Việt Nam News’ video series entitled The Essence of Vietnamese Craft Villages wins the second prize of the 10th National External Information Service Awards. — Photo courtesy of the organisers

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam News’ video series entitled The Essence of Vietnamese Craft Villages has won the second prize in the 10th National External Information Service Awards.

The awards were given out at a stunning ceremony at the Hanoi Opera House on the evening of December 3.

The event was attended by Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of its Commission for Information and Education Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn, along with other senior officials, leaders of press agencies and award-winning authors.

The awards attracted enthusiastic participation from organisations and individuals within and beyond Việt Nam. Submissions were diverse in format and content, showcasing a dynamic, resilient and globally integrated Việt Nam, as well as the country's cultural identity and historical traditions. The jury awarded 10 first prizes, 20 silver places, 30 thirds, and 49 consolation prizes to outstanding entries.

In his remarks, Nghĩa congratulated the winners and praised the significant contributions of external information efforts, particularly all of those involved, to Việt Nam’s achievements in implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress. Such efforts have helped strengthen the role, position and prestige of the Party and the nation on the international stage.

This year’s organising committee received 1,289 entries, most of them belonging to the categories of print and online media, Vietnamese and foreign-language news sites and television.

Featuring creative and modern presentation formats, the submissions delved into a broad range of topics, including significant political, diplomatic and cultural events and the nation’s achievements across various fields. They gave insights into Party and State policies, particularly in priority areas such as science-technology, digital transformation and green economy development, while many works also promoted Việt Nam’s natural beauty, cultural values and people.

Submissions from foreign participants offered in-depth, multi-faceted perspectives on Việt Nam’s diplomatic activities, its relationships with countries in the region and the world, its appeal as a fascinating destination and its rich history and cultural heritage.

Notably, the 10th edition saw entries in new languages such as Arabic, Italian and Hebrew for the foreign-language print and online media categories, and Uzbek and Sinhala in the books category. The competition also marked the participation of Việt Nam’s overseas diplomatic missions and Vietnamese communities abroad.

The television category featured a strong showing from provincial and central broadcasting stations, along with works by foreign authors aired on international channels such as Pakistan World TV and Indonesia’s Southeast Asia Today.

Vietnam News Agency emerged as a media organisation with the highest number of submissions, winning two first places, four seconds, six thirds and six consolation prizes.

Việt Nam News’ winning video series The Essence of Vietnamese Craft Villages included ten videos in English, produced and released between August 15, 2023 and May 16, 2024.

The video series aims to promote the image of the country and the people of Việt Nam, honour traditional cultural values, showcase craft village tourism and highlight the efforts of the Party, the State and the people, as well as Vietnamese artisans, in preserving and maintaining traditional crafts.

“The videos are produced with a focus on content quality, visual presentation and careful attention to the English language, ensuring the most effective communication to international audiences,” said journalist Nguyễn Thị Kiều Trinh, a member of the production team.

Third prize recipients of the 10th National External Information Service Awards. Photo courtesy of the organisers

Việt Nam News also won a third prize for a series of videos and articles entitled Religious Freedom in Việt Nam - An Undeniable Truth and two consolidation prizes for article series Việt Nam-US Relations: Closing the Past, Looking Toward the Future and ESG: Turning Commitment into Action.

This season attracted contributions from numerous foreign scholars, researchers, writers and journalists, including those from Germany, Cambodia, India, Russia, Mexico, Argentina, Laos and Taiwan (China).

“This important award means a lot to me. It is a milestone in my writing career,” said German-Vietnamese writer Isabelle Muller who won the third prize for her book Loan - From the Life of a Phoenix.

“Seeing that Loan - From the Life of a Phoenix stood out from numerous competitors from all over the world and is now being rewarded fills my heart with gratitude, pride and humility at the same time. The award is proof that my work as a writer is perceived, respected and taken seriously,” she told Việt Nam News. — VNS