National External Information Service Awards 2016 launched

The competition is designed for Vietnamese at home and abroad, and foreigners. It is divided into various categories, including print media, radio and television broadcasts, electronic media, press photos, landscape photos, and books.

Entries either in Vietnamese or foreign languages should have been published or broadcast by domestic or international press agencies between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016.

The awarding ceremony is scheduled to take place in Hanoi in May 2017.

The Voice of Vietnam (VOV) will chair the 2016 competition, following the two successful events chaired by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) in 2014 and the Vietnam Television (VTV) in 2015.

Speaking at the launching event, Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee’s Information and Education Commission Pham Van Linh said the competition aims to confirm the crucial role of external information service in popularising Vietnamese culture, history and people as well as providing accurate information on the situation in Vietnam, the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws, and the country’s standpoints on regional and international issues.

The entries also contribute to refuting and countering incorrect information and false allegations about Vietnam, he said.

The awards aim to encourage journalists and press agencies to take part in external information activities while increasing connectivity and co-ordination among press agencies in the field.