VNA Director General Vũ Việt Trang presents Party General Secretary Tô Lâm with a photo book produced by the agency’s photo journalists. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm praised the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) for its role as the country’s primary source of official information, urging its journalists to remain accurate and technologically adept amid an increasingly volatile global information environment.

Speaking during a visit to the agency’s headquarters, the top leader said VNA staff had continued to provide comprehensive and timely coverage over the holiday period, even as most families were celebrating the new year.

VNA Director General Vũ Việt Trang welcomes General Secretary Tô Lâm. — VNA/VNS Photo

He cited the agency’s reporting on the activities of a high-level delegation attending the Gaza Board of Peace meeting in the US, saying the coverage helped support the success of what he called an important diplomatic engagement and demonstrated Việt Nam’s proactive stance on international issues.

The Party chief also paid tribute to the agency’s historic role, noting that VNA had accompanied the country through the struggle for independence, decades of war and the subsequent process of national reconstruction and development.

General Secretary Tô Lâm enters the conference hall. — VNA/VNS Photo

He said that the agency has the largest number of fallen journalist martyrs among the country’s media organisations, with 260 reporters killed in past conflicts.

“The blood of generations of VNA journalists have become part of the nation’s lifeblood,” he said, describing their work as essential in building public trust and social stability.

Lâm described VNA as the Party and State’s core media institution and the Government’s 'news bank', adding that the agency acts as a bridge between the leadership and the public.

General Secretary Tô Lâm speaks at the meeting. — VNA/VNS Photo

That role, he said, has been forged through sacrifice, professional discipline and credibility built over time.

He also warned that journalists now operate in an information landscape unlike any before, marked by unprecedented speed, misinformation and blurred lines between truth and falsehood.

Accuracy must remain non-negotiable, he stressed. While speed is important, every VNA report should serve as a reliable reference point for society, policymakers and the public, he noted, highlighting that factual reporting is a political responsibility and a matter of professional ethics.

General Secretary Tô Lâm and VNA staff members. — VNA/VNS Photo

The party leader also called on the agency to strengthen domestic and international communications, helping reinforce social consensus at home while projecting an image of Việt Nam as peaceful, stable and growing abroad.

As for technology, the top leader urged VNA to accelerate the application of science and innovation, including artificial intelligence, across the entire news production process, from reporting and verification to editing, distribution and data storage.

General Secretary Tô Lâm extends Lunar New Year greetings to reporters and editors of VNA's Domestic News Department. — VNA/VNS Photo

Technology is a tool rather than a substitute for human judgment, he added.

The Party chief also called for closer coordination across the political system to counter misinformation and harmful content, while promoting what he described as constructive and trustworthy narratives.

General Secretary Tô Lâm visits the newsroom of VNA's World News Department. — VNA/VNS Photo

He said that journalism today is not only about reporting events, but also about safeguarding society’s 'spiritual space'.

Professional integrity must remain the foundation of the profession, he added. While technologies and platforms may change rapidly, the core values of journalism – service to the country and the people, honesty, fairness and compassion – must endure.

VNA Director General Vũ Việt Trang speaks at the meeting. — VNA/VNS Photo

At the meeting, VNA Director General Vũ Việt Trang said the visit was a source of encouragement for the agency’s staff at the start of the year.

She reported that in January, the agency mounted a large multilingual information campaign around the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam, producing more than 13,000 items in formats ranging from text and photography to video, graphics and podcasts, in six languages.

General Secretary Tô Lâm signs a publication produced by the World News Department. — VNA/VNS Photo

VNA also organised a major photo exhibition at the National Convention Centre, the venue of the congress.

Following that campaign, the agency shifted focus to coverage of elections at the 16th National Assembly and local people’s councils, launching a multilingual election information portal that now serves as a comprehensive database on Việt Nam’s parliamentary history and the ongoing electoral process.

Trang said VNA has also begun its international activities this year by hosting a delegation from Russia’s TASS and confirmed that the agency will host the Executive Board Conference of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies later this year.

General Secretary Tô Lâm visits the newsroom of VNA's External Relations News Department. — VNA/VNS Photo

She said the agency’s priorities for 2026 include strengthening cooperation with international partners and improving content quality to better communicate Việt Nam’s development to global audiences. — VNS