THE PRIME MINISTER

Decision No. 1378/QD-TTg of August 12,2013, approving the master plan on the network of overseas representative offices of Vietnamese news and press agencies through 2020

Pursuant to the December 25, 20ffil Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the December 28, 1989 Press Law and the June 12, 1999 revised Press Law;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister s Decision No. 79/2010/QD-TTg of November 30, 2010, on the Regulation on state management of external information;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister s Decision No. 368/QD-TTg of February 28, 2013, approving the Government s action plan on external information in the 2013-2020 period;

At the proposal of the Minister of Information and Communications,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the master plan on the network of overseas representative offices of Vietnamese news and press agencies through 2020 with the following principal contents:

I. VIEWPOINTS

1. The master plan on the network of overseas representative offices of Vietnamese news and press agencies through 2020 (below referred to as overseas bureaus) must conform with the Party’s and State’s external information development strategy and the nation’s socio- economic development.

2. The network of overseas bureaus is established on the basis of making the most use of physical facilities of overseas representative offices of Vietnamese news and press agencies and the coordination among Vietnamese media agencies, ensure the efficiency of external information activities and avoid wastefulness.

3. To prioritize the establishment of overseas bureaus in key areas of external information.

4. To promote cooperation with foreign news and press agencies worldwide to share and exchange information and to provide official information on Vietnam.

II. DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES

1.  Overall objectives

a/ To review the network of overseas bureaus so as to strengthen the organization of overseas bureaus of Vietnamese news and press agencies.

b/ To promote the coordination among overseas bureaus to properly perform the task of providing timely and accurate information to domestic news and press agencies, and the external information task.

c/ To intensify training and re-training to improve professional capacity for overseas correspondents, meeting the requirements of their operations in the new context.

2.       Specific objectives:

To have overseas bureaus in 32 countries and territories in the world by 2015; and 34 countries and territories by 2020.

III. CONTENT OF THE MASTER PLAN

1.       Agencies permitted to open overseas bureaus:

The Vietnam News Agency, Nhan Dan newspaper, the Vietnam Television, Radio the Voice of Vietnam and a number of other press agencies.

Major unit: The Vietnam News Agency.

2.       Principles of opening overseas bureaus

Overseas bureaus are prioritized to be opened in following key areas:

a/ Neighboring and ASEAN countries;

b/ Countries with global economic and political impacts;

c/ Countries being strategic partners of Vietnam;

d/ Countries where large numbers Vietnamese reside;

dd/ Countries having close political, economic and tourism cooperative relations with Vietnam;

e/ Countries closely attached with national security and interests of Vietnam; hot spots where big countries’ interests are concentrated.

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