(VOVworld) – In order to give overseas Vietnamese and foreign friends a more accurate view of Vietnam and counter biased views from external information sources, overseas communication work should be pursued more actively. One way is to enhance international cooperation in communication – the main topic of a meeting organized by the Party Central Committee’s Communications and Education Commission in Hanoi on Tuesday.
Le Hong Anh, member of the Politburo and the CPV's Secretariat spoke at the national conference on external information and communication on sea, island, and border marker planting in 2012 (photo: dangcongsan.vn)
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During national construction and defense of the Vietnamese people, hostile forces have conducted a so-called “peaceful evolution” to divide the national unity, smear the image of Vietnam, and sabotage the country’s prestige internationally. In order to give foreign friends and Vietnamese living abroad a more accurate and complete views of Vietnam, the country has improved the quality of its overseas communication, diversified its information channels, and expanded international media cooperation. Tran Dac Loi, Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, says a number of foreign news agencies, reporters, and editors have written about Vietnam but have never been to Vietnam. Many of them do not thoroughly understand Vietnam so they have written in a biased and subjective way about the country.
"Our experience shows that after visiting Vietnam, foreign reporters have more complete and accurate information, so they write more objective articles about Vietnam. Enhancing press cooperation, inviting foreign reporters to explore Vietnam, and sharing information with them are necessary and practical way to give people around the world a clearer perception of Vietnam." Loi says.
On average, the Ministry of Information and Communication annually receives 6 foreign press delegations to write about Vietnam annually and 20 to 30 press delegations with specific work programs in Vietnam. Nguyen Duc Loi, General Director of the Vietnam News Agency, gives one example: "We received a delegation from the China’s Global Times, an online newspaper, to observe the real situation in Vietnam and work with Vietnamese press agencies. After their visit, they have reduced negative coverage of Vietnam."
In May, 2011, much erroneous information about the so-called “uprising” in Muong Nhe, Dien Bien province was posted on international mass media, which raised doubts among Vietnamese people living abroad. Vietnam invited foreign reporters to explore the situation in Dien Bien province. After their field trips, they understood more clearly the commitment of the Vietnamese Party and State to guaranteing the rights and interests of the people, including freedom of belief and equality among ethnic groups, through consistent law enforcement. Another example is the many Cambodian newspapers that have published negative stories about Vietnam. A delegation of Cambodian reporters was invited to Vietnam, and soon after, hundreds of articles reflecting the true situation in Vietnam were published in Cambodia.
Besides international press cooperation, people to people diplomacy is another important channel. President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Vu Xuan Hong says: "Our task is to make people understand Vietnam better. Our goal is to get people who know nothing about Vietnam to visit and love Vietnam; get those who already love Vietnam to love Vietnam more; and get those who oppose Vietnam to be less aggressive. We need to introduce Vietnam’s culture, traditions, values, and problems to foreign friends so they will support us in our national industrialization and modernization efforts."