Australian Embassy
Vietnam
Embassy address: 8 Dao Tan Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi - Telephone: 3831 7755 - Fax: 3831 7711

Journalism Training Workshop
By AEI Vietnam and Vietnam News Agency
Speech by
Australian Ambassador, H.E Bill Tweddell
21 March 2007 - Hanoi

 

Mr Hà Minh Huệ, Deputy General Director, Vietnam News Agency
Australian lecturers, all participants 
Dear friends and colleagues

On behalf of the Australian Embassy in Hanoi, I would like to welcome you all here today. It is a pleasure to see such a large group of journalists participating in the AEI Vietnam – VNA Journalism Training Workshop.

Since arriving in Vietnam one-and-a-half years ago, I have viewed media reporting in this country with great interest. I have found it to be a useful source of information for both my professional and personal interests.

I am particularly impressed with media reporting over the last few months, especially during APEC leaders’ week, on issues of relevance to both the Vietnamese domestic audience, and to international observers such as myself and my colleagues at the Embassy.

Prime Minister Dung has clearly placed a crucial responsibility on the shoulders of the Vietnamese media as active investigators and watchdogs of accountability in the fight against corruption. I quote his own words: “Media is the critical and practical weapon to fight against corruption and promote the Government’s administrative reform.”

This training workshop is an important initiative by Australian Education International (AEI) Vietnam and its partner, Vietnam News Agency. We consider it to be an excellent opportunity to use Australian expertise to provide assistance in developing news coverage skills, particularly in an international setting, for more than 40 journalists from all the different forms of media: print, internet, television and radio. I also know that we are honoured to have here today three very experienced lecturers from some of Australia’s leading universities.

I am very keen that the Vietnamese people should see a better and more complete image of Australia – our culture, our education, economic and regional perspectives - as well as gaining a deeper understanding of the Australian people and the trust the Australian people place in the high standards of competence and commitment we expect to see from a genuinely free and, at the same time, ethical media sector. I genuinely appreciate the important role media representatives can play in this work.

I hope and trust that we will continue to work together in the future, as we have done over the last year, to bring Vietnam and Australia closer together, and to continue to foster the growing and warm friendships between our two peoples.

I am aware that there are a number of Australian educational activities to be held in Vietnam in the near future. I wish to invite you to be part of these exciting events. I will leave you now in the capable hands of my colleagues from AEI Vietnam who can provide you with the necessary information.

Thank you

Chúc khoá đào tạo thành công

Wishing you a successful workshop

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