This was the first time, the National Press Award had been held. The event became more meaningful as it coincided with the celebration of the 87th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).
Present at the event were Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong; Permanent Member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee Dinh The Huynh; President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan; Head of the Organization Commission of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Steering Committee for the National Press Award on Party Building Pham Minh Chinh; representatives of the Party Central Committee’s commissions, the Government, ministries, Central agencies, nationwide press and media agencies.
Permanent Member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee Dinh The Huynh speaking at the ceremony
In May 2016, the Commission for Organization, the Communist Review and the Vietnam Television, in association with the Commission for Education and Information, the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Vietnam Journalists’ Association, launched the National Press Award on Party Building named the “Gold Hammer and Sickle” Award.
The award aims to encourage individuals and organizations to earmark more time and mind creating good press works on Party building, and to improve the quality of information and education on Party building work, contributing to building a strong and healthy party; preventing and reducing the degradation in ideology, morality and lifestyle.
The organizing panel presenting first prizes to winners
After nearly half a year, the organizing panel received 1,173 press works, including 704 pieces of print newspaper, 108 pieces of online newspaper, 84 audio pieces, 266 television pieces and 11 photo collections.
The entries mainly focused on reviews on practices of Party building and theory of Party building; new findings on Party building; creative methods and good models of Party building across the country; good examples of individuals and organizations in Party building; suggestions and solutions on Party building; and criticisms against wrongdoings and ineffective performances of individuals and organizations in Party building.
After careful examination, the organizing panel chose 47 outstanding press works and decided on three A prizes, seven B prizes, 12 C prizes and 25 consolation prizes.
The People’s Army Newspaper won an A prize (first prize) for a series of articles titled “Preventing and struggling against the risk of 'self-evolution' and 'self-transformation' in the Party – a life-and-death issue for the Party and political system” by Major General Pham Van Huan, the Editor-in-Chief; Senior Colonel Doan Xuan Bo, Managing Editor; and reporters Nguyen Hong Hai, Nguyen Van Minh, Nguyen Van Hai and Nguyen Tan Tuan.
Lieutenant General Do Can and the PAN's winners posing for a photo at the event
Delivering remarks at the awarding ceremony, Mr. Pham Minh Chinh underscored the great meaning of the award in improving the quality of Party building in all-level Party organizations. He urged Vietnamese press workers as well as Vietnamese people and organizations at home and overseas to actively participate in the 2017 contest.
At the event, Editor-in-Chief of the People’s Army Newspaper, Major General Pham Van Huan stated that the award has created a widespread forum for nationwide press workers in particular and all Vietnamese people at home and overseas in general to participate in and contribute their part to Party building work.
Meanwhile, Permanent Member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee Dinh The Huynh applauded the award and domestic press agencies’ contributions to Party building work. According to him, as Party building is one of the major tasks articulated in the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress with the aim of improving the Party’s leadership capacity and fighting power in line with the current situation, the success of the press contest has held great significance to Party building. He also considered that the more press agencies and people participate in Party building, the stronger the Party will become.
Translated by Thu Nguyen