Celebrating the newspaper’s 35th anniversary on June 17, 2026, our reporters speak to ambassadors and other dignitaries about its coverage of key national developments and its role in fostering closer ties between Việt Nam and other nations.
For 35 years, Việt Nam News has provided international readers with a window into a rapidly changing Việt Nam. Celebrating the newspaper’s 35th anniversary on June 17, 2026, our reporters speak to ambassadors and other dignitaries about its coverage of key national developments and its role in fostering closer ties between Việt Nam and other nations.
French Ambassador Olivier Brochet speaks with reporter Nguyễn Khánh Chi about its contribution to public dialogue, its coverage of key national developments and its role in fostering closer ties between France and Việt Nam.
How interesting and useful do you find the information provided by Việt Nam News ?
First of all, let me extend my warmest congratulations to Việt Nam News on its 35th anniversary. Over the years, your newspaper has established itself as an influential voice in Việt Nam’s media landscape. Since taking office as French Ambassador to Việt Nam three years ago, Việt Nam News has accompanied me on a daily basis, allowing me to deepen my understanding of Việt Nam’s national priorities and the dynamism of Vietnamese society.
Your newspaper plays an important role in highlighting the major transformations currently shaping Việt Nam, from economic modernisation and sustainable development to innovation, digital transformation and international integration. It also contributes to strengthening mutual understanding between Việt Nam and its international partners.
Việt Nam News has been a valuable partner for the French Embassy in showcasing the depth and diversity of Franco-Vietnamese cooperation. Since the establishment of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October 2024, cooperation has expanded into key sectors such as clean energy, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, health, sustainable infrastructure, innovation and defence. Through your reporting, Vietnamese readers can better understand France’s expertise in these fields and the opportunities they create for our two countries.
I would also like to thank Việt Nam News for offering Vietnamese readers a modern and multifaceted image of France. Beyond the Eiffel Tower, gastronomy, luxury products and our more than 500 cheeses, your newspaper highlights a country of innovation, science and industry. From Airbus and high-speed rail to healthcare innovation, quantum technologies and the ecological transition, France is developing solutions that can help address many of today’s challenges and create new opportunities for cooperation with Việt Nam.
How has our coverage helped you personally?
As Ambassador of France to Việt Nam, I greatly value the role that Việt Nam News plays in fostering dialogue and mutual understanding between our two countries.
Your reporting on the visit of President Emmanuel Macron to Việt Nam in May 2025 was particularly meaningful. I remember very well the headline you chose for the cover: “Yes, oui can”. President Emmanuel Macron appreciated it very much. This visit symbolised the deepening of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and reaffirmed France’s commitment to supporting Việt Nam’s sustainable development, international integration and strategic autonomy. Through your coverage, Vietnamese and international readers alike could better understand the significance of this relationship and the shared ambition of our two countries.
Since then, your coverage has continued to reflect the growing breadth of our cooperation, from Việt Nam’s participation in the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice and the One Health Summit in Lyon to exchanges on rail infrastructure, clean energy and innovation. These initiatives demonstrate the dynamism of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
On a more personal level, I also value the opportunities Việt Nam News has given me to address Vietnamese readers directly. I particularly remember our exchange at the Temple of Literature during Tết 2026, which allowed me to convey my affection for Việt Nam and my confidence in the future of Franco-Vietnamese relations.
How might we improve to better meet your information needs, especially for the expatriate community in Việt Nam?
For the international and French-speaking expatriate community, additional coverage of innovation, artificial intelligence, energy transition, healthcare, infrastructure and entrepreneurship would be particularly valuable.
I would also encourage continued attention to international issues and multilateral cooperation. France and Việt Nam share important common principles, including their attachment to multilateralism, respect for international law and support for the peaceful settlement of disputes.
Recent examples include Việt Nam’s participation in the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, the One Health Summit in Lyon, as well as high-level international dialogues on maritime security and freedom of navigation in strategic regions such as the Strait of Hormuz. And let’s not forget that Việt Nam will participate in the Francophonie Summit in Phnom Penh in November. Highlighting these initiatives helps readers better understand how our two countries contribute, alongside their partners, to addressing common global challenges.
Finally, continued coverage of culture, education and Francophonie remains important. As a founding member of the institutional Francophonie, Việt Nam has long demonstrated its attachment to multilingualism and cultural diversity. By highlighting the people, projects and exchanges that bring our countries together, Việt Nam News helps strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between France and Việt Nam.
UNDP Resident Representative in Việt Nam Ramla Khalidi
Congratulations to Việt Nam News on its 35th anniversary!
Starting my day with Việt Nam News has become a familiar habit, and I have come to appreciate the paper as a valuable source of information and insight into Việt Nam’s rapid development journey. For the international community here, whether diplomats, development practitioners, investors or expatriates, the paper offers a unique window into the country’s evolving policies, achievements and everyday challenges. Reading it has genuinely helped me deepen my understanding of the issues that matter most to the people of Việt Nam.
Over the years, I have also been honoured to contribute op-eds and interviews to the paper. I appreciate the space that Việt Nam News provides for public discussion of critical topics such as sustainable development, climate action, governance, innovation and social inclusion.
I was recently moved by a story in Ship with Paper Sails – Story of a Hanoi Newsman , the memoir of the late Nguyễn Khuyến, the newspaper’s first editor-in-chief.
In the book, he recalled that the first PC owned by Việt Nam News was a gift from UNDP and described how journalists eagerly took turns exploring the new technology for hours on end.
It is a wonderful anecdote that captures the curiosity, determination and openness to innovation that helped shape the newspaper’s early years.
For us at UNDP, it is also a warm reminder of our long-standing partnership with Việt Nam and the institutions that have contributed to the country’s development over the past decades.
As Việt Nam News celebrates 35 years of journalism, I wish the entire team continued success in sharing Việt Nam’s story and connecting readers in Việt Nam and around the world for many years to come.
Việt Nam News for ambassadors like me is really invaluable. You managed to bring Việt Nam's story to an English-speaking readership. For diplomats, for investors, for tourists, for anyone who's dealing with Việt Nam, you explain and you bring Việt Nam's story, its progress, its people, its culture to the world.
The Australia-Việt Nam relationship is on a very strong upward trajectory. We have an incredibly strong bilateral relationship and it's across a number of diverse areas.
We are delighted to continue to grow our relationship with Việt Nam as Việt Nam enters this exciting new era, lots of possibilities in the economic area, people-to-people links, also in the defence and security sphere. So the future is very bright.
Việt Nam News can play a role in helping actually explain that story, make clear the dynamic nature of relations like Australia and Việt Nam, open up the possibilities, explain what more there is that we can do. And really, the best bilateral relationships are based on strong mutual understanding. And that's where Việt Nam News and the media can play a role in helping foster that mutual understanding.
Indonesian Ambassador Adam Mulawarman Tugio
I'm an avid reader of Việt Nam News, and I think Việt Nam News has contributed a lot to the diplomatic community. Việt Nam News plays a very important role in providing reliable information about all aspects of Việt Nam, not only its economy and politics, but also in cultural affairs, especially in the weekend editions, whereby we can gain a lot of information about the cultural aspect of Việt Nam.
For the international audience here, for the international community members who are working in Việt Nam, certainly the information and the reliability reflected in Việt Nam News articles and reportages are very important, because another element I would like to underscore is building a good image of Việt Nam and also connecting it to the wider world.
With the information provided by Việt Nam News , we get a lot of information about the economic conditions in Việt Nam. And this is a most important aspect, because I think everyone is now talking about Việt Nam, because of Việt Nam’s economy, as a result of the success of đổi mới (renewal). People now want to know what the recipe is, what the secret of Việt Nam’s economic success is.
And by providing reliable information, Việt Nam News enables the audience, the English-speaking audience, to get a better understanding of the Việt Nam economy, social policy, and at the same time, we can make policy recommendations based on the information that we get in order to promote relations between our nations, for instance, how we could deepen the relationship between the two countries in terms of trade, investments and cultural exchange.
I think one of the important aspects, because I mentioned reliability, is that Việt Nam News must maintain professionalism, because I think professionalism is very key, especially in today's world, where because of the paradox of plenty, there is a lot of information that needs to be processed and understood. And by having very short, concise information, I think Việt Nam News helps English-speaking audience get a better understanding of important issues.
I think in order for Việt Nam News to maintain its good reputation, certainly maintaining credibility is very important. That's why I think professionalism is becoming the key to achieving this goal. And when we are talking about the roles of the news, I think now we are confronted with what is known as the paradox of plenty.
There's a lot of information. Now with the Internet, we can easily get more and more information. So certainly it poses challenges not only for Việt Nam News , but also for all journalists around the globe. I think in this aspect, Việt Nam News has to maintain professionalism. And I think now the process is already good, whereby you present very concise reportages, but at the same time also accompany them with insight sections and opinion.
Taking into account special occasions, for instance, the visit of the heads of state to Việt Nam, you can invite some of the ambassadors to share his or her views as background information ahead of the upcoming visit. And also it can be applied to various occasions.
Overall, maintaining professionalism is very important. As Indonesian ambassador to Việt Nam, certainly I also would like to encourage close cooperation between Việt Nam News and Indonesia's counterpart in the exchange of journalism and news. Both sides can relay the news in Indonesia, for instance, to be presented in Việt Nam News. Likewise, the news produced by Việt Nam News can be published in Indonesia. So I think with that, Việt Nam News can make an even greater contribution to strengthening the cultural bridge between Indonesia and Việt Nam.
Việt Nam News plays an important role in bridging the gap between the Vietnamese society and economy and the international community that lives here. As you know, it's quite difficult for foreigners to learn Vietnamese. And therefore, it's very helpful to have a strong media house reaching out to us foreigners and making the Vietnamese news accessible to us.
The really interesting part for me as a foreigner who lives here is really the information about the Vietnamese national stories and also the business news. Because that is the information that I cannot easily get elsewhere in the social media.
The other part is really important for me, the business and the national news. Now, what could be an improvement would be if there were some debates and some discussions and editorial, some diverging opinions debating with each other.
This is what would make it more interesting. Then I would really sit down and I would really take the time to read through articles. Otherwise, if it's just news, news, you tend to read diagonally.
The Asia News Network (ANN) was established in March 1999, and Việt Nam News is one of its founding members. Today, the alliance brings together 20 leading media organisations across the region with a clear mission: to bring Asia closer together and amplify Asian voices and perspectives on global issues.
While member organisations may hold different views on particular matters, ANN provides a platform through which the region's collective perspective can be better understood. We seek to highlight Asia's growing significance in the world, sharing not only news but also editorials, analyses and feature stories. More recently, we have also begun placing greater emphasis on data journalism.
ANN prioritises perspectives from within the region. Each member newsroom brings its own voice and editorial stance, which is vital to the strength of the network. When 20 media organisations come together, readers gain a richer understanding of how Asia views and responds to major developments. Above all, we are here to tell our own stories. Asia is remarkably diverse, vibrant and dynamic, politically, economically and socially.
What sets ANN apart is that our reporting comes from local journalists who understand their communities best. For us, it is local news and insider reporting because we are the people closest to the story. We are often the first to know and the first to report.
As one of the region's fastest-growing economies, Việt Nam plays an increasingly important role in Asia, and Việt Nam News provides invaluable first-hand reporting on the country's developments.
Through your contributions, ANN receives timely, reliable insights directly from local journalists. You have no idea how much Việt Nam News has contributed to this alliance. Because of your work, the network is able to share authentic, first-hand news from Việt Nam with audiences across the region and beyond.
German reader Karsten Schönsee from Nuremberg
First of all, I would like to congratulate you and your colleagues at VNS on the 35th anniversary of your publication’s founding on June 17, 2026. I hope that you will continue to publish your newspaper in English on a daily basis.
I read VNS primarily to gain a different perspective on political and economic events around the world.
I am particularly interested in commentaries and news agency reports that help me better understand and interpret global politics and economics and that are not covered in the German press and media landscape. In this way, VNS helps me develop an alternative perspective to the prevailing opinion in Western countries through its concise information on politics and the economy.
I have always particularly enjoyed the articles in your newspaper that focus on the daily lives of working people in the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam. Through them, I can see how the daily lives of the Vietnamese people are changing and improving. In Germany, we use the phrase "Leben der kleinen Leute" (the lives of ordinary people) to describe this. Therefore, I would be very happy to see more articles of this nature in VNS.
For the future, I would like to see more articles, commentaries, analyses and reports written from a Marxist worldview, as represented by the Communist Party of Việt Nam. Such voices in English are almost completely absent from the media landscape of Western countries and, when they are published, remain confined to niche audiences.
I therefore hope to be able to read the VNS online edition daily for the next 35 years, in its usual high quality, continually enhanced and improved.
With solidarity greetings from Nuremberg to Hà Nội.
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