Journalists observe 65th anniversary of association

Five hundred representatives of the Vietnam Journalists Association and press agencies nationwide attended a ceremony to mark the 65th anniversary of the association in Hanoi on April 20.

On April 21, 1950, a congress was held in Diem Mac commune, Dinh Hoa district of northern Thai Nguyen province to establish the Association of Vietnam Press Writers; the name was changed to the Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA) during its second congress in 1959.

On July 7, 1976, more than a year since the nation was reunified, the southern Association of Patriotic and Democratic Journalists merged with the VJA.

The VJA now has 22,000 members nationwide, increasing substantially from the initial 300 members. More than 400 journalists laid down their lives working on battlefields during the fight for national independence and reunification.

The 65th anniversary is an occasion for journalists to reflect on their accomplishments and seek ways to improve quality and social efficiency, said Dinh The Huynh, Politburo member and Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communications and Education.

He asked the VJA to develop journalists’ professional skills as well as their sense of responsibility towards society, actively give opinions on State management and legal regulations regarding the press and expand external relations.

VJA Vice Standing Chairman Ha Minh Hue said the association has established journalists as vanguard soldiers on the frontlines of thought and culture, adding that the VJA and its members should continue building on their achievements.

(Source: VNA)