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| Liberation Press Agency and Vietnam Thong tan xa (VNTTX) reporters covering the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, April 1975 (Photo: VNA) |
Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) has premiered a special documentary, “80 Years of the Vietnam News Agency – Continuing the Epic,” on the occasion of its 80th anniversary (September 15, 1945 – 2025).
The 25-minute documentary traces the VNA’s journey, from the early days of the nation, through two prolonged resistance wars, to the era of renovation, international integration, and the digital age.
It portrays the VNA as the country’s “news bank,” capturing every historic moment through news reports and photographs, and honouring nearly 260 staff, reporters, and technicians who fell protecting the uninterrupted flow of information.
The documentary opens with the historic moment of September 15, 1945, just 13 days after President Ho Chi Minh declared the Declaration of Independence, when the first news dispatch of the VNA was issued in three languages: Vietnamese, English, and French. This was not only the event marking the birth of the national news agency but also a clear assertion from the very beginning of the VNA’s pioneering role: conveying the independent and free voice of the Vietnamese people to citizens nationwide and to friends around the world.
A poignant detail highlighted in the documentary is President Ho Chi Minh’s 1954 instruction: “The faster the news, the sooner the resistance will triumph.” This guidance became the lodestar for generations of VNA journalists. On May 7, 1954, VNA reporters at the Dien Bien Phu stronghold transmitted a news dispatch announcing a victory that resonated across five continents, sending shockwaves around the world.
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| During the resistance war, the VNA reporters were present in the most dangerous and arduous areas to capture images of the brave and heroic battles of the soldiers and people. Pictured: A meeting of the Tri-Thien-Hue bureau by a stream (Photo: VNA) |
The documentary also spotlights the VNA in the digital era, showing how the agency has continuously upgraded its technical infrastructure, adopted modern technologies, and enhanced the skills and capabilities of its reporting staff.
In 2008, the VietnamPlus e-newspaper was officially launched, paving the way for multilingual, official digital information. Subsequently, the agency strongly developed data journalism, infographics, mobile journalism, television, and audio platforms to meet the increasingly diverse needs of the public.
In recent years, the VNA has intensified the application of artificial intelligence and big data technologies, producing modern, highly interactive journalistic products.
A key highlight is an interview with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh who affirmed that over the past 80 years, the VNA has excellently fulfilled its mission, receiving numerous high honours from the Party and State in recognition of the significant contributions of generations of journalists.
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| A reporter from the VNA Television Centre’s Da Nang bureau works from the back of a truck spraying disinfectant in high-risk COVID-19 areas of Son Tra, Da Nang city. (Photo: VNA) |
Expressing confidence in today’s generation, he emphasised that the VNA must continue to uphold its traditions, leverage its infrastructure, technological platforms, and digital transformation to become a “sharp weapon on the ideological front,” while also serving as a strategic advisory body, providing reliable analytical information for the Party and State.
“The VNA must maintain the spirit of “fire in the heart, steel in the pen,” contributing to the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation, national sovereignty, and guiding the country into an era of wealth, prosperity, and happiness,” the leader said.
The documentary concludes with the resonant message, “Continuing the Epic,” reinforced by VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang: "Amid rapid developments across all sectors, both domestically and internationally, and the shifting tides of the times, VNA journalists will continue to both chronicle historical milestones through diverse, engaging, and creative information products and contribute to the new era of the nation.”
“Upholding the heroic tradition of the national news agency, guided by the Party’s ideology, the VNA’s reporting will help mobilise strength and determination, translate strategic decisions into action, deliver tangible benefits to the public, and continue to assert its role as a strategic information hub serving the Party and State. This is not only a political duty but also a responsibility to history, to the people, and to the nation’s future," she said. /.
