CNN and Vietnam discuss deeper cooperation to promote national image

Photo: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The discussion took place during a meeting in Hanoi on May 25 between Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Phan Tam and Phil Nelson, executive vice president of CNN International Commercial.

Welcoming the senior CNN delegation, Deputy Minister Tam described CNN as a trusted strategic international media partner that has accompanied Vietnam’s tourism promotion efforts over recent years.

With Vietnam’s tourism sector maintaining strong growth momentum and international visitor arrivals continuing to rise, the vice minister expressed hope that both sides would establish a more practical and clearly oriented cooperation framework to improve the effectiveness of promoting Vietnam’s image and people worldwide.

Phil Nelson said he had been deeply impressed by Vietnam’s rich history, distinctive culture, and destinations such as Hoi An, Danang, Dalat, and Hanoi.

He highlighted Vietnam’s strong potential, noting that each destination carries unique stories deserving wider international recognition.

The CNN executive also expressed a desire to continue working closely with the ministry to tell Vietnam’s story in a more engaging, fresh, and distinctive way.

At the meeting, Tam proposed that the two sides strengthen cooperation, particularly in designing and communicating stories related to culture, cuisine, people, and Vietnam’s development journey linked with innovation.

“CNN has strong storytelling capabilities that help international audiences better understand the country and its people,” he said.

The deputy minister also proposed establishing a long-term and practical cooperation mechanism, including a joint working group to implement large-scale initiatives supported by key performance indicators and unified evaluation methods.

Against the backdrop of rapid changes in global media, he noted that national branding efforts should adopt multi-platform approaches combining television, digital channels, and social media.

Promotion activities, he added, should gradually shift from destination marketing towards broader national branding strategies that are more effective, substantive, and sustainable.

Tam also called on CNN to support training programmes for Vietnamese journalists to strengthen international reporting skills, local storytelling capabilities, and multi-platform content production expertise.

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