The 20-year journey of Vietnam Economic Times
Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam celebrated the 20th anniversary of Vietnam Economic Times (VET) on November 11 in Hanoi and also officially launched its online version.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, former Politburo Member and former Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc, Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education (CCE) Nguyen The Ky, and more than 200 distinguished guests from the diplomatic corps, representatives of foreign economic organizations and associations operating in Vietnam, as well as CEOs of foreign-invested enterprises and leading Vietnamese companies attended the ceremony.
In his address at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Dam said that Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam and VET have made significant contributions to Vietnam’s economic integration and development. “The launch of VET’s online version marks an important advance for the publication and along with other publications of Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam it will notably contribute to the development of Vietnam’s economy,” he said.
The country’s leading English-language economics publication, VET was first published on March 15, 1994, marking a new step in the country’s international integration process. VET arrived at just the right time. As Vietnam began opening up to the world, finding information was very difficult for foreign investors. In the first “Editor’s Letter”, Editor-In-Chief Professor Dao Nguyen Cat wrote: “The goal of VET is to accurately introduce foreign readers to Vietnam’s policies on economic innovation and enterprises and to the Vietnamese people.” It was just what foreign businesses that were looking to invest in a largely unknown country like Vietnam needed.
Since then, VET has been distributed worldwide, serving a variety of readers working for embassies and international organizations operating in Vietnam as well as foreign investors seeking opportunities to invest in the country. Every issue of VET provides up-to-date information on the changes in Vietnam’s economic situation over the course of that month as well as new policies from the government in the fields of trade, investment, and others, to identify favorable conditions and potential investment opportunities while providing useful tips on investment and doing business in the country. Over its 20 years VET has informed millions of domestic and foreign readers.
The role of the Golden Dragon Awards (GDA) has been an undeniable part of VET’s success. In 2001 VET joined hands with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to hold the first Golden Dragon Awards, honoring 100 per cent foreign-invested enterprises operating effectively and making considerable contributions to Vietnam’s economy. The GDA have become a reputable annual event of VET, presenting it with the opportunity to establish relationships with more foreign-invested enterprises and truly becoming a close partner of the foreign business community.
VET also acts as a messenger and an ambassador, contributing to Vietnam’s diplomatic activities by promoting the image of the country and its people to the world. The publication of VET in Japanese, together with the publication of The Guide magazine in English, Japanese, Korean, and Russian, have created a rich group of foreign affairs publications that serve the country’s diplomatic mission.
Its 20-year journey has given VET a reputable brand, and the magazine has successfully affirmed its position among Vietnam’s foreign-language economic publications. Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and currently Vietnam Economic Times’ Deputy Editor-In-Chief, officially launched the online version at the ceremony, which will allow it to provide up-to-date news and information as well as reflect the economic rhythms of Vietnam and the world from multiple perspectives. VET believes this will be a new highlight for its faithful readers.
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