Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính receives Director General of the Lao News Agency Khampheuy Philapha in Hà Nội on Monday. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI – Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính underscored the importance of mutual support between the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the Laos news agency Khaosan Pathet Lao (KPL) in training personnel in the fields of media, technology, and foreign languages.

He emphasised that through such effective cooperation, both agencies would continue to uphold their positions as the leading media outlets of Việt Nam and Laos.

Hosting a reception for KPL General Director Khampheuy Philapha on Monday in Hà Nội, PM Chính warmly welcomed his visit and highly appreciated the longstanding and friendly cooperation between the two news agencies over the past 50 years.

He proposed that VNA and KPL work together to develop specific and comprehensive plans to effectively implement the cooperation agreement between the two agencies. This would help realise the agreements made by the high-level leaders of both countries.

Chính said both sides needed to continue their commitment to providing accurate, reliable, and timely information to their respective media systems. They would also intensify the dissemination of the two countries' ideologies and policies, especially the Việt Nam-Laos friendship to the international community.

Both sides should support each other in countering fake news, misconceptions, and hostile propaganda aimed at undermining the revolutionary causes of both nations and the friendly relationship between their parties, peoples, and countries.

Amidst the rapidly evolving digital transformation, PM Chính emphasised that the Vietnamese Government supported the exchange of leadership delegations, specialised training, and expertise development in the era of digital technology, to better meet the information requirements of each country as well as facilitated programmes of cooperation between VNA and KPL.

Looking ahead to 2024 when Laos assumed the ASEAN Chairmanship, Chính urged both news agencies to enhance coordination and support to ensure accurate information on ASEAN and its activities in Laos.

For his part, KPL General Director Philapha expressed his commitment to closely collaborate with VNA in implementing the PM’s directives. This included promoting information about each country's land, people, policies, developmental achievements, and the special friendship between Việt Nam and Laos.

Earlier on the same day, a delegation from VNA, led by General Director Vũ Việt Trang, held discussions with the KPL delegation, headed by General Director Khampheuy Philapha.

Trang expressed delight in welcoming the KPL delegation after more than three years since VNA's previous visit and work with KPL in 2019.

Providing an introduction to VNA, Trang noted that currently, the network has 2,072 staff members, including over 1,000 reporters and editors, producing more than 60 information products in ten languages and various formats. In terms of international cooperation, VNA has maintained working relationships with over 40 news agencies and media organisations abroad, engaging in multilateral collaborations with international entities.

In the spirit of celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations between Việt Nam and Laos, the VNA's resident correspondent agency in Vientiane, with the support of KPL colleagues, has been providing comprehensive and diverse information about Laos and the bilateral relations on VNA's media channels.

VNA has published both printed and online magazines in the Lao language, actively contributing to nurturing the profound friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Việt Nam and Laos.

Moreover, VNA has assisted KPL in upgrading its official website and restoring its image database, while also supporting the development of a trilingual electronic information page in Lao, English, and French.

The technical teams of both agencies have maintained regular communication channels to promptly support and resolve any technical issues.

Trang said both agencies should expand their information dissemination across all fields further to strengthen the special relationship between Việt Nam and Laos. She also expressed her hope that KPL would continue to support VNA's resident correspondents and send their reporters and editors to cover important events in Laos during 2024 when Laos held the ASEAN Chairmanship.

Currently, Star Telecom, the joint venture owned by Viettel in Laos, has requested to receive the signal of the Vietnam News Agency's Television Channel (Vnews) to broadcast on LaoTV. Trang asked KPL to support this project, thereby providing authentic Vietnamese-language information to the Vietnamese community in Laos.

The KPL General Director highly praised the relationship with VNA. He invited VNA's general director to visit and work in Laos in 2024, while also suggesting that both sides continue their collaboration in expertise and technology, and explore new forms of media.

On the occasion, the two agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the new context. – VNS