For 35 years, Việt Nam News has provided international readers with a window into a rapidly changing Việt Nam. Celebrating the newspaper’s 35th anniversary on June 17, 2026, reporter Nguyễn Khánh Chi speaks to UNDP Resident Representative in Việt Nam Ramla Khalidi, and two long-time readers about its coverage of key national developments and its role in fostering closer ties between Việt Nam and other nations

UNDP Resident Representative in Việt Nam Ramla Khalidi. Photo courtesy of UNDP in  Việt Nam

UNDP Resident Representative in Việt Nam Ramla Khalidi

Congratulations to Việt Nam News on its 35th anniversary!

Starting my day with Việt Nam News has become a familiar habit, and I have come to appreciate the paper as a valuable source of information and insight into Việt Nam’s rapid development journey. For the international community here, whether diplomats, development practitioners, investors or expatriates, the paper offers a unique window into the country’s evolving policies, achievements and everyday challenges. Reading it has genuinely helped me deepen my understanding of the issues that matter most to the people of Việt Nam.

Over the years, I have also been honoured to contribute op-eds and interviews to the paper. I appreciate the space that Việt Nam News provides for public discussion of critical topics such as sustainable development, climate action, governance, innovation and social inclusion.

I was recently moved by a story in Ship with Paper Sails – Story of a Hanoi Newsman, the memoir of the late Nguyễn Khuyến, the newspaper’s first editor-in-chief.

In the book, he recalled that the first PC owned by Việt Nam News was a gift from UNDP and described how journalists eagerly took turns exploring the new technology for hours on end.

It is a wonderful anecdote that captures the curiosity, determination and openness to innovation that helped shape the newspaper’s early years.

For us at UNDP, it is also a warm reminder of our long-standing partnership with Việt Nam and the institutions that have contributed to the country’s development over the past decades.

As Việt Nam News celebrates 35 years of journalism, I wish the entire team continued success in sharing Việt Nam’s story and connecting readers in Việt Nam and around the world for many years to come.

Karsten Schönsee, Nuremberg (Germany)

First of all, I would like to congratulate you and your colleagues at VNS on the 35th anniversary of your publication’s founding on June 17, 2026. I hope that you will continue to publish your newspaper in English on a daily basis.

I read VNS primarily to gain a different perspective on political and economic events around the world.

I am particularly interested in commentaries and news agency reports that help me better understand and interpret global politics and economics and that are not covered in the German press and media landscape. In this way, VNS helps me develop an alternative perspective to the prevailing opinion in Western countries through its concise information on politics and the economy.

I have always particularly enjoyed the articles in your newspaper that focus on the daily lives of working people in the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam. Through them, I can see how the daily lives of the Vietnamese people are changing and improving. In Germany, we use the phrase "Leben der kleinen Leute" (the lives of ordinary people) to describe this. Therefore, I would be very happy to see more articles of this nature in VNS.

For the future, I would like to see more articles, commentaries, analyses and reports written from a Marxist worldview, as represented by the Communist Party of Việt Nam. Such voices in English are almost completely absent from the media landscape of Western countries and, when they are published, remain confined to niche audiences.

I therefore hope to be able to read the VNS online edition daily for the next 35 years, in its usual high quality, continually enhanced and improved.

With solidarity greetings from Nuremberg to Hà Nội.

Đào Văn Thắng, Director at DAZPRO law firm.

 Đào Văn Thắng, Director at DAZPRO law firm

I regularly follow the Business and International Politics sections. I find the information reliable, practical, and well-suited to the diverse needs of readers. It provides a comprehensive update that is beneficial for my professional work as well as my general social awareness, both locally and internationally.

However, I feel that many articles are unnecessarily long, while most readers today tend to avoid lengthy content. In my opinion, information should be focused, concise, and timely; if a piece is too long and goes unread, it becomes a waste.

Shortening articles would also create space to serve a wider audience. Currently, it seems the publication mainly targets older readers or working professionals. There is a need for content tailored to high school students, for instance. I encourage my children to read the news, but I find it difficult to select articles that are suitable for their age group. VNS