Outstanding journalists receive certificates of merit from the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education at the conference held on Saturday in Hà Nội. —VNA/VNS Photo Phương Hoa

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc hailed the great contributions generations of Vietnamese journalists have made to the cause of national liberation in the past and the country’s development today.

The statement was made in a letter he wrote which was read out at a conference honouring outstanding journalists held in Hà Nội on Saturday.

The event was held to mark the 95th anniversary of the Việt Nam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 – June 21, 2020).

Thanh Niên (Youth People) Newspaper, founded by Nguyễn Ái Quốc (later known as President Hồ Chí Minh), debuted in 1925, marking the inception of Việt Nam’s revolutionary press.

Since then, the Vietnamese press has grown under the leadership of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) and made important contributions to the cause of national liberation in the past as well as national building and safeguarding today, the PM said in his letter.

Over the past century, the press has reflected various aspects of the country’s social, economic and political life, and popularised good social values and good deeds as well as successful models and outstanding people, and promoted Việt Nam as a friendly, peaceful destination globally.

The PM stressed the role of journalists in protecting the nation’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; and fighting corruption, wastefulness, wrongdoings, social evils and moral deterioration.

The leader urged journalists nationwide to further improve their professionalism and uphold their ethics and core values to continue pursuing the glorious mission of the revolutionary press.

He said he highly appreciated journalists' contributions and congratulated seven senior journalists and nearly 200 outstanding reporters honoured at the conference, out of the country's 40,000 people working in journalism.

Politburo member Trần Quốc Vượng, Chairman of Việt Nam Fatherland Front Trần Thanh Mẫn, Vice President Trần Ngọc Thịnh and Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam all attended the conference. — VNS