Hanoi (VNA) - The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on December 3 officially launched a special website (at ) that provides information on༺ the 13th National Party Congress in different forms and languages.

The launch was attended by Party Central Committee member and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and representatives from ministries, sectors, and central agencies, and domestic and foreign media outlets. Addressing the launching ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam appreciated the VNA’s efforts to debut this special and professional website, saying as the national news agency and a Government agency, the VNA’s provision of information about major and significant events of the country in the most opportune, precise and sufficient manner has reflected its professionalism. In particular, he noted, via its specialised websites, the VNA has proved the necessity of disseminating official information not only within Vietnam but also to other countries. The Deputy PM held that the site will both supply information about the 13th National Party Congress in a timely manner and serve as a database collecting and arranging the most important information relating to all-level Party congresses in a systematic manner. Shown in many different languages and via the most up-to-date tools, such information will be useful to all, from individual readers to foreign news agencies, according to him. Dam expressed his hope that the VNA will keep updating the website so that the coverage of all-level Party congresses will meet requirements of the Party and State. For his part, VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi, who is also a member of the Party Central Committee, thanked the Deputy Prime Minister for his encouragement and high evaluation of the agency’s performance and outcomes, especially its staff’s contributions to the coverage of special occasions, including national events, the COVID-19 pandemic, and recent natural disasters. He pledged that the VNA will continue fulfilling its role as an information supplier, particularly in serving the approaching National Party Congress. Amid the trend towards data journalism, in recent years, the VNA has built a number of specialized websites on major and current events in Vietnam and the world. However, this is the first time a special website combining many forms of journalism has been debuted. Unlike traditional websites, this one features text and photo information for media agencies, which will be given codes to add widgets to and update information on their sites. The website is available in six languages: Vietnamese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Chinese. Developed in an eight-month period by many VNA units and technology partners, it has a formal and modern design that is highly interactive on computers, tablets, and smartphones. The launch is a step towards realising the VNA’s development strategy of combining information with technology and creative ideas. The agency will add more updated content and new functions to the website between now and the 13th National Party Congress, scheduled to take place in Hanoi in early 2021, thus offering domestic and foreign readers comprehensive and objective information on Vietnam’s most important political event next year./.