The award ceremony for the 10th “Young Francophone Reporters” competition, organised by Le Courrier du Vietnam – the country's only French-language newspaper under the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) – took place in Hanoi on November 7 afternoon, presenting 14 prizes to winners, marking the highest number in the contest’s history.
The first prize was awarded to Nguyen Vu Linh and Trinh Duc Anh from the Foreign Trade University for their piece “La Silhouette du Son: du sensible à l’humain” (The shape of sound: from sensibility to humanity).
The organisers also presented one second, one third (which also served as the French Embassy’s special award), two consolation prizes, and several additional distinctions, including those from the President of the Group of Francophonie Embassies, Delegations and Institutions in Hanoi (GADIF), the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH), the Embassy of Morocco, the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), Phenikaa University, as well as prizes for audience choice, most dynamic, and most impressive participants.
Speaking at the ceremony, VNA Deputy General Director Doan Thi Tuyet Nhung highlighted that since its inception a decade ago, with the support of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF)’s Asia-Pacific Office, the competition has become a prestigious platform for young French-language enthusiasts in Vietnam and beyond.
She emphasised that apart from being a space for young people to demonstrate their journalistic skills and storytelling ability in French, the contest has also helped spread humanistic values, civic responsibility, and the spirit of community action.
Nhung praised the creativity and social awareness of today’s Francophone youths, who not only master foreign languages but also actively engage in addressing global challenges such as environmental protection, cultural preservation, technological innovation, and education development.
She affirmed that as Vietnam’s leading press agency for external service, the VNA has placed strong emphasis on multilingual communication, including French, to promote the nation’s image, culture, and people to the world. The agency will continue to support Le Courrier du Vietnam in developing creative media initiatives, especially those aimed at young audiences.
Edgar Doerig, Chief Representative of the OIF Asia-Pacific Office, underscored the symbolic significance of celebrating the 10th anniversary of this inspiring competition, jointly organised by Le Courrier du Vietnam, OIF, and GADIF.
Reflecting on the contest’s decade-long journey, he lauded its remarkable growth this year, not only in the record number of participants but also in the depth and creativity of submissions. Notably, the edition attracted entries from across Vietnam’s three regions as well as from Francophone countries, demonstrating its expanding global reach within the Francophone community.
Meanwhile, Pierre Du Ville, President of GADIF and Head of the Wallonia-Brussels Delegation in Vietnam, described this year’s competition as one of the most impressive in recent years. The jury even revised its scoring criteria and added new awards to ensure that all outstanding talents received due recognition.
Launched in 2016, the competition has been held annually. Its 2025 edition, with a theme on learning and taking action, set a record with 155 submissions from 236 contestants representing all three regions of Vietnam and several Francophone nations./.
