Vu Viet Trang, General Director of the Vietnam News Agency, speaks at the award ceremony. Photo: VNA

The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Press Awards 2025 have offered a comprehensive reflection of the agency’s renewed dynamism, professional dedication and aspiration for innovation amid intensifying competition from social media and digital platforms.

Taking place in a year marked by major national milestones, the awards highlight the evolving role of mainstream journalism in a rapidly changing information landscape.

A notable feature of this edition is the significant rise in both the number and diversity of entries across all categories. News and feature submissions increased by 31% compared to 2024, while commentaries and in-depth reports surged by over 50%. Video entries grew by more than 30%, alongside sustained participation in photojournalism and information for external service categories. These figures reflect not only growing engagement but also a more coordinated and professional approach among editorial departments and domestic and overseas bureaus, forming a consistent and multi-dimensional flow of information.

Vu Viet Trang, General Director of the Vietnam News Agency, and Nguyen Duc Loi, Standing Vice President of the Vietnam Journalists Association, present awards to the authors and groups of authors who won the A prize. Photo: VNA

Many entries focused on the VNA's 80th founding anniversary, recalling its proud history and development. Outstanding works include the documentary “80 nam TTXVN – Viet tiep ban hung ca” (80 years of VNA – Writing on the epic story) and a five-part series chronicling the agency’s legacy, drawing on extensive archives and interviews with the agency’s incumbent and former leaders and historical witnesses. These works underscore the enduring commitment, responsibility and innovative spirit of generations of VNA journalists, while reaffirming the agency’s role as the national news provider.

A clear shift toward human-centred storytelling has also emerged. Rather than merely recounting events, many works place individuals and human values at the core, particularly in coverage of historical and wartime themes. Photo series capturing major national celebrations, including the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975-2025), and the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19, 1945-2025) and National Day (September 2, 1945-2025), and reporting on past struggles emphasise resilience, sacrifice and the enduring aspiration for peace and national unity.

Coverage of natural disasters in 2025 further illustrates this approach. Journalists on the ground in flood-affected areas produced compelling multimedia reports highlighting rescue efforts and community resilience, while also raising longer-term issues of disaster risk management. This reflects a growing orientation toward solutions journalism, moving beyond reporting losses to addressing structural challenges.

Vu Viet Trang, General Director of the Vietnam News Agency, and Nguyen Duc Loi, Standing Vice President of the Vietnam Journalists Association, present awards to the authors and groups of authors who won the A prize. Photo: VNA

The awards also demonstrate the VNA’s strong embrace of digital transformation. Multimedia storytelling, interactive infographics, megastories and podcasts have been widely adopted, enhancing audience engagement and accessibility. Notably, an interactive production on national reunification received the title “Best General News Infographics” in the Infographics category at the 5th Asian Media Leaders Summit (AMLS), organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) in Singapore, underscoring the agency’s creative integration of technology into journalism.

VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang said that the 2025 awards not only review a year of impactful reporting but also recognise the dedication of journalists working under demanding conditions. In the coming period, the agency aims to further consolidate its role as the country’s key news agency by fostering innovation, strengthening digital capabilities and ensuring that each journalistic product effectively informs public opinion, supports national development goals and upholds the Party’s ideological foundation./.