State policies on press development
12:13 15/12/2016
The National Assembly approved the Press Law. This Law prescribes citizens’ rights to freedom of press and freedom of speech in the press; the organization and activities of the press; rights and obligations of agencies, organizations and individuals that participate in and are related to press activities; and state management of the press.
Contents of state management of the press: Formulating, and directing and organizing the implementation of, strategies, master plans and plans on development of the press; Promulgating, and organizing the implementation of, legal documents on the press; developing regimes and policies for the press; Organizing the provision of information to the press; and managing information of the press; Providing training and retraining to improve the political level, professional qualifications and professional ethics for journalists of press agencies and press managers; Organizing management of scientific and technological activities in the field of the press; Granting and revoking all types of permit in press activities and press cards; Managing international cooperation on the press, activities of Vietnamese press agencies related to foreign countries and activities of foreign press in Vietnam; Examining legally deposited press products and managing the national press legal deposit system; Directing the implementation of regulations on information, report, statistics, commendation and discipline in press activities; Inspecting, examining and handling violations of the press law.
Conditions for grant of a press activity permit: Having identified the type of press and guiding principles and purposes conformable with the functions and tasks of the managing agency; target audience; program, time, amount of time, mode of transmission and broadcasting (for an audio press or a visual press); domain name, place of server and connection service provider (for an online press); Having an organization and personnel plan to ensure activities of the press agency; having a qualified person as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 23 of this Law to assume the position of head of the press agency; Having selected a name and its design for the press agency; a name and its design for the journalistic publication; a name and logo for the radio channel or television channel; or names and their designs for specialized pages of an online press; Having a head office and physical and technical foundations, a financial plan; technical solutions to guarantee information safety and security. For an online press, having at least one registered domain name “.vn” conformable with the name of the press and using a server system located in Vietnam. For an audio press or a visual press, having a plan on lease or use of transmission and broadcasting infrastructure; Conforming with the national master plan on development and management of the press approved by the Prime Minister.
People eligible to be granted a press card
1. General directors, deputy general directors, directors, deputy directors, editors-in-chief and deputy editors-in-chief of press agencies and news agencies.
2. Heads and deputy heads of journalistic professional divisions (departments) of press agencies and news agencies.
3. Reporters and editors of press agencies and news agencies.
4. Cameramen, directors of radio or television programs (excluding movies) of state-owned units that are granted press activity permits in the field of radio, television and documentary production.
5. Reporters, editors and persons in charge of activities of reporters and editors at radio or television stations at district or equivalent level.
6. When a person, who was granted a press card, is transferred to another job but still makes journalistic products that are used by the press and are certified by the press agency, he/she shall be considered for grant of a press card in the following cases:
a/ He/she is transferred to work at a unit of the press agency which does not directly carry out press activities;
b/ He/she is transferred to work as a journalism lecturer at a tertiary education institution in accordance with the Law on Tertiary Education;
c/ He/she is transferred to work as a full-time officer at a journalists association at any level or to directly perform the state management of the press.
A press card holder shall return it in the following cases:
a/ He/she is transferred to perform other tasks and no longer eligible for using the press card as prescribed in Article 26 of this Law; he/she retires; his/her labor contract expires and is not renewed or he/she stops working at the press agency;
b/ His/her press agency has its press activity permit revoked under a decision of the Ministry of Information and Communications;
c/ Within 15 days after the issuance of a decision concerning the content specified at Point a or b of this Clause, the head of the employing agency of the press card holders shall issue a written notice of the cases prescribed at Point a of this Clause and revoke the press cards and return them to the Ministry of Information and Communications.
If a person fails to return his/her press card, except when it has been lost, the press agency shall announce such failure on its journalistic product and report it in writing to the Ministry of Information and Communications;
d/ If a person who has to return his/her press card under Point a or b of this Clause is recruited by a press agency under a contract of 1 year or more within 6 months after he/she returns the press card, he/she may be considered for change of his/her press card as prescribed in Clause 3 of this Article.
Press activities of foreign press, foreign representative missions and foreign organizations in Vietnam: All press and press-related activities of foreign news, radio, television, print and online press agencies (below collectively referred to as foreign press), diplomatic missions, consular offices, representative agencies of inter-governmental international organizations and other foreign agencies that are authorized to perform the consular function in Vietnam (below collectively referred to as foreign representative missions) and representative agencies of non-governmental organizations and other foreign organizations in Vietnam (below collectively referred to as foreign organizations) may be carried out only after obtaining the approval of competent agencies prescribed in this Law, and must comply with the laws of Vietnam. A foreign non-resident reporter who wishes to carry out press activities in Vietnam shall send a dossier of application for approval directly or by post, fax or email to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an overseas Vietnamese diplomatic mission, consular office or another agency authorized to perform the consular function (below collectively referred to as overseas Vietnamese representative mission).
When carrying out press activities in Vietnam, a foreign non-resident reporter shall carry his/her press activity permit granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and his/her passport, and carry out these activities according to the purpose and program stated in the permit and under instructions of the reporter guiding agency.
This Law takes effect on January 1, 2017. The December 28, 1989 Press Law, which has been amended and supplemented under Law No. 12/1999/QH10, ceases to be effective on the effective date of this Law.
Contents of state management of the press: Formulating, and directing and organizing the implementation of, strategies, master plans and plans on development of the press; Promulgating, and organizing the implementation of, legal documents on the press; developing regimes and policies for the press; Organizing the provision of information to the press; and managing information of the press; Providing training and retraining to improve the political level, professional qualifications and professional ethics for journalists of press agencies and press managers; Organizing management of scientific and technological activities in the field of the press; Granting and revoking all types of permit in press activities and press cards; Managing international cooperation on the press, activities of Vietnamese press agencies related to foreign countries and activities of foreign press in Vietnam; Examining legally deposited press products and managing the national press legal deposit system; Directing the implementation of regulations on information, report, statistics, commendation and discipline in press activities; Inspecting, examining and handling violations of the press law.
Conditions for grant of a press activity permit: Having identified the type of press and guiding principles and purposes conformable with the functions and tasks of the managing agency; target audience; program, time, amount of time, mode of transmission and broadcasting (for an audio press or a visual press); domain name, place of server and connection service provider (for an online press); Having an organization and personnel plan to ensure activities of the press agency; having a qualified person as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 23 of this Law to assume the position of head of the press agency; Having selected a name and its design for the press agency; a name and its design for the journalistic publication; a name and logo for the radio channel or television channel; or names and their designs for specialized pages of an online press; Having a head office and physical and technical foundations, a financial plan; technical solutions to guarantee information safety and security. For an online press, having at least one registered domain name “.vn” conformable with the name of the press and using a server system located in Vietnam. For an audio press or a visual press, having a plan on lease or use of transmission and broadcasting infrastructure; Conforming with the national master plan on development and management of the press approved by the Prime Minister.
People eligible to be granted a press card
1. General directors, deputy general directors, directors, deputy directors, editors-in-chief and deputy editors-in-chief of press agencies and news agencies.
2. Heads and deputy heads of journalistic professional divisions (departments) of press agencies and news agencies.
3. Reporters and editors of press agencies and news agencies.
4. Cameramen, directors of radio or television programs (excluding movies) of state-owned units that are granted press activity permits in the field of radio, television and documentary production.
5. Reporters, editors and persons in charge of activities of reporters and editors at radio or television stations at district or equivalent level.
6. When a person, who was granted a press card, is transferred to another job but still makes journalistic products that are used by the press and are certified by the press agency, he/she shall be considered for grant of a press card in the following cases:
a/ He/she is transferred to work at a unit of the press agency which does not directly carry out press activities;
b/ He/she is transferred to work as a journalism lecturer at a tertiary education institution in accordance with the Law on Tertiary Education;
c/ He/she is transferred to work as a full-time officer at a journalists association at any level or to directly perform the state management of the press.
A press card holder shall return it in the following cases:
a/ He/she is transferred to perform other tasks and no longer eligible for using the press card as prescribed in Article 26 of this Law; he/she retires; his/her labor contract expires and is not renewed or he/she stops working at the press agency;
b/ His/her press agency has its press activity permit revoked under a decision of the Ministry of Information and Communications;
c/ Within 15 days after the issuance of a decision concerning the content specified at Point a or b of this Clause, the head of the employing agency of the press card holders shall issue a written notice of the cases prescribed at Point a of this Clause and revoke the press cards and return them to the Ministry of Information and Communications.
If a person fails to return his/her press card, except when it has been lost, the press agency shall announce such failure on its journalistic product and report it in writing to the Ministry of Information and Communications;
d/ If a person who has to return his/her press card under Point a or b of this Clause is recruited by a press agency under a contract of 1 year or more within 6 months after he/she returns the press card, he/she may be considered for change of his/her press card as prescribed in Clause 3 of this Article.
Press activities of foreign press, foreign representative missions and foreign organizations in Vietnam: All press and press-related activities of foreign news, radio, television, print and online press agencies (below collectively referred to as foreign press), diplomatic missions, consular offices, representative agencies of inter-governmental international organizations and other foreign agencies that are authorized to perform the consular function in Vietnam (below collectively referred to as foreign representative missions) and representative agencies of non-governmental organizations and other foreign organizations in Vietnam (below collectively referred to as foreign organizations) may be carried out only after obtaining the approval of competent agencies prescribed in this Law, and must comply with the laws of Vietnam. A foreign non-resident reporter who wishes to carry out press activities in Vietnam shall send a dossier of application for approval directly or by post, fax or email to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an overseas Vietnamese diplomatic mission, consular office or another agency authorized to perform the consular function (below collectively referred to as overseas Vietnamese representative mission).
When carrying out press activities in Vietnam, a foreign non-resident reporter shall carry his/her press activity permit granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and his/her passport, and carry out these activities according to the purpose and program stated in the permit and under instructions of the reporter guiding agency.
This Law takes effect on January 1, 2017. The December 28, 1989 Press Law, which has been amended and supplemented under Law No. 12/1999/QH10, ceases to be effective on the effective date of this Law.