Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Tran Sy Thanh pledged today (June 19) to increase support for Kinh te & Do thi (Economic & Urban) newspaper/The Hanoi Times to boost its performance.

Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh (third from right) and senior officials of Hanoi on the visit to The Hanoi Times on June 19. Photo: Pham Hung/The Hanoi Times

During the visit to the media on the occasion of the 99th anniversary of Vietnam's Revolutionary Journalism Day (June 21, 1925), Thanh said that Hanoi authorities would always support the newspaper's operations.

He expected that the newspaper would continue to develop, seize new opportunities, apply new technologies, and contribute more to the growth of the capital.

On the occasion, Chairman Thanh also wished that the managers and journalists of Kinh te & Do thi Newspaper would ceaselessly improve their skills and performance to deliver the best stories about Hanoi and Vietnam.

He praised the newspaper for its excellent work over the past 25 years in informing the public about state and local policies, as well as producing excellent stories about Hanoi and other cities and provinces.

“With those achievements, Kinh Te & Do Thi is definitely one of the largest media outlets in Hanoi and Vietnam,” Thanh added.

For his part, Nguyen Thanh Loi, Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, committed to further developing the media into a smart communication unit.

"Our editors, reporters, staff and managers will strive to create a good working environment, adopt digital solutions to do smarter journalism, and contribute more to the growth of the nation and the capital," he said.

Nguyen Thanh Loi, Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper (4th from right) introduces types of publications to the guests.

The newspaper has also opened a new bureau in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, adding to four existing bureaus in the major cities of Ho Chi Minh City, Cantho, Danang, and the central province of Nghe An, as well as dozens of smaller local offices.

Strengthening cooperation with Australia, India

On the same day, the news agency was honored to welcome Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski, who extended his congratulatory messages to the news agency on the occasion of the Press Day. He highlighted the role of journalism in the development and strengthening of Australia-Vietnam relations in particular.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski presents flowers to the Editorial and reporters of the Economic&Urban Newspaper on the occasion of the Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day on June 21.

He said the media needs official news sources from the Embassy, while the Embassy expects the information to go to the public. It's a two-way mechanism that matters a lot in building up the relations between the two sides amid the booming of information on social media.   

The newspaper and its English-language website hanoitimes.vn are the key to promoting the relations between Vietnam and Australia, which was upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the visit paid to Vietnam by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in June 2023. 

He said its editors and reporters have done a great job covering the latest developments in the relations between the two countries and further promoting their partnership in all fields.

The Australian ambassador hoped local journalists would produce better work to contribute to Vietnam-Australia relations.

On this occasion, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Loi expected any opportunities for the agency's reporters to improve their knowledge and skills from Australia – a country with a good media landscape. Mr. Andrew Goledzinowski appreciated the idea and talked about the possibility of sponsorship from the Government of Australia in its strategic policies made for Vietnam.   

Editor-in-Chief Nguyen Thanh Loi and Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski at the meeting.

Meanwhile, Roshan Lepcha, Counselor of Politics and Information at the Embassy of India in Hanoi, said journalism played a very important role in strengthening the comprehensive strategic partners that India and Vietnam have over the period of 50 years and before. The Hanoi Times has helped develop the understanding between the people of the two countries and strengthen multi-sectoral relations.

“We, the Embassy of India in Hanoi, are very grateful to your reporters who have attended each and every event of the embassy to bring those messages to the public and to the people of Vietnam,” he emphasized.

Roshan Lepcha, Counselor of Politics and Information at the Embassy of India in Hanoi and Editor-in-Chief of the Economic and Urban Newspaper Nguyen Thanh Loi.

Talking about the collaboration, he mentioned the Government of India’s training course designed for Vietnamese journalists and the opportunities for The Hanoi Times reporters in other India-funded programs.

In March 2024, the Embassy, as a part of the Government of India, provided an opportunity to take some of the journalists from various media houses in Vietnam to India and The Hanoi Times’ reporter was part of that contingent. The training course on journalism and public relations under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Program (ITEC) program was launched in 1964.

Both Roshan Lepcha and Nguyen Thanh Loi agreed to look forward to the partnership in the future. 

Mr. Roshan Lepcha at the meeting with the newspaper's editorial members and reporters.