The Vietnam News Agency General Director Vũ Việt Trang speaks at the working session with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' heads of Vietnamese representative bodies abroad for the 2025-2028 term. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) have long been partners in external information, contributing to effectively realising the Party and State's foreign policies, VNA General Director Vũ Việt Trang said on Monday during a working session with heads of Vietnamese representative missions abroad for the 2025-2028 term.

Trang highlighted the close cooperation between the VNA and the MoFA, as well as between the VNA’s overseas bureaus and Vietnamese representative offices abroad, noting that both sides support each other in fulfilling their missions.

According to the General Director, the VNA, as Việt Nam's key national press agency for foreign affairs, continuously strives to spread information about the country’s external activities, including the efforts of Vietnamese representative agencies, citizen protection activities, and the lives and sentiments of the overseas Vietnamese community toward the homeland. It also promotes Việt Nam’s image globally, delivers information on foreign countries and issues related to Việt Nam there to the home country, and brings the world closer to Việt Nam.

Currently, the national news agency boasts more than 2,000 staff members, including 927 reporters and sub-editors, with its presence in 30 countries and territories across the five continents.

The VNA produces approximately 60 media products in Vietnamese and nine foreign languages, including English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Lao, Khmer, Korean, and Japanese. It also publishes books and reference materials.

"Amid many challenges, the VNA's correspondents overseas always receive effective support from ambassadors and embassies," Trang noted.

Through its overseas bureaus, the VNA and the embassies have organised numerous photo exhibitions highlighting Việt Nam’s relations with other countries, promoting the country and its people on the anniversaries of their diplomatic ties and during important national celebrations such as the founding of the Party and National Day.

Given the country’s development in this new phase and the complex, unpredictable international situation, she emphasised that cooperation between the VNA and Vietnamese representative agencies abroad should be further strengthened to keep pace with global trends, particularly amid the booming in digital technology and artificial intelligence.

The VNA wishes to receive more support from Việt Nam's representative offices abroad to broaden the reach of its foreign service products, including VietnamPlus e-newspaper, Việt Nam Pictorial, Việt Nam News, and Le Courrier du Vietnam, the official said, adding this collaboration will help improve the efficiency of the country’s external communications work.

She suggested adding links to the VNA's websites and e-newspapers on the pages of these offices and called on their heads to continue supporting the agency’s reporters.

The VNA stands ready to work together with the offices to organise exhibitions in host countries showcasing Việt Nam’s image, people, economic achievements, and external relations, the General Director went on.

Reflecting on the key tasks of protecting sovereignty in cyberspace, countering hostile and false viewpoints, and ensuring information security, Trang said the VNA hopes to receive official information from the diplomatic missions regarding sensitive political security issues, helping stabilise public opinion amid conflicting information.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister Phạm Thanh Bình attributed diplomatic achievements, regarded by leaders as a “bright spot” over the past years, partly to the press circle, saying thanks to its efforts, the image of a peaceful, independent, stable, and growing Việt Nam has been introduced to the world.

Highlighting the VNA’s crucial role in disseminating the Party's and State's policies, guidelines, and laws, he said its mainstream information has a significant influence on the public, helping foster social consensus and serving national construction, development, and defence.

The agency’s activities and its network of correspondents in various countries around the world contribute to promoting Việt Nam’s image and enhancing understanding between the Vietnamese people and other nations, Bình said, lauding the VNA’s role in connecting overseas Vietnamese with their homeland. – VNS