VIR reflects on National Press Day

Kai Marcus Schröter General director, Hospitality Tourism Management

I have been a VIR reader for 20 years, my company subscribed in 2010. I’ve made it a habit to browse through the pages first thing every Monday morning, and I encourage my staff to do the same. As a foreign business owner in Vietnam, VIR is an indispensable tool to stay abreast of national news, trends, and developments. Of particular value for us – a hospitality real estate and tourism development consultancy – are the Investment and Property sections, which my team and I read in more depth. VIR has come a long way since its early days. For me, it is the leading English medium in Vietnam. Articles are usually concise and of high quality, so I am a fervent reader.

If there is anything to improve, I would say that for the sake of journalistic integrity and ethical standards, VIR should not allow sponsored articles or editorials, paid by companies with a mainly commercial interest. These need to be distinguished clearly and declared as ‘Advertising’, not presented as neutral articles or media news.

On the occasion of Vietnam’s Press Day, we wish the entire VIR team all the best for the years to come.

Taveesak Srisuntisuk Managing director of Hexagon Metrology Ltd

To me, VIR is not only a news channel, but a friend who connects me to social and business life in Vietnam. VIR has a prestigious reputation with domestic as well as foreign companies thanks to its breaking news and its sharp and precise articles and commentary.

I am impressed by VIR’s professional publication. Its news is not only trustworthy, with quick updates, but also very precise. This proves that you always prioritise the verification of a piece of information’s source and deploy the full referencing process when producing news. Besides, I do not see any sensationalist news, which shows the viewpoint of journalists toward your newspaper.

I think your publications are very prompt and honest in reflecting hot news about macroeconomic issues and enterprises’ activities. You have a distinctive way of delivering information and a unique point of view, which creates a truly unique voice for this publication, while staying reliable and keeping your objective viewpoint. Because of those features, your publications are always a trustworthy source of news to the readers.

If possible, I would like to read more articles or commentaries about economic innovation policies of the government, as well as insightful analytical articles about enterprises’ success stories, including companies working with FDI and their contributions not only to the development of Vietnam’s economy, but also their efforts toward improving society.

Julien Brun Managing partner of CEL Consulting

First of all, I would like to congratulate VIR’s editorial board on the occasion of Vietnam’s Journalist Day on June 21, 2017. VIR is a professional newspaper and a credible information source. VIR is useful for businesses to get updates on the news and movements of the economy. From the perspective of foreign businesses, VIR is considered a legitimate and reliable source.

VIR always provides news and articles which timely reflect the events happening in the economy and provide valuable information to readers. VIR’s articles often provide deep analysis with new perspectives and solutions suggested by the leading experts in the respective field. I especially appreciate the section “investing” which allows me to stay up to date regarding policies and agreements signed by the government with other countries or international organisations that will affect Vietnam.

To further boost the quality of the current newspaper, my suggestion is to develop a “viewing angle” section. For prominent economic events, report the opinions of industry experts and experts outside the industry to provide readers with the most multi-dimensional and objective view.

Shenbagam Manthiram Chief Representative Officer of Tata Power in Vietnam

VIR is very useful for our business in Vietnam. In fact, I begin my Monday mornings reading VIR before I even start work.

It gives good insight into the power sector, what is happening on policy matters, the status of various projects, investors’ views, provincial issues, the challenges of the sector, and a touch on technology.

It’s good to start the week armed with the latest news and go about our tasks in an informed manner.

VIR captures the latest happenings, issues, and challenges of all the sectors very well. It even discusses solutions in a proactive manner.

VIR has an opportunity to improve in the area of content by having deeper knowledge of the subject under discussion and to provide relevant in-depth analysis of every sector.

A weekly business newspaper is inadequate to be well informed about what is happening around us. VIR has to be a daily publication, maybe with fewer pages.

The country is buzzing with investments in all sectors and there is a lot happening around you and around the globe.

So it’s important to be updated every day, and in a digital world it’s possible to be updated every minute.

It’s important to get all the global information about every sector in areas of quality, innovation, and pricing.

Otherwise, a business cannot remain up to speed.

Sharing what is happening around the world can enrich the knowledge of the local business community, thereby influencing the strategic decisions of their respective businesses in a very meaningful way.

This will eventually improve the competitiveness of the business community, letting VIR add value to the nation’s development.

Greg Ohan Director, JLL Vietnam

As an expatriate living and working in Vietnam, finding credible, up to date, and industry-recognised knowledge, data, and information is very challenging. Particularly in the form of an English-language publication.

When I first arrived in 2010, I made it a habit to read, scan, cut out, and share all relevant business articles in VIR. To this day, this remains something I instil into my junior team members wanting to learn and understand more about the market.

VIR is one of few publications which we find provides very relevant, non-biased, and thought-provoking data and information. As a real estate industry professional, the real estate and companies sector is very helpful and always on the pulse of what is important. What is particularly useful is the shift away from merely being a printed publication to the online readership capability, which means I can get my data when I am on the road or travelling.

I personally find that VIR is significantly helpful in tracking the market and also my competition – particularly in the real estate sector. Should there be any big news, notable transactions, or major movements, I find that Monday morning I am sure to be the first to find out, and read about it over my morning coffee before my first meeting. I like the format of the paper and the actual size and thickness. It is physically easy to read and the fact that it is a colour publication also makes it aesthetically appealing.

My only criticism is that it is very focused on foreign investors. I would like to see more local groups contributing, as the share of local investors, developers, and companies now surpasses that of foreigners. This would be useful.

As we get automated and shift away from paper, perhaps it’s time to consider a mobile or application based service for VIR. As more people now turn to social media, perhaps an integrated social media platform would also help in keeping the paper relevant.

What would be useful is to also cover growth sectors – particularly IT and outsourcing – as more multinational investors now see Vietnam as an emerging hub for such industries.