The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) won two first prizes at the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) Awards 2024, as announced by OANA Secretary General Zaman Rezakhani at the 54th Executive Board Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on February 17.
The first prize in the article category was awarded to the piece titled “Bau vat truyen doi tu dan ong rung” (Beeswax: a timeless treasure from wild bees) by the authors Quynh Trang, Bang Cao, Luong Thu Huong, while the first prize for the photo report went to An Thanh Dat for his work titled “Doc dao vat cau nuoc lang Van ” (the unique mud ball wrestling festival in Van village).
To honour the journalists from news agencies in the region for their outstanding works in 2024, OANA launched the writing and photography awards on the traditional culture and natural beauty of each country. A total of 30 articles, 22 individual photos, and 14 photo series from 17 news agencies were submitted for the competition.
An award ceremony will be held in a formal setting during the 19th OANA General Assembly, which is scheduled for this June in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Themed “Future-Proofing News Agencies: Harnessing AI and Technology for Sustainable Growth”, the meeting saw the participation of leaders and representatives from 13 member news agencies of the OANA Executive Board.
In her opening speech, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia’s Bernama News Agency Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin emphasised the shared responsibility of news agencies in upholding the values of freedom of speech, ethical reporting, and balanced news coverage, stating that these principles serve as the foundation for a free and fully informed society.
At the meeting, the VNA presented a video highlighting the 80-year journey of its formation and development (September 15, 1945 - 2025), its role in maintaining the official information source of the Party and State, as well as efforts in information activities and media cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Speaking at the meeting, VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang emphasised that OANA has maintained a flow of accurate, timely, and objective information, clearly reflecting the reality and viewpoints of member countries on issues of shared interest. Through the OANA cooperation mechanism, members have strengthened their roles as national news agencies, implemented meaningful initiatives, and honoured the contributions of journalists.
The meeting featured two discussion sessions on building an audience-centric approach and prioritising digitalisation to stay ahead, and focusing on trust and combating fake news and misinformation, with the participation of seven speakers from the VNA, the Huawei Group of China, Mongolia’s Montsame News Agency, Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, Iran’s Mehr News Agency, Russia’s TASS News Agency, and Malaysia’s Bernama News Agency.
At the first session, Dr. Nguyen Duc Vu, Director of the VNA’s Technical Centre, presented a speech on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) at the Vietnam News Agency, which introduced the key pillars in the agency's digital transformation strategy, including the digital ecosystem, data and analytics, AI integration, and content distribution strategies.
During this meeting, members agreed to organise two online workshops focusing on enhancing the application of AI in communications, and various categories for the OANA Awards 2025. They also agreed that the next OANA General Assembly and Executive Board meeting will take place in St. Petersburg, Russia, in mid-June.
Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, and Minister of Communications Fahmi Fadzil of Malaysia participated in several activities at the meeting, where they introduced the country's development goals and its role as the Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year.
Prior to the meeting, Bernama CEO Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin hosted VNA General Director Trang and her delegation.
Kamaludin expressed her desire to continue strengthening cooperation with the VNA in the time ahead. She said to prepare for Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Bernama has launched a special website featuring articles, videos, and photos about ASEAN, including some contents from its Vietnamese counterpart.
For her part, Trang congratulated Bernama on being chosen as the official media agency and coordinator of the international media centre for the 2025 ASEAN Summit, and noted her confidence that Bernama would play a vital role in the success of Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2025.
Trang stressed that the relationship between the two news agencies is flourishing, contributing to enhancing the ties between Vietnam and Malaysia, especially in the context of two countries upgrading their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in November 2024 during the official visit to Malaysia by Party General Secretary To Lam.
Both sides committed to further boosting information exchange in the coming time.
OANA was established in Bangkok, Thailand, on December 22, 1961, at an initiative of UNESCO to enhance and facilitate the dissemination as well as the direct and free exchange of information among news agencies in the Asia-Pacific.
Currently, it has 41 member agencies from 33 countries that produce two-thirds of information circulated throughout the world.
The VNA joined OANA in 1969 and has been an active member ever since. It is currently a member of the Executive Board and hosted the board’s meetings in 1989, 1999, 2005, and 2019, contributing significantly to the organisation’s objectives.
While in Malaysia, Trang had a working session with Vietnamese Ambassador to the country Dinh Ngoc Linh./.
