Nghe An (VNA) – The Vietnam-Laos SpecialFriendship Festival 2019 opened in the central province of Nghe An on November15.
The event drew representatives from a number of centralagencies and sectors, Nghe An province and its border districts, businessesfrom Nghe An and Laos, nine provinces sharing the border with Laos, as well aslocal and Lao students in the province.
Various activities will be held within the festival’sframework, including a photo exhibition featuring the special ties betweenVietnam and Laos, an exhibition introducing culture and tourism products aswell as specialties of different localities, including Nghe An and Laoprovinces.
A seminar will be heldto discuss ways to promote Nghe An’sinvestment, trade and tourism, along with art performances.
A highlight of this year’s festival is activities tostrengthen the exchange among people and businesses of both sides, thuspromoting investment, trade and tourism partnership between Vietnam and Laos ingeneral as well as localities along the shared border in particular.
Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of the Party CentralCommittee’s Commission for Information and Education Bui Truong Giang said thatthis is a festival of local residents in border provinces and a chance for thelocalities to fostering their connections.
This is the second time that the festival has been held bythe Ministry of Information and Communications and a border province of Vietnam.Last year, the event was held in Dien Bien Phu city of northernDien Bien province./.
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Granma and the VNA have great potential for cooperation, especially in sharing content regularly, so that VNA products are published on Granma platforms and vice versa, thereby helping Cuban and Vietnamese people access true information and gain a deep understanding of each other's country and people.
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The strategic product, managed and operated by the Vietnam News Agency Digital Media Centre (VNA Media), is an official channel for popularising the Party and State’s information and documents as well as delivering mainstream and trustworthy news to both domestic and international audiences through various kinds of multimedia formats.
Since President Ho Chi Minh founded Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper in 1925, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has become the voice of the people. During the resistance war against the colonialists, journalists took great personal risks to inspire patriotism and the will of rising up against foreign invaders.
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Throughout its 80-year history, the VNA has remained at the forefront of information dissemination. It has consistently delivered timely, accurate, and objective reports on both domestic and international events, serving the Party’s leadership, the State’s management, and the public’s demand for official news.
With strong support from local authorities, businesses, organisations, and residents, the province has successfully built or repaired 10,707 homes for disadvantaged households, including war veterans, families of martyrs, ethnic minority people, and low-income residents.
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A hub for sharing best practices, the event aims to forge solutions for financial sustainability, public media contracts, audience engagement, content innovation, and newsroom restructuring. It is also a moment for Vietnam’s media to accelerate its progress and figure out what the “revolutionary press” means in a new era.
From “Thanh nien”, Vietnam’s first revolutionary newspaper founded by Nguyen Ai Quoc (later President Ho Chi Minh) on June 21, 1925, the revolutionary press has remained devoted to its sacred missions -accompanying the nation, serving the Fatherland, and working for the people.
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Bernama CEO Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin said VNA has been a consistent and reliable partner in OANA, contributing actively to the regional media landscape through content sharing, coordination, and policy discussions. Their coverage of ASEAN and Indochina issues adds valuable perspectives. Bernama appreciates the collaboration with VNA.
Visitors at the festival (Photo: VNA) 
