At the launching ceremony (Photo: VTV)

On the occasion, Politburo member and Chairman of the 14th National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue lauded the VNA’s efforts in building the special website, which provides audience as well as domestic and foreign media agencies with a panorama picture of the elections through accurate and timely information. This will help increase the effectiveness of communication work on the elections, he said.

The top legislator noted that over the years, the VNA has played a pioneering role in reforming itself to improve the quality and efficiency of its operation, especially in the coverage of special events of the country. He cited as examples the VNA’s launch of many special websites, including those on the 13th National Party Congress, the APEC Year Vietnam 2017, and the Vietnam ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020. The VNA has well performed as a strategic and reliable news agency of the Party and State and a key national media agency for foreign relations, he said.

The NA leader asked the VNA and other medial agencies to strengthen popularization work on the elections in more diverse and attractive formats, reflecting the vibrant atmosphere across the country ahead of the elections, with focus on COVID-19-affected localities, border, island, ethnic minority-inhabited and disaster-hit areas, while rejecting wrongful allegations and distorted information on the election, and delivering vivid news on the election to the international community, according to the VNA.

“I hope the VNA will further promote your role and advantages of the major media agency of the country to contribute to ensuring that the elections will take place in a democratic, fair, law-abiding, safe and economical manner, thus becoming a real festival of all people,” said Hue.

Addressing the event, VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi affirmed following the success of the special news website on the 13th National Party Congress, VNA believes that this special website on the general elections will give readers and colleagues a panorama picture with accurate and updated information of the elections of deputies to the 15th NA and People’s Councils at all levels in the 2021-2026 tenure.

This marks a significant work by VNA – the strategic and trustworthy news agency of the Party and State, and the major national media agency for foreign relations – to help implement the 13th National Party Congress’s Resolution.

With a modern and user-friendly interface, the website contains articles, photos, videos, and infographics in six languages: Vietnamese, English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese. It provides information on candidates to the NA in the 15th tenure and the deputies to the NA in the 14th tenure. Users can search for information on candidates by typing their name, area of origin, age, gender, education, and place of nomination. They can also find updates on preparations for the elections in Vietnam’s 63 cities and provinces and the election campaigns of the candidates, voter attitudes towards the elections, and election regulations.

VNA’s information on the elections is broader than ever before, with the active engagement of all its news production and publishing units as well as its extensive network of 63 domestic and 30 overseas representative offices, with thousands of articles, photos, and videos on current events and documentary information, along with interviews and in-depth commentary.

Stories are divided into two categories - national news and local news. Local news is sorted by provincial-level administrative units, allowing for quick access and greater convenience.

Built in an elaborate manner with the application of new technologies in combination with VNA’s strength in data journalism, the website provides readers as well as domestic and foreign media with updated information and valuable archives on the NA. VNA has coordinated with prestigious technology partners to, for the first time, provide documentary information of each NA tenure and NA leaders, outstanding NA sessions, and the outcomes of law-building activities during each tenure.

Information available on the special news website is updated in real time from the VNA news system and is free to access. To search and use text news and high-quality photos, media agencies need only sign up for an account once./.

BTA