Party General Secretary To Lam delivers a keynote speech at the VNA's celebration on September 14. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

State President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Do Van Chien sent flowers and congratulatory letters to the VNA on this occasion.

In his remarks, Party General Secretary Lam praised the agency’s historic contributions to the nation. On behalf of the Party and State leaders, the Party chief extended warm congratulations to all VNA leaders, reporters, editors, technicians, and staff across generations, as well as to the families of journalist-martyrs and war-wounded journalists. He paid tribute to their sacrifices and praised their contributions to the Party’s revolutionary cause and the legacy of Vietnam’s revolutionary press.

In the new context, he pointed out that the VNA must continuously innovate to develop in accordance with the stature of the era and the country's development, continuing to affirm its role as a strategic and reliable information agency of the Party and State. It must serve as the mainstream information source and flow on the journalism and ideological front.

The Party chief urged the VNA to better its database building work, given data is the production material in the digital era. Building a scientific journalistic database system, including the valuable information and documentation centre and national photo archive, will be an important foundation for the agency to develop creative journalism and data journalism, contributing to forming the nation's "collective memory," said the Party leader.

As extensive integration into the world is one of the key priorities for Vietnam in the coming time, the General Secretary called on the VNA to step up cooperation with leading global news organisations and reputable media outlets, establishing itself as a respected regional news supplier.

Alongside spreading images of the country, culture, and people of Vietnam to foreign audiences, the VNA should adopt innovative partnerships to highlight national progress on global platforms, while also bringing stories of global development to the Vietnamese people, he said.

Looking ahead, he asked VNA reporters, editors, technicians, and staff to take pride in their legacy and lead with innovation. The goal is to assert the agency’s role, mettle, and creativity in a new era of national development.
To fulfill their missions in the country’s new development period, the VNA journalists must strengthen their political mettle, stay loyal to revolutionary ideals, and affirm the role as pioneering soldiers on the information front, excellently completing the tasks assigned by the Party and State. The Party leader stressed that they must popularize the Party and State’s guidelines, policies, laws, and Vietnam’s development achievements, contributing to consolidating social trust and unity, fostering a collective aspiration for national progress.