Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung presented the Order of Independence, first class, to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) for the second time while attending a ceremony to mark the agency’s 70th founding anniversary on September 15. Seventy years ago today, the VNA published the full text of the Declaration of Independence in Vietnamese, English and French to the world, marking its birth. Since then, its staff have overcome numerous difficulties and challenges to fulfil their tasks, contributing importantly to the country’s nation-building and safeguarding cause. Addressing the event, PM Nguyen Tan Dung conveyed his best wishes to the VNA staff, affirming that in the two resistance wars against French and American forces, the VNA served as an important news channel helping strengthen public will and determination to drive aggressors away and regain national independence. During peacetime, it has also proved to be a key press agency that operates as a “news bank” serving the country’s press system and both domestic and international readers, helping orient public opinion, he stated. The Government leader requested the agency continue to be a pioneer in accurately informing and disseminating the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws, putting the Government’s action plans and programmes into life and reflecting people’s aspirations and pressing issues in a timely fashion. The VNA should continue doing its best to produce quality journalism pieces which help guide public opinion while strengthening the application of advanced technology and developing different journalism genres in order to become a national multimedia complex by 2025, he added. VNA Director General Nguyen Duc Loi recalled the 70-year tradition of the VNA. From delivering news and photos for other news agencies, the VNA has effectively utilised news resources, expanded news spheres and diversified information products and genres. In the context of rapid development of the world’s communications and information, the news agency will continue comprehensive renovations, he said, adding that the birth of e-newspaper VietnamPlus, TV channel Vnews, infographics and the provision of news on social networks reflect the agency’s tireless efforts to serve readers. From its humble beginnings, the VNA has grown into a modern national media complex with a 2,500-strong staff working in 63 cities and provinces nationwide and 30 countries on all the five continents, according to Loi. It currently consists of 32 affiliates, including news units (five source news departments), publication and press bodies (one publishing house and nine newspapers), and multi-media units (a television channel and e-portal) together with five news support centres and two printing, trade and services companies. With more than 60 media products, the VNA is now the media outlet with the largest number of products and forms in the country with bulletins, photos, television programmes, dailies, weeklies, monthlies, magazines, pictorials, books, TV channels, e-newspapers and information programmes on mobile platforms. The VNA now maintains bilateral and multilateral partnerships with more than 40 international media agencies and is a member of the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) and several other international and regional press organisations. It is the first press agency to be awarded the titles “Labour Hero in the Reform Period” and “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces.” It has also been honoured twice with the Gold Star Order, the Ho Chi Minh Order and many other Vietnamese and international honours.-VNA