Mass Media

The 21st of June 1925 marked the birth of Vietnam Revolution of Press with the publication of "the Youth Newspaper", the organ of the Young Revolution Association directly led by Nguyen Ai Quoc. Under the leadership of the Communist Party, the Vietnamese revolutionary press and the mass media system made a great contribution to the struggle against the enemy in the cause of national liberation, building and defending the nation. Today "Doi Moi" or Renovation, they have been making increasingly greater contributions.

The Mass Media System in Vietnam has become a powerful force representing in the forms of newspapers, publications, radio and television, news agency and other electronic communications.

The Vietnam News Agency

This is the official News Agency of the Vietnamese State. Except the Head Office, the Agency has its network in 61 cities and provinces nationwide and 18 branches abroad, namely Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, HongKong, Russia, Germany, the Czech Republic, France, New York, Washington, Algeria and Egypt.

The Agency also releases bulletins: domestic bulletins, world news, hot news, world reference news, special reference news, Sunday reference news, and monthly special documents. Publications in foreign languages are issued in English, French, and Spanish. In addition, there is also a Photo Editorial Board under the Agency.

Newspapers

On 31/12/1996, there were 449 editorial boards with 562 press pulications including 295 at central level, 154 other local editorial boards with 218 publications.

Across the nation there are 150 newspapers, of which 58 belong to central bodies with 105 publications, and 92 local newspapers with 143 releases. Based on the content, there are 33 socio - political, 4 youth, 10 external relations, 19 arttistic & cultural, 23 scientific, technological, and specialized newspapers. Besides, there are also 61 newspapers released by provincial and city party committees.

The major newspapers in Vietnam are "The People's Daily", "New Hanoi", "Saigon Liberation", "Labour" etc.

Reviews

In the whole country, there are 290 reviews including 228 central reviews with 239 publications, 62 local reviews with 65 publications. Based on the content, there are 41 socio - political, 77 artistic & cultural, 115 scientific technological, and specialized, 27 scientific social, and 20 external relations reviews.

Radio

The "Voice of Vietnam" is the official Broadcasting System of the Vietnamese Government. It covers 5 wave systems.

Four internal systems include:

H1 and H2 Systems are covering 36 hours per day (from 5 to 23)

FM System is covering 24/24 hours per day

Ethnic minority languages system: Brodcasting in H'mong language (H-Mong: 4 times per day/135 minutes), Khmer language (3 times per day/90 minutes), Ede Language (Ede: 3 times per day/90 minutes), GiaLai language (3 times per day/90 minutes) and Bana language (3 times per day/90 minutes)

One external system: broadcasting 30 hours per day in 12 languages: English, French, Russian, Khmer, Lao, Spanish, Pekinese, Cantonese, Indonesian, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese for Overseas Vietnamese.

Furthermore, there are 61 Radio Stations at City & Provincial level, and 288 Stations at District level.

The Hanoi Radio Station: broadcasts 18 hours per day.

- FM System 5h to 23h.

- AM System 3 times per day - 180 minutes.

Television

Vietnamese Television (VTV) is covering waves in 4 channels:

- VTV 1: from 19h to 23 h, and there is news in English and French at the end of the daily program.

- VTV 2: from 6h to 10h, from 19h to 21h30, and after 23h.

- VTV 3: from 14h to 19h. Sunday from 14h to 19h, and after 23h. This channel focuses on music, art, sport and advertising.

- VTV 4: from 21h45 to 22h45, this is special program in Vietnamese and there are about 10-15 minutes assigned for an English section.

Since 30 March 1996, the MMDS program has been launched in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City 24 hour a day in 4 channels including a channel in Vietnamese that functions 7 hours per day.

Apart from VTV, there're also 5 Regional Televisions in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Can Tho, Hue, Da Nang. Each of 61 cities and provinces throughout the nation has its own Television channel, particularly, there is a special channel in Khmer in Can Tho.

Internet

The project to launch information through computer network has been developed recently. Except for some particular networks applied for certain sectors like Aviation, Banking, or Governmental Agencies, other networks provide general information concerning art, sports, fashion, and advertising etc. to meet the needs of the people like TTVN of FPT company, VITRANET of Commercial Information Center, VINET of Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, CINET of Ministry Culture and Information...

The Vietnamese Government has established the National Coordinating Board for Internet in order to promote and manage the connection of local network to the global internet.