS HISTORICAL TRADITION INHERITED

On September 15, 1945, the Vietnam News Agency - named by President Ho Chi Minh – aired the full text of the Declaration of Independence and the list of the members of the provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in three languages – Vietnamese with the code VNTTX (Vietnam Thong tan xa); English, coded VNA (Vietnam News Agency); and French, coded AVI (Agence Vietnamien D’Information). The event was of great importance for not only the Vietnam News Agency but also the whole nation. September 15 later became the traditional day of the State news agency.

After national reunification, on May 24, 1976, realising an instruction by the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, the VNTTX and the Liberation News Agency - the official news organisation run by the South Vietnam National Liberation Front, merged, marking a new milestone in the development of the sector.

On May 12, 1977, the National Assembly Standing Committee of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam issued a resolution approving the change of the Vietnamese name of the agency from “Vietnam Thong tan xa” into “Thong tan xa Vietnam”.

VNA’s formation and development process has always accompanied the revolution, national liberation and construction efforts of Vietnamese people. During the resistance wars for national salvation, many VNA employees became journalist-soldiers. With more than 260 martyrs, the VNA is the media agency with the largest number of journalists who laid down their lives. Journalist Tran Kim Xuyen, the first leader of the VNA, was the first reporter martyr of the country who sacrificed his life for national independence and freedom in 1947 in Chuong My district of former Ha Tay province (now part of Hanoi). Journalist Bui Dinh Tuy, Vice Director of the Liberation News Agency, also laid down his life in 1967 in Trang Dau in the southeastern region of Vietnam. They were among the revolutionary journalists whose names have been given to three streets and a bridge (Tran Kim Xuyen streets in Hanoi and Huong Son district of Ha Tinh; Bui Dinh Tuy Street and Bui Dinh Tuy Bridge in Ho Chi Minh City).

Over the seven decades of struggle, construction and development along with many historical milestones, the VNA is the first media agency of Vietnam honoured with two Hero titles: the Hero of Labour in the reform period and the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces. Besides, the VNA has also been presented by the Party and State with a Gold Star Order, two Ho Chi Minh Orders and two Independence Orders, first class, and a number of noble orders and medals.

CONTINUING STEADY STEPS ON DEVELOPMENT PATH

(Information-media products of VNA)

Upholding its pride-worthy historical tradition, the VNA has over the years continued to reform its operational mechanisms and methods with the aim of becoming one of the prestigious news agencies in the region in the form of a strong multimedia complex offering information to diverse groups of customers. Under this model, the VNA’s operations consist of two major sections as follows:

I. News agency information section (source information):

With its role as a “national news bank”, performing its functions as the State news agency, the VNA provides official, mainstream source news for press offices at home and abroad via its seven units with nearly 30 products of all media forms, namely:

1. Domestic News Department:

With a network of 63 bureaus in all the provinces and cities nationwide, the department provides orienting updates on daily events in politics, diplomacy, socio-culture, science-technology, and the environment in Vietnam; provides timely information on the implementation of the Party and State’s guidelines and policies; and corrects wrongful information and rejects hostile and anti-State arguments.

- Domestic news (run on the web portal vnanet.vn)

2. World News Department:

Together with a network of 30 bureaus across all the five continents, it uploads daily news on global and regional issues, in line with the Party and State’s official stance, on the web portal vnanet.vn while publishing periodicals and some television programmes.

- World news (run on the web portal vnanet.vn and daily publications)

- Special reference documents (run on the web portal vnanet.vn and daily publications)

- Express news (run on the web portal vnanet.vn and morning and afternoon publications)

- World reference news (run on the web portal vnanet.vn and daily publications, except Sundays)

- World opinion on Vietnam (published weekly with daily editions run on the web portal vnanet.vn, except Saturdays and Sundays)

- Thematic special reference documents (monthly)

- World issues (published monthly as special reference documents)

- Internal reference reports (published daily, except Saturdays and Sundays)

- Weekly international press highlights (broadcast weekly on VNews TV Channel)

- World television news (broadcast round-the-clock on VNews TV Channel)

- Television column “The World 360 Degrees” (broadcast weekly on VNews TV Channel)

3. News for Foreign Service Department:

Provides daily official information on Vietnam (text and television news) to the world in different languages on the web portal vnanet.vn- English-language news

- Chinese-language news

- French-language news

- Spanish-language news

- Television news programmes (English and Chinese programmes broadcast daily; French and Spanish programmes broadcast weekly on VNews TV Channel)

4. Press Photography Department:

With a contingent of professional photo journalists and correspondents at home and abroad, as well as international press photo sources from partner news agencies, it supplies up-to-date press photos about domestic and world events directly to media outlets, or posts them on the web portal vnanet.vn. The department possesses the biggest photography archive in the country with millions of images taken over the past seven decades.

- World and domestic press photos (daily)

- Thematic photos

- Archival photos

- Television programme “Round-the-clock current events through photos” (daily); and “The world in a week” (weekly) (broadcast on VNews TV Channel)

- News-photo integrated page

5. Economic News Department:

In collaboration with domestic and foreign bureaus, it provides updated current and special news about economic, financial and market issues in Vietnam and the world at the web portal vnanet.vn. At the same time, it also publishes two periodicals and a television programme.

- Publication Vietnam and World Economics

- Website Bnews.vn

- Television programme Economic Focus (weekly).

6. VNA Television Centre:

In conjunction with VNA units and domestic and overseas bureaus, the centre provides news, television programmes, and audio bulletins for radio and television stations as well as press agencies at home and abroad. It is one of the two units (together with the Vietnam Television) assigned by the Government to edit the contents of foreign TV channels for broadcasting in Vietnam.

Apart from the function of providing source news, the centre is the key unit in running the VNews TV Channel.

VNews is the first mainstream news-only television channel in Vietnam, which is produced by the VNA Television Centre with the engagement of almost all the information units of the VNA as well as its 93 bureaus based in 63 provinces and cities nationwide and countries and territories across the world. VNews updates news in a round-the-clock, timely, swift and accurate manner on outstanding domestic, regional, and global events in all fields.

VNews has been listed by the Ministry of Information and Communications as one of the TV channels performing key political and communication tasks in Vietnam.

7. Database-Documentation and Infographic Centre:

Provides a wide range of materials systematically summarised from official sources regarding major current events at home and abroad on the portal vnanet.vn, and produces a number of TV shows. The centre is striving to develop its infographic product into one of the Vietnam News Agency’s key information types

- Database-documentation special subject (published on the portal vnanet.vn)

- Infographics and motion graphics (published on the portal vnanet.vn)

- TV shows: Message from History, Moments and Events, Vietnam and International Friends, Studying Uncle Ho’s moral example every day (weekly broadcast on VNews Channel).Along with providing official and mainstream information, the Vietnam News Agency provides some bulletins specifically for Party and Government leaders, including daily domestic and international news headlines and news summaries, issued on every morning except weekends and holidays compiled by the Editorial Secretariat and External Relations Department.

II. Press-Publication section:

Parallel to performing its function as the national news agency, the Vietnam News Agency serves information demands from the domestic and foreign public with dozens of products in various forms and languages.

1. Tin Tuc (The News) newspaper: is an information channel of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’s Government with three main publications:

- Tin Tuc Weekly (every Thursday)

- News on Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Regions (every Tuesday)

- Tin Tuc (electronic version, published on baotintuc.vn).

2. VietnamPlus e-newspaper: posted on vietnamplus.vn, it is one of Vietnam’s most popular mainstream e-newspapers, visited by the highest number of readers from the widest variety of countries. This is the largest multilingual online newspaper in Vietnam, with news delivered in Vietnamese, English, Chinese, French, and Spanish. VietnamPlus has been a pioneer in applying new media technologies like mobile journalism, data journalism and 360-degree photos/videos, and offered unique publications such as the Mega story or RapNewsPlus, which has received an international award.

3. The thao & Van hoa (Sports & Culture) newspaper: is the first and leading sports and culture newspaper in Vietnam. It has left an overwhelming impression on readers across the nation for organising such events as the Dedication Music Awards and the Bui Xuan Phai (For Love of Hanoi) Awards.

Its main publications and programmes are:

- The thao & Van hoa (print version, weekdays)

- The thao & Van hoa – Dan ong magazine (monthly)

- The thao & Van hoa e-newspaper (published on thethaovanhoa.vn)

- TV programmes: Culture Panorama, Planet of Sports (daily), and Culture Radar (weekly).

4. Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Region Pictorial: is the only bilingual press publication so far in Vietnam published in languages of ethnic minority groups having scripts recognised by the State, designed specifically for ethnic minority groups.

- There are 11 bilingual pictorial editions of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Region published every month: Vietnamese-Khmer, Vietnamese-Bhana, Vietnamese-Jrai, Vietnamese-Ede, Vietnamese-Cham, Vietnamese-Mong, Vietnamese-K’ho, Vietnamese-M’nong, Vietnamese-Tay, Vietnamese-Xe dang and Vietnamese-Cotu. Languages of other ethnic groups are to be added in the future.

- Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Region e-newspaper (published at dantocmiennui.vn)

5. Vietnam Pictorial: is Vietnam’s first magazine for external services (launched in 1954). It comes in the largest number of foreign languages (10) and is the only Vietnamese paper published in Latin American countries (currently Cuba and Mexico)

- There are four periodical editions, namely English (monthly), Chinese (monthly), Spanish (in every two months), and Lao (in every two months)

- Vietnam Pictorial e-newspaper (Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian, English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Lao, Korean, and Khmer at vietnam.vnanet.vn)

- Dep (Beauty) magazine (monthly)

- Vietnam-Korea Times (published weekly in Korean)

6. Viet Nam News: is the only English-language daily in Vietnam, as well as the country’s top foreign service publication.

- Viet Nam News (daily, except Sunday)

- Viet Nam News Sunday (every Sunday)

- Viet Nam News e-newspaper (at vietnamnews.vn)

- Ovietnam.vn

- Bizhub.vn

7. Le Courier du Vietnam: is currently the only French-language newspaper in Vietnam. Apart from its online edition updated daily, it is published weekly in the form of a print magazine.

- Le Courrier du Vietnam Weekly (every Thursday)

- Le Courrier du Vietnam e-newspaper (at lecourrier.vn)

- TV programme: “Francophone Space” (weekly on VNews Channel)

8. Vietnam Law & Legal Forum: is the only publication on Vietnam’s laws published in a foreign language in the country currently. This is the only press agency in Vietnam that issues the Official Gazette, the only English translation of the Vietnamese legal bulletin Cong Bao.

- Vietnam Law & Legal Forum magazine (English, published monthly, and online edition at vietnamlaw.vnanet.vn)

- English translation of Cong Bao (three editions per week)

- Website vietnamlaw.vnanet.vn

9. Vietnam News Agency Publishing House: engages in producing publications on Party and State’s guidelines and policies, journals, photo books, science-technology books serving press information, and publications for foreign service and international cooperation.

- Books about journalism

- Books on current affairs

- Photo books of different kinds

In its strategy of becoming a strong multimedia complex, the Vietnam News Agency has over the past years been unceasingly striving to expand and diversify forms of media, particularly those on digital platforms.

As one of the first news outlets in Vietnam to provide news services on the Internet (since 1998), the VNA maintains a continuous supply of the latest news, photos, infographics, and motion graphics in different languages on its official online portal: vnanet.vn. The portal is also a gateway for press agencies and readers nationwide to subscribe for the VNA’s diverse and abundant products.

To better serve its readers, besides the only online newspaper VietnamPlus, which was established in 2008, almost all of the VNA’s press-publication units have launched their own online editions and set up a converged newsroom. The network of VNA websites have become trusted channels delivering the latest news and stories to readers around the country and the world.

Visiting the website xembao.vn managed by the VNA Technical Centre, readers can access print publications of the VNA in the form of e-newspapers.

As a national bank of information, the VNA is also a provider of reliable, important strategic information to major partners as well as a provider of news via mobile devices in the telecommunication network and social media.

https://www.facebook.com/ThongtanxaVietNam/

https://www.facebook.com/VNAEnglish/

https://www.facebook.com/VNAChinese/

https://www.facebook.com/VNAfrench/

https://www.facebook.com/VNAEspanol/

The VNA’s operational efficiency is largely thanks to the active and proactive support from the supporting units as follows:

- VNA Technical Centre

- VNA Profession Training Centre

- VNA Media Development Centre

- VNA Informatics Centre

- VNA International Cooperation Centre

The contributions of the following advisory and functional units are also decisive to the success of the VNA as the national news agency. They are:

- Editorial Secretariat and External Relations Department

- Organisation and Personnel Department

- Administrative Affairs Office

- Planning and Finance Department

- Inspection Department

The VNA has two Representative Offices, for the South and for the Central-Central Highlands region, to direct news services in these areas.

The above-mentioned units are core pieces that help ensure the smooth operation of the VNA through the close and effective coordination throughout the whole system in all stages of services, from organisation to logistics. This has also enabled the VNA to build an advanced technological infrastructure with well-equipped facilities and develop a contingent of journalists with political firmness, high professional proficiency, social responsibility and professional ethics.

III. VNA Printing Section:

With a modern printing machinery system and skilled workers, two printing enterprises of the VNA - the ITAXA Printing Company based in Ho Chi Minh City and the Printing and Trade Company in Hanoi - make up for many trustworthy and prestigious firms of the industry. The VNA also has an offset printing facility located in the central city of Da Nang. The VNA printing section ensures the quick and timely print of bulletins, magazines, newspapers, and other VNA publications. It also provides services for non-VNA customers who are seeking a commitment to quality and professionalism.