Party General Secretary Tô Lâm attends a ceremony held on Sunday to celebrate Vietnam News Agency's 80th anniversary. VNA/VNS Photos

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm on Sunday told Vietnam News Agency (VNA) to expand cooperation with major news agencies and reputable press organisations worldwide, enhancing VNA’s position as a prestigious news agency in the region.

He was speaking while attending the ceremony that VNA held in Hà Nội to receive the Hồ Chí Minh Order for the third time and to mark the agency’s 80th founding anniversary (September 15, 1945 – September 15, 2025).

He said in addition to promoting the image of Việt Nam’s land, culture and people to international friends, VNA needs to adopt innovative solutions in collaboration with partners to create positive information products about Việt Nam’s growth, spreading them on global platforms, while also bringing the progressive achievements of humankind and the world to the Vietnamese people.

In the context of the new situation, the Party chief said VNA must constantly innovate to develop in line with the spirit of the times and the country’s growth, continuing to affirm its role as the Party and State’s strategic and reliable news agency, a source of official information and a mainstream channel of positive journalism and ideology, he said.

VNA needs to closely monitor and grasp domestic developments as well as international changes, proactively collect and synthesise information sources, conduct comprehensive analysis, assessment and forecasting in a timely and accurate manner, he said.

He told the agency to provide valuable reports, even policy advice, proposals and recommendations to enable Party and State leaders to make appropriate decisions.

“VNA’s information must be accurate, objective, humane and beneficial to the nation and the people,” he said.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm presents the Hồ Chí Minh Order for the third time to VNA during a ceremony on Sunday to mark the agency’s 80th founding anniversary.

Amid the wave of digital transformation and the fierce competition in the global media space, the General Secretary stressed that VNA journalists must continue to strongly innovate both their methods of journalism and ways of delivering information. They must take the lead in applying modern technologies, master digital platforms, artificial intelligence and big data.

VNA journalists must remain responsive to new developments while exercising utmost caution. It is essential to constantly sharpen knowledge and professional skills to ensure precise journalistic reflexes, while mastering technology to quickly identify, verify and handle fake news and misinformation.

At the same time, they should select and provide timely reporting on core emerging issues to the Party, State leadership and the media system, he said.

Party General Secretary Lâm requested that VNA improve its data-building capacity, as data has become a fundamental resource in the digital era.

He said: “Developing a scientific journalistic data system, including the information and documentation centre and the especially valuable national photo archive currently being preserved, will serve as an important foundation for VNA to advance creative journalism, data-driven journalism and contribute to the formation of the nation’s collective memory.”

He advised that VNA’s internal organisations should continue to be streamlined for greater efficiency, with improved incentives for the core workforce. At the same time, VNA must give strong attention to recruiting and training high-quality young human resources, those with aspiration, ambition, and dedication, to meet the demands of tasks in the new context and carry forward VNA’s proud traditions.

It is also necessary to continue learning from and sharing modern journalism models to contribute to the development of Vietnamese revolutionary press, he said.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm presents the Vietnam News Agency with a statue of late President Hồ Chí Minh.

The General Secretary emphasised that the past 80 years have demonstrated that in every historical period, whether in war or in peace, VNA journalists have always shown firm political courage, a spirit of dedication, readiness to contribute and sacrifice and unwavering devotion to the Party, the State and the People.

“The photos on display today, though only a small part of VNA’s extensive photo archives, vividly reflect these enduring values,” he said.

He expressed his hope that, in the new era of national development, every reporter, editor, technician and staff member of VNA will carry in their hearts a sense of pride in the agency’s glorious tradition, follow in the footsteps of previous generations with a spirit of innovation and pioneering action and affirm their role, courage, and creativity.

With its heroic tradition, determination for innovation, and aspiration to rise, the General Secretary expressed his belief that VNA will continue to grow strongly, uphold the flow of official information, guide the current of public opinion and further affirm its role as the national news agency and the Party and State’s strategic, reliable information unit.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm visits an exhibition showcasing VNA's 80 years of journey.

Addressing the event, Vũ Việt Trang, Secretary of the Party Committee, General Director of the VNA, and Chairwoman of the VNA Journalists Association, recalled that on September 15, 1945, from the Bạch Mai Radio Station, Việt Nam Thông Tấn Xã (VNTTX), now Thông Tấn Xã Việt Nam (Vietnam News Agency), the Declaration of Independence was broadcast to the entire world, in three languages: Vietnamese, English and French, proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam. Since that historic moment, September 15 has been celebrated as the Traditional Day of the national news agency.

Throughout the eight-decade journey of growth and development, the VNA has always received special attention from the Party and President Hồ Chi Minh, guidance from the Government and the trust, support and affection of the people.

President Hồ Chí Minh’s words have been a guiding torch, urging generations of VNA journalists to overcome any hardships, bombs and gunfire to maintain an uninterrupted flow of information. Throughout the fiercest periods of the war, reporters from VNTTX and the Liberation Press Agency (LPA) were present on every battlefield and military campaign, she noted.

Nearly 260 reporters, editors and technicians of the VNA heroically laid down their lives on battlefields stretching from Việt Bắc to Cà Mau, and in the course of fulfilling international missions. This number accounts for more than 25 per cent of the agency’s personnel during the wartime period, and over half of all journalist-martyrs nationwide.

VNA General Director Vũ Việt Trang addresses the event.

In peacetime, the VNA’s information continues to resonate with the pulse of the times, vividly reflecting the nation’s dynamic development and remarkable breakthroughs.

With its excellent achievements, the VNA is proud to be the only press agency honoured three times with the Hero title: Hero of Labour during the Renewal period in 2001; Hero of the People’s Armed Forces in 2005; and Hero of the People’s Armed Forces awarded to the Liberation Press Agency in 2020.

Outstanding works by VNA journalists across generations have been awarded the Hồ Chí Minh Award, the State Prize for Literature and Arts, as well as numerous national and international journalism awards, according to the official.

Trang emphasised that in response to the requirements of the new situation, the VNA continues to uphold traditions, maintain the core values, constantly make innovations, and effectively carry out the task of being a strategic information provider in the new context, serving as a source of accurate, reliable, and diverse information for the media system and readers at home and abroad and asserting its stature as a highly reputable national news agency in the region and the world.

She noted that anticipating the trends of digital media, the VNA has developed a comprehensive digital ecosystem, integrating modern communication technologies and artificial intelligence into its management, operation, information production and dissemination processes. The entire workflow is now interconnected on a shared platform, helping maximise resources and improve efficiency and quality. The agency’s affiliated newsrooms consistently rank high in annual digital transformation maturity assessments.

Entrusted by the Party and State, the VNA has for many years directly delivered news coverage in the languages of 12 ethnic groups nationwide to communities in remote areas, promptly communicating policies of the Party and State to ensure accurate understanding and proper implementation by the people.

VNA General Director Vũ Việt Trang respectfully presents Party leader Tô Lâm with the photo book Vinh quang mãi mãi thuộc về Nhân dân 'Glory Forever Belongs to the People'.

In many nationally important events, the VNA has served as the leading and sole provider of news and images; acted effectively as the host media for Việt Nam’s major events. With their information products, VNA reporters and editors have actively countered negative phenomena and false rhetoric of hostile forces in and outside the country, contributing to protecting territorial sovereignty and maintaining political and social stability, and affirming its vanguard role on the ideological front.

The General Director went on to say that as the strategic information centre of the Party and State, the VNA's reports and reference materials play a vital role in supporting leadership, direction, administration and policy-making. The agency's insightful and comprehensive information, including forecasts and situational assessments, has made a significant contribution to the early and from-afar struggle on the information and communication front.

As the country’s leading news agency for foreign services, the VNA continues to capitalise on its resources in external relations information activities. It has consistently diversified and innovated its communication methods to promote Việt Nam as a dynamic and modern nation with strong international integration, while showcasing the country’s distinctive traditional cultural values and contributing to the mobilisation of all resources for national development.

In addition, Trang said, the VNA has effectively tapped its cooperation with more than 40 news agencies worldwide and its position in the Executive Board of the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), which represents up to 40 per cent of global news. It has actively published information in foreign languages across international media channels, supporting broader foreign service efforts to enhance Việt Nam’s role and stature in the international arena.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and other leaders of the Party and the State inaugurated the official website of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam.

At the ceremony, on behalf of the Party and State leadership, General Secretary Lâm presented the Hồ Chí Minh Order to the VNA in recognition of its longstanding tradition, outstanding contributions and particularly exceptional merits in the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

On this occasion, General Secretary Tô Lâm and other leaders of the Party and the State inaugurated the official website of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam at https://daihoidang.vn.

The website is available in six languages: Vietnamese, English, French, Russian, Chinese and Spanish and features five forms of information: text, photos, videos, graphics and data.

It provides comprehensive coverage of current news, in-depth analysis, and extensive archives on Party documents and personnel across the 13 previous National Congresses. VNS