Evolving demands and trends dictate VIR‘s future

Print has been the mainstay, but times change and so must the press. Photo: Le Toan

Since taking a role as an economic counsellor at the Indonesian Embassy to Vietnam a few years ago, Ance Maylany Napitupulu has considered the local media a reliable source of information for her work.

“I’m quite impressed by what Vietnam Investment Review has been doing in conveying information via in-depth stories on both online and print newspapers, and especially in organising events,” Napitupulu said.

Napitupulu attended VIR’s conference themed “Stronger Investment Partnerships for a Thriving Vietnam” in May, where she had an opportunity to establish relations with experts. This was the second time that Napitupulu had participated in such large-scale events led by VIR, which she said is becoming a professional event organiser besides its well-established expertise in the Vietnamese press.

“I hope to have another opportunity to attend VIR events as they will provide me with new information on Vietnam’s socioeconomic, trade, and investment landscape, and on how the country’s policies are being exercised,” Napitupulu said.

Le Minh Sang, a health specialist at World Bank Vietnam, also praised VIR’s professionalism after he attended a health conference in July. It saw the participation of leaders of international organisations, domestic and international medical/pharmaceutical firms, and ministries.

“Not only is VIR a prestigious news agency, it has also been excellent at organising events such as talk shows and conferences,” said Sang, who last year also attended a VIR seminar on strengthening public-private partnerships in the health sector. At that event, he shared the World Bank’s new study on the issue.

These events are just a few of the many that the news outlet has held over the past couple of decades, with successful forums and seminars including the M&A Forum, Award for Listed Companies’ Annual Reports, charity golf event Swing for the Kids, a dialogue with investor Marc Faber, forums on foreign direct investment and consumer finance, and many other events covering assorted topics.

During 32 years of development, VIR has been highly appreciated by its management agency of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, as well as other ministries and agencies such as the Central Economic Commission, the Government Office, the National Assembly, and the State Bank of Vietnam.

They have welcomed the efforts of VIR in selecting, analysing, and objectively featuring information and policies of ministries and sectors in printed and online newspapers, special publications, and events.

Growing by leaps and bounds

With its efforts in selecting, analysing, and objectively featuring information and policies of ministries and sectors in various forms, the agency has effectively conveyed the voice of the business community for over three decades.

With a fresh orientation to develop stronger, special, and more distinct products of high quality, VIR has made major efforts in self-innovation to serve the needs of readers, with a focus on ameliorating the content and appearance of print and online publications and the way events are organised.

Particularly, since last year, with the development of a modern studio, the newspaper has been able to produce and broadcast talk shows and expand the content of seminars, workshops, and conferences to many other fields. This is a new step in the newspaper’s activities, although it remains in the early stages and potential is still ahead.

Having been a guest for a talk show at VIR’s headquarters on digital transformation last year, Arghya Mandal, CEO of TH Milk, expressed his excitement at being invited to attend and be a panellist at the event for the first time.

“I am thrilled because thanks to this talk show, I have had the opportunity to talk a lot about what we and the businesses in the high-tech agriculture industry are contributing to society,” Mandal said after the event. “The process has been professional, and I only regret that the event was not longer so that we could exchange even more.”

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong also commented that VIR has grown with the times.

“Unlike many other press agencies, VIR has spacious headquarters that can be used to organise many events for businesses and investors. I have attended many events there and at other locations, and I highly appreciate the great efforts in VIR’s organisation activities,” Phuong said.

Enhancing status

VIR has continuously updated and actively propagated the country’s foreign policy, as well as domestic, regional, and global diplomatic events. International integration issues such as implementing and signing free trade agreements, as well as flows of foreign investment from the region and the wider world into Vietnam, have been fully and promptly outlined in VIR publications over the years.

The press agency has been active in engaging international organisations in the country to produce informative materials which could benefit and educate the public.

Its reporters have been offered access to international organisations and embassies, making it easier to gain first-hand information about the relations between Vietnam and other nations.

Most recently, VIR was invited by the US Embassy to Vietnam to directly attend on-site events during US President Joe Biden’s state visit, during which both nations elevated bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership for the purposes of peace, cooperation, and sustainable development.

These members of staff and others have been proactively enriching the content of all VIR products and promoting its image via channels such as seminars, conferences, and talk shows in addition to distributing newspapers and other special publications at events inside and outside Vietnam.

In addition to that, new cooperation with global partners such as Dow Jones and PressReader, and using e-paper services, has helped the outlet enhance its image and attract new readers.

“As one of the bright stars in the Vietnamese media realm, VIR has become a prominent institution which covers various aspects of daily life, including real business and economic issues,” said Do Huu Lien, an overseas Vietnamese living in Germany who is seeking investment opportunities in industrial equipment.

“I have been a faithful reader of VIR over the past 25 years and have reaped lots of useful information from the newspaper. In Germany, I cannot read it in print, but I often read it online,” Lien said.

With the aspiration of creating values and making breakthroughs, and with the existing strength and advantages of the newspaper’s leaders, reporters, and editors, VIR is persistently trying to improve its technical skills and image so that it will become even stronger, through many more quality articles and events.

Defining the role of the press in business To mark the 32nd anniversary of Vietnam Investment Review, members of domestic and international organisations as well as the business community share their sentiments about its role, including contributions to drive business development.

Thank you readers! Dear valued readers,