Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga: Foreign press tells Vietnam's story with sincerity, courage and aspiration

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and former President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, affirmed that amid the general flow of revolutionary journalism throughout a century, foreign journalism has a very special mission: Bringing Vietnam to the world and bringing the world to Vietnam.

Journalists working at the event welcoming international guests at the Presidential Palace. (Photo: Bao Chi)

The fire of ideas lights the way

Having held the position of Director of the Press Information Department and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga clearly understands the spirit and mission of the Vietnamese revolutionary press - the press that represents the voice of the Party and State and is a trusted forum for the people.

The press has become the shock troops on the ideological front, propagating Vietnam's policies and guidelines to international friends, while encouraging and motivating the Vietnamese people to unite, millions of people as one. Thereby, mobilizing a united front, overcoming all difficulties and hardships, moving forward to protect and develop the country.

According to the Ambassador, the world knows Vietnam and our people are proud of the Party and the country thanks to the revolutionary press. The press is not only a source of encouragement and support but also a sharp weapon against false, distorted, hostile and defamatory arguments against Vietnam, helping the people of the world love, trust and support Vietnam, mobilizing international resources to contribute to the resistance war and to build a strong and prosperous Fatherland. Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga affirmed that the pen of the press is a weapon of love, the power of justice and peace, representing the aspirations of the people of our country and the world.

The person who laid the foundation for the revolutionary journalism that purely serves the people was President Ho Chi Minh - the great leader of the nation, who was also an outstanding journalist. His shining example still guides the generations of journalists today, adding strength and confidence for the Vietnamese press to continuously grow, affirm its position in the region and reach international level. The female Ambassador with more than 30 years of experience in the diplomatic sector expressed her impression of President Ho Chi Minh's art of answering interviews. It was the pinnacle of the art of answering interviews, expressing in the most complete and comprehensive way Ho Chi Minh's ideology and diplomatic style, very simple, close, humorous, at the same time extremely profound, delicate, touching people's hearts and having a strong conquering power.

“Uncle Ho’s style was very comfortable and approachable, not like a leader isolated from the outside world. When we review the interview footage between Uncle Ho and reporters, whether domestic or foreign, there is almost no distance,” the Ambassador shared.

Bridge connecting Vietnam with the world

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga.

In the general flow of revolutionary journalism, foreign journalism has a very special mission: Bringing Vietnam to the world and bringing the world to Vietnam. That is the affirmation of Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga when discussing the role and responsibility of foreign journalism throughout a century of building and defending the Fatherland, with the vision of bringing our country to integrate deeply and comprehensively in the international arena.

During the years of cutting through Truong Son to save the country, the foreign press brought the righteous voice of Vietnam to the world, reflecting the heroic struggle of our people, touching the hearts and consciences of humanity. The current network of relations with comprehensive strategic partners, strategic partners and comprehensive partners has a significant contribution from the foreign press, from central and local reporters to press officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the resistance war against the US, many foreign press delegations came to Vietnam to report on the just struggle of our people. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs played a leading role, coordinating with domestic press agencies to support the activities of international reporters, including those from Western countries, even from the US.

“During the anti-American resistance war, the US press reported on the visits to Vietnam of figures such as singer Joan Baez (December 1972) and film artist Jane Fonda (July 1972), contributing to creating a strong effect on American public opinion, making the anti-war movement stronger,” Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga recalled.

Sharing a touching story on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga expressed her joy at meeting the old war reporters. Some of them have turned 80 years old but still do not hesitate to return to the land they were once attached to, to show their gratitude with our people. What moved her most was that after half a century, their feelings for Vietnam are still intact, sincere, and loyal, just like the days when they held their cameras and pens amidst bombs and bullets.

In particular, according to the Ambassador, the foreign press today has a lot of material to tell the story of Vietnam with a long heroic history, a culture imbued with identity and impressive development achievements after nearly four decades of Doi Moi, giving Vietnam a completely different appearance compared to before the war. Those strong changes have given Vietnam a completely different position and image compared to before - dynamic, open, rich in potential and increasingly deeply integrated.

This is a golden opportunity for the press in general and foreign press in particular to promote its role as a bridge to the world. However, according to the Ambassador, foreign press always requires alertness, tact, and balance and harmony between what “we want to say” and what “people want to hear”.

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga said that the top priority of the foreign press today is to tell the story of a Vietnam that is changing strongly, a dynamic country, constantly reforming, with an increasingly prosperous socio-economic life, a streamlined administrative apparatus, and increasingly improved effectiveness and efficiency of national governance. That is the image that both domestic people and international friends are interested in and closely follow.

In addition to the development story, the world is closely following Vietnam’s efforts to both steadfastly protect national interests, maintain a peaceful and stable environment for development, and proactively contribute to peace, cooperation and common progress of humanity. Vietnam’s response to changes in the world situation needs to be communicated thoroughly and comprehensively.

In addition, according to the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, to make foreign press more attractive, it is necessary to pay attention to the cultural, artistic and humanistic elements of Vietnam. According to the Ambassador, there are many beautiful, simple but profound stories such as Vietnamese blue beret soldiers teaching African children, growing vegetables; images of slow-moving trucks forming windbreaks for cars and motorbikes crossing the bridge during Typhoon Yagi... Those details represent the Vietnamese spirit, making international friends understand and love us more.

Amid the country's current strong innovation momentum, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga believes that Vietnam's foreign press will have many improvements in the coming time, continuing to affirm its role as a pioneering force on the foreign information front, for the benefit of the nation.

From President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching that “the pen and the page are sharp weapons”, Vietnamese foreign press has been playing the role of connecting Vietnam and the world with sincerity, courage and aspiration. Each journalist is a “soldier” on the ideological front, spreading the message of a peace-loving country, rich in identity and full of potential.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dai-su-nguyen-phuong-nga-bao-chi-doi-ngoai-ke-cau-chuyen-viet-nam-bang-su-chan-thanh-ban-linh-va-khat-vong-318354.html