The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) is Vietnam’s official news agency, which is overseen by the Vietnamese government in a manner consistent with the regulatory framework applicable to all media in the country. The agency has a total of 32 units, including news divisions, publications, and electronic media outlets.
VNA’s activities are divided into three categories:
a). The press information section is responsible for producing news content, including photos and video, for distribution to media outlets in Vietnam and abroad.
b). The publication section is responsible for the production and distribution of news content. The Vietnam News Agency Publishing House is responsible for the release of publications about party and state policies. The agency also oversees the production of several newspapers, including Tin Tuc, The Tao Van Hoa, Viet Nam News, Le Courrier du Vietnam (in French), Vietnam Pictorial (in several languages), Vietnam Law & Legal Forum, Vietnam-Korea Times, and other science and technology and ethnic minority-focused magazines.
c). The Television and Online Information section oversees the VNA TV Channel (VNews), the VietnamPlus portal in multiple languages, and several other portals dedicated to business and news from Vietnam.
Media assets
News agency: VNA
Publishing: Tin Tuc, The Tao Van Hoa, Viet Nam News, Le Courrier du Vietnam, Vietnam Pictorial, Vietnam Law & Legal Forum
News portals: Vietnam Plus, BNews, BizHub, OhVietNam
Ownership and governance
The VNA is the government’s official agency, duly authorized by law to disseminate information pertaining to the official stance of the Vietnamese state.
The agency’s activities are governed by Decree 88/2013/ND-CP, issued by the government. The agency’s governing structures are appointed by the government, with the Prime Minister in charge of approving the outlet’s strategy.
Source of funding and budget
VNA’s funding is derived from a combination of commercial revenues generated by sales of advertisements and content, including copies of the print media it publishes, and state subsidies. There is currently no publicly available information regarding the budget of VNA. As a result, it is unclear whether state funding accounts for more than 50% of the agency’s budget. According to experts and journalists covering Vietnam interviewed for this report in June 2024, the government oversees the financial operations of VNA in their entirety.
Editorial independence
The editorial line of VNA is determined by the government and represents the state’s perspective on current affairs. As outlined in Decree 88/2013, all domestic media outlets in Vietnam are required to use the agency’s output. Additionally, state bodies, including ministries, state agencies, and other administrative offices, are obliged to submit information to the agency to guarantee the dissemination of party-generated information to the general public.
To date, no domestic statute or oversight mechanism has been identified that would validate the editorial independence of VNA.
September 2024