Helping others make informed decisions

Helping others make informed decisions

Having been living in Vietnam for more than 20 years, Hong Sun, vice chairman of the Korea Chamber of Business in Vietnam (KorCham), can speak and read both Vietnamese and English fluently.

Sun habitually reads newspapers every day. “The media can provide me exact information about the Vietnamese market, and where my projects are going well,” Sun told VIR. He is CEO and president at HSDC Co. Ltd., the investor of many industrial zones, smart logistics parks, and innovation and research and development parks in Vietnam.

KorCham has often asked the media to help convey the voice of its over 9,300 South Korean member enterprises to the government and ministries. “Many proposals have been solved thanks to the help of journalists. The media has played an extremely important role in the Vietnamese business and investment climate. Enterprises can receive information, directions, and policies, as well as laws from the Party, the National Assembly, and the government. This helps enterprise leaders make decisions on investment and business.”

In recent years the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) has annually released its Whitebook, a special book hundreds of pages thick featuring the chamber’s policy proposals to the Vietnamese government, ministries, and central agencies. The book is aimed to help Vietnam ameliorate its business and investment climate, and protect the benefits of investors and firms. To make such proposals, EuroCham has sourced different information not only from its hundreds of member companies, but also from other sources, such as reports from ministries, agencies, and localities. However, one of the most important sources is the media.

VIR is also among the newspapers that not only EuroCham, but also many other domestic and foreign business associations have always read and sought information from before making policies, regulations for their member companies, and proposals to Vietnamese-authorised agencies. For example, the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam has often used the media as an effective channel to deliver its comment and proposals to the public and policymakers, as well as authorised agencies.

Effective information channel

Along with enterprises and business enterprises, the media is also one of the official information channels for the government to conduct its socioeconomic monitoring, especially in the existing context of the pandemic. The media is acknowledged by the Vietnamese government as a critical channel showcasing the views of businesses on various issues, including the implementation of policies and guidelines, thus helping improve state management.

Since he took office as Vietnamese prime minister, Pham Minh Chinh has required many ministries and localities to seek solutions to solve many problems in the sectors of public investment, fighting against COVID-19, tourism, infrastructure, human resources, and digital economy, among many others. His move came after reading articles which highlighted obstructions in these sectors, making it difficult for investors, enterprises, and the public to develop themselves. In his direction, the role of the media is often highlighted.

Over nearly a century of development, the press has contributed to national socioeconomic development, with the strong development of the business community. The media has also played an important part in helping the government in discovering many state-owned enterprises making losses.

At the National Assembly, many deputies have also used articles as part of their policy proposals to the legislature and the government. Moreover, the media has also featured its pro-business voices, contributing to creating a more business-friendly climate in line with the government’s great efforts to support enterprises and investors, in a bid to further enhance the economy’s growth and the nation’s international prestige.

Last week, the Party’s Inspection Commission suggested that authorised agencies consider and implement retrospective disciplinary measures for the southern province of Binh Duong’s Party Standing Committee for the 2015-2020 tenure, and the provincial People’s Party Civil Affairs Committee for 2016-2021. The measures were also proposed to be imposed on Tran Van Nam, who is the provincial Party Secretary and head of Binh Duong’s National Assembly Deputy Delegation, and many other relevant members.

The Party’s Inspection Commission found that the provincial Party Standing Committee for the 2015-2020 tenure, and the provincial People’s Party Civil Affairs Committee for 2016-2021 as well as Nam and other members had violated regulations on using and managing land, capital, and assets at state-owned Binh Duong Import-Export and Production Corporation, creating grave consequences and losses in money and assets of the state. The media continues to report on the violations.

An important role

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc often underlined the importance of the media when he acted as the prime minister. He stated that the Party and the state always highly values the role of the press, which is “the key information channel and a large forum of the public.”

According to the state president, Industry 4.0 and rapid ICT development are greatly impacting all sectors of the economy and society. New trends in the media such as direct contact and IT personalisation are strongly changing the way the media operates. Technologies in storage and transmission of sound and images, and multimedia models, will also continue to develop vehemently.

He has asked the media to focus on featuring information about the economy and society in line with the policies and regulations of the Party and the state. “The press needs to attach great importance to featuring good sides and bright examples in the society in order to create confidence and optimism in the society, helping boost the national construction and protection.”

Nguyen Trong Nghia - Head, Central Commission for Information and Education Despite numerous difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam has succeeded in organising many major events such as the 13th National Party Congress, the elections of the 15th National Assembly and all-level people’s councils for the 2021-2026 tenure, the 113th birthday anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh, and 110th anniversary of Uncle Ho’s departure for national salvation. Such successes have been created by many factors including the very important role of the media, especially key press agencies of the Party and the state. The media has taken the initiative in featuring and conveying the directions and policies of the Party and the state, contributing to directing the public opinions, with many types of news and stories having left good imprints in the mindset of readers. The media has reflected the voice of the people. Press offices have significantly renewed their operations, with diversified content and higher quality, and journalists have become more and more professional, with strong political stance and expertise. It is strongly expected that the media will continue enhancing this glorious tradition. Press offices must have profound understanding about the resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and about the Party and the state’s opinions about the press. They must also continue implementing their tasks, contributing to building up and developing the Vietnamese press circle with modernity, professionalism, humanity, and effectiveness. Moreover, press offices must continue their development into good examples for society, with journalists having good morality and skills, and who can make further contributions to national socioeconomic development.