The Government leader made the remark while addressing the awards ceremony for the 2018 External Information Service Awards in Ha Noi on June 7.

He stated that the 2018 awards saw more entries with better quality, with women and young people taking the majority among the prize winners.

PM Phuc hailed external information service as an important part of the Party and State’s communication work and foreign affairs, aiming to mobilise the combined power of the entire political system for the cause of national development.

External information activities have contributed to advertising the Vietnamese land, culture and people to international friends, as not only a country of peace, stability, dynamism, renovation and sustainable and rapid development, but also a beautiful, safe and friendly destination for investment, trade and tourism, he said.

According to the organizing committee, the 2018 External Information Service Awards received roughly 1,000 press works in eight categories and 13 languages, submitted by authors from over 130 media agencies and 12 publishing houses nationwide.

Particularly, the awards attracted the participation of nearly 30 authors and group of authors who are foreigners and Vietnamese people living overseas, including Yuri A.Denisovich, resident reporter of Russia’s TASS in Viet Nam; Youngkyu Min, reporter of the Republic of Korea’s Yonhap; Sh. Batbold - D. Sainbayar, resident reporters of the Mongolian news agency in Viet Nam; two Cuban journalists Mariela Valenzuela Pérez and Alberto Salazar; and President of the India-Viet Nam Solidarity Committee Geetesh Sharma.

The organizing committee picked out 90 outstanding press works to award prizes, including eight first prizes, 17 second prizes, 25 third prizes and 40 consolation prizes./.