VNA General Director Vũ Việt Trang (L) introduces the photo book "100 Years of Vietnam's Revolutionary Press (1925–2025)" to an international friend.

SAINT PETERSBURG — The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) has been re-elected to the Executive Board of the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) for the 2025–2028 tenure, marking the fifth consecutive term the VNA has held a seat on the board, which comprises 11 members in its new term.

At the plenary session of the 19th OANA General Assembly held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the Russian news agency TASS was elected President of the OANA until 2028, when the next General Assembly is set to be hosted by Azerbaijan’s national news agency AzerTAc.

More than 100 delegates representing news agencies from over 30 countries attended the 19th OANA General Assembly, held from June 18 - 21.

The VNA delegation, led by General Director Vũ Việt Trang, actively participated in the event, engaging in both professional and diplomatic activities. Trang took part in a wide range of professional engagements and high-level meetings, significantly contributing to the VNA's international promotion. She was also interviewed by several foreign news agencies and held discussions with international colleagues on press management and strengthening global cooperation to improve information quality and efficiency.

Notably, on the opening day of the event, the VNA General Director was among 14 heads of international news agencies who interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin. In his remarks, President Putin affirmed that despite changes, the friendship and cooperation between Việt Nam and Russia remain steadfast, with highlights recorded across the fields of energy, scientific research, investment, agriculture, and human resources training.

Within the framework of the General Assembly, the VNA and the Qatar News Agency (QNA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the exchange of information of various forms and delegation visits. The MoU paves the way for new avenues of cooperation, further strengthening its capacity to engage in regional and global media forums as well as other forms of journalistic collaboration.

The General Assembly also saw the presentation of the 2024 OANA Awards. The VNA won two first prizes: one in the article category for “Beeswax: a timeless treasure from wild bees” by the authors Quỳnh Trang, Bằng Cao, Lương Thu Hương; and another in the photo reportage category for “Độc đáo vật cầu nước làng Vân” (The unique mud ball wrestling festival in Vân village) by Ân Thành Đạt. General Director Vũ Việt Trang received the awards on behalf of the authors.

Additionally, photographic works by VNA photojournalists were selected for display at the OANA photo exhibition, which opened on June 19 and features outstanding photos from 25 Asia-Pacific news agencies. — VNA/VNS