A man see photos taken by Vietnam News Agency reporters in Turkey. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Units involved in external information work need to fully follow the policy of enhancing information for the foreign service, said the Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and head of its Commission for Information and Education Nguyen Trong Nghia.

They need to improve the effectiveness of applying new media technologies and social networks in external information and the struggle for public opinion.

Nghia, who is head of the Steering Committee on External Information Service, said at the conference on July 5 to review its first-half performance and lay out tasks for the remaining months of this year in the context that the world situation continues to evolve, coupled with domestic socioeconomic challenges. The steering committee leads the implementation of foreign information work in the country.

At the conference (Photo: VietnamPlus)

External information work closely follows the political, ideological, and external tasks of the Party, providing comprehensive and balanced information with diverse methods, effective application of new communication methods, maintaining and continuing to promote the flow of positive information about Vietnam toward international public opinion," said Nghia.

Nghia said the external information service helps people from all walks of life, overseas Vietnamese and the international community understand and appreciate the country’s achievements during the first half of the 13th National Party Congress. This affirms the Party's sound leadership, improving the country's position and reputation on the international arena, and popularising its image as an independent, self-reliant, culturally rich, and reliable country as well as an active and responsible member of the international community.

In addition to the positive achievements, the external information work in general and the operation of the steering committee in particular still have some limitations including biased reports; the gap in renovating external communication methods among agencies and localities, and insufficient participation of the steering committee's member agencies.

𒁏 Nghia emphasised the importance of improving the quality and efficiency of external information work in the new situation according to Conclusion No. 57-KL/TW issued on June 15, 2023.

Representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism attend Vietnam Day at EXPO 2020 Dubai. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

In the last six months of the year, towards the 14th Party Congress, the Steering Committee on External Information Service and units related to external information work must promote their role in political, ideological, and external relations affairs following the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress, and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s directions at the National Foreign Affairs Conference in 2021 and the latest Polibureau’s Conclusion No.57.

“External information work needs to innovate thinking and deployment methods, enhancing the quality of consulting, directing and coordination work. This work needs to resolutely and persistently fight against false and distorted claims, further improve the efficiency of research, forecasting, and the ability and quick response mechanism to strategic changes in the region and the world,” Nghia said.

Speaking at the event, Secretary of the Party Committee and General Director of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Vu Viet Trang said that in the first half of the Party's 13th term, external information has significantly contributed to the country's achievements in many fields. Together with other agencies engaging in external information, the VNA has comprehensively reflected on domestic and international issues and events, creating consensus and support of domestic and foreign public opinions for the Party's policies and guidelines and the State's laws and bringing the country and people of Vietnam closer to international friends.

General Director of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Vu Viet Trang speaks at the event. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

In the coming time, the VNA will closely follow key contents and tasks set in Politburo’s Conclusion 57-KL/TW to perform the external information mission more effectively in the new situation, she said.

The VNA’s external information units strengthen the implementation of multimedia information, posting on the Internet and social networking platforms to spread information and access people, especially young ones.

According to Trang, VNA’s external information is used by more than 40 partner news agencies through bilateral and multilateral information exchange mechanisms.

Currently, the VNA has been carrying out the work as a standing agency for the ninth National External Information Service Awards which is drawing the attention of many press agencies, organisations, and individuals at home and abroad.

At the conference, Trang also mentioned the difficulties of external information agencies in the context of declining advertising revenue and less and less revenue from printing newspapers as the public switched to new information approaches.

ꦺ Trang suggested that ministries, agencies, and press management agencies pay more attention to building appropriate human and financial mechanisms so that key external information agencies have favourable conditions to develop. They should try to increase orders for external information products to help the agencies get stable incomes./.