Opening of the National Press Festival 2023

Delegates cut the ribbon to open the 2023 National Press Festival. (Photo: Thanh Dat)

Attending the opening ceremony were comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Propaganda Department; Party Central Committee members: Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Vice President; Le Quoc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, President of the Vietnam Journalists Association; Pham Tat Thang, Deputy Head of the Central Mass Mobilization Committee; Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Information and Communications; Do Tien Sy, General Director of the Voice of Vietnam; representatives of leaders of ministries, branches, veteran journalists and a large number of journalists and press audiences nationwide.

The largest press conference ever

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2023 National Press Festival, comrade Le Quoc Minh, member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, President of the Vietnam Journalists Association said: This is a great festival for the press and the public nationwide, and at the same time a practical activity of the press in bringing the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party into life.

The National Press Festival is also an event to celebrate the country's achievements in the renovation process; as well as major events in 2023, such as: Celebrating the 98th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 - June 21, 2023), the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Journalists Association (April 21, 1950 - April 21, 2023) and continuing to implement the full-term program of activities of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Journalists Association, term XI (term 2010-2025).

The 2023 National Press Festival honors the great achievements and strong development of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press, promotes press products associated with the work and creativity of journalists nationwide; enhances exchanges and meetings between journalists and the public, encourages the press to perform well its functions and tasks, and meets the people's increasing demand for information; contributes to enhancing the role, position and prestige of the Vietnam Journalists Association in the press life in particular and social life in general.

This is also an opportunity to commend and encourage the great contributions of units, individuals, organizations and businesses that have made many positive contributions to the cause of Vietnamese revolutionary journalism.

Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Chairman of Vietnam Journalists Association Le Quoc Minh delivered the opening speech of the 2023 National Press Festival.

Comrade Le Quoc Minh added that this is the sixth year the Press Festival continues to be held in the capital city of Hanoi, with the co-chairing role of the Hanoi People's Committee. The 2023 National Press Festival has the largest scale and scope ever, with more diverse activities, attracting 87 booths displaying Spring newspaper publications and typical press publications in 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, with the enthusiastic participation of 63 provincial and municipal Journalists Associations, 60 central and local press agencies, and typical thematic exhibition booths of the Associations: Nhan Dan Newspaper, Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam News Agency, Ministry of Information and Communications... and the participation of press training and fostering units, exhibition areas of units providing modern press-communication equipment.

During 3 days (from March 17 to 19, 2023), the 2023 National Press Festival will bring to the public, journalists and members many attractive professional and cultural activities, contributing to increasing the connection between the press and the public, contributing to propagating and disseminating the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws to all classes of people, while gradually improving cultural enjoyment, contributing to building Vietnamese culture and people as set out in the Resolutions of the Party Central Committee Conference.

The 2023 National Press Festival builds a system of images and colors as well as scientifically arranges and organizes each area, within the large and beautiful campus of the Hanoi Museum, to achieve the highest efficiency in honoring and promoting the press force of the whole country.

Delegates attending the 2023 National Press Conference.

In addition, the Press Association also has many meaningful activities in politics, society, and career for members, creating a special highlight in professional activities. These are the National Press A Award Reunion Seminar; AI Workshop and Creative Content Management in the Editorial Office; Launching Ceremony of the 2023 Press and Propaganda Award on Energy Saving and Efficiency; Creative and Proactive Youth Seminar in Digital Transformation; Seminar on Training and Fostering Journalism Skills on Demand; Final Round of the Open Journalist Singing Contest 2023; The Second Journalist & Public Opinion Newspaper Cup Football Tournament; Exhibition of Spring Paths; Display of Old Spring on Tet Newspapers... along with elaborate and unique art programs of the Youth Theater.

According to comrade Le Quoc Minh, within the framework of the Press Festival, the Organizing Committee will vote and award the "Impressive Tet Newspaper Cover" prize for printed newspapers with beautiful and unique covers; the "Impressive Electronic Newspaper Interface" prize for electronic newspapers on the occasion of the Lunar New Year of Quy Mao; the "Impressive Radio and Television Program" prize for the occasion of the Lunar New Year of Quy Mao. In addition, there will be the "Impressive Press 2023" prize for collectives and individuals organizing attractive and memorable events/activities within the framework of the National Press Festival.

Every press agency must be a cultural agency.

Speaking at the Press Conference, Comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia - Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Propaganda Department emphasized: Vietnamese revolutionary press is a sharp ideological weapon of the Party and State, always closely associated with and accompanying the cause of building and defending the socialist Fatherland of our people.

Over the years, press agencies and journalists nationwide have regularly promoted their political mission and responsibility, closely followed the Party's orientation, grasped reality, and performed well their assigned tasks, including spending a lot of time extensively propagating the study, understanding, and implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, along with the Party's resolutions, directives, conclusions, and policies and laws of the State.

Head of the Central Propaganda Department Nguyen Trong Nghia speaks at the opening ceremony of the 2023 National Press Festival. Photo: Thanh Dat

The press has also been active, proactive, and effective in reflecting honestly and objectively, making an important contribution to orienting public opinion, creating consensus in society, strengthening people's trust in the leadership of the Party and State, disseminating information on socio-economic recovery and development, achievements in foreign affairs, disseminating information on Party building, preventing and combating corruption, waste, and negativity, protecting the Party's ideological foundation, and fighting and refuting erroneous and hostile viewpoints.

According to him, to achieve these results, in addition to the remarkable efforts of the press agencies and journalists themselves, it is impossible not to mention the role of the leadership agencies, press management agencies of the Vietnam Journalists Association, the political and professional organization of journalists nationwide, where they gather, unite the team, cultivate revolutionary ethics, improve professional qualifications for members, thereby improving the quality of press activities.

He assessed: The 2023 National Press Festival is a major event for the press community nationwide, an activity rich in political, social and cultural significance, rich in intelligence, enlivening and enriching the press life; an opportunity to demonstrate the revolutionary press force, create a competitive atmosphere among press agencies, all levels of the Journalists' Association and journalists nationwide, contributing to improving the political capacity, professional qualifications and professional ethics of journalists, improving the quality and effectiveness of press activities.

Party and State leaders and delegates visit Nhan Dan Newspaper's booth at the 2023 National Press Festival.

With the theme“Unity-Professionalism-Culture-Creativity”This year's National Press Festival is an activity to promote press products associated with the work and creativity of journalists nationwide; an opportunity for journalists and press agencies to meet, exchange and share journalism experiences and new journalism technologies, while enhancing exchanges and meetings between journalists and the public, thereby encouraging the press to best perform its functions and tasks, meeting the people's increasing demand for information.

Comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia welcomed the Organizing Committee for organizing a very meaningful event, welcomed the press agencies and journalists with passion who have strived and created outstanding press works, a solemn and intimate exhibition space, contributing to this year's National Press Festival.

Comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia beats the drum to open the 2023 National Press Festival.

As a component of culture and at the same time one of the main means of disseminating culture to the whole society, press agencies need to actively participate and respond to the emulation movement to build a cultural environment in press agencies, building positive activities towards the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day.

Each press agency must be a cultural agency, each journalist must always be aware of improving their own culture and promoting cultural elements, humanistic spirit and higher than that, for the benefit of the nation and people in creating and composing works, contributing to preserving and developing advanced Vietnamese culture with strong national identity, promoting cultural values ​​and the strength of the Vietnamese people, strongly arousing the spirit of patriotism, national self-reliance, developing a prosperous and happy country.

All levels of the association need to thoroughly grasp Directive 43 of the Party Central Committee Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership over the activities of the Vietnam Journalists Association in the new situation. The upcoming National Press Festival needs to constantly innovate, create, and promote existing experiences to organize in an increasingly practical and effective manner, creating a festival for the press nationwide and the public, creating a vibrant competitive atmosphere among press agencies, associations at all levels and journalists nationwide, contributing to improving the quality of journalism and press products, meeting the people's increasing demand for information.