Liberating reporters via advanced AI technology

Dinh Ngoc Khanh Ha - Head of marketing and communications KPMG Limited

We would like to express our appreciation for VIR and its valued contribution to the journalism development and Vietnamese businesses growth. VIR has proven to be the right place for financial companies to gain and share knowledge and empower people to learn and better understand the latest updates on Vietnam’s economy. Thanks to insightful articles, VIR has managed to attract a huge number of readers which, in turn, create valuable benefits for businesses including KPMG in Vietnam. We hope that VIR will keep up all the good work and always be a supportive companion of Vietnam’s enterprise community.

Le Thi Hoang Yen - CEO, Muong Thanh Hospitality Group

Media has always been a factor with great strength in orienting public awareness and opinion. They are an important force that contributes to improving the efficiency of social criticism. For years, VIR has been an inseparable companion to the business development and expansion of Muong Thanh Group.

Thanks to the up-to-date news on various fields in VIR’s print and online newspapers, our hotel management board possibly set reasonable business strategies and policies.

In addition, thanks to this leading newspaper’s great support in recent years, all brand images and key messages of Muong Thanh Hospitality were delivered to customers quickly and accurately.

On the occasion of the 95th Vietnam Journalists’ Day, on behalf of the management board and all employees of Muong Thanh, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the endeared reporters of VIR. I hope you always keep your pen sharp and your passion intense for your journey to future success.

Bui Bich Lien - CEO, ORFARM Organic Food Brand

Media is an indispensable part of any economy, and is especially so for agricultural, retail, and tourism businesses. It helps to disseminate accurate information and knowledge about businesses to the customers, partners, and policymakers, and is the best means of communication for the mass audience.

With the help of electronic and print media, our farming products could be distributed to the masses, our brand got more exposure, and we could connect with consumers on a deeper level.

Some of the most influential print and online publications in Vietnam include VIR, Timeout, and Dau tu. These economic and lifestyle publications highlight the activities of Vietnamese businesses, especially with regards to foreign investment and the fluctuations of financial, property, and banking markets in Vietnam.

Moreover, these publications feature useful information on local and intercontinental cuisine and consumer trends, while allowing businesses to facilitate relationship building with partners as well as consumers.

Media is the bridge that links farmers with scientists, traders, customers, and investors, allowing them to get closer to people and distribute information to readers while increasing brand exposure to domestic and international audiences.

Andreas Stoffers - Country director Vietnam, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom

In 2009, when I came to Vietnam as a board member of a German bank, VIR was my first choice as a business newspaper. Nowadays, Vietnam and the world have changed dramatically.

The connectivity within the world has increased. During the last decades, Vietnam’s economy was booming due to its open policy. After containing the local spread of the coronavirus, Vietnam is now repositioning itself.

New agreements like the long-awaited EVFTA seem to be a promising way out of the economic crisis. Along with all these changes, VIR is still an asset for everyone interested in economy and business from a Vietnamese perspective.

Kenneth Atkinson - Founder and senior board adviser, Grant Thornton Vietnam

I have to first congratulate the Vietnamese journalists and particularly VIR on the 95th Vietnam Journalists’ Day and the development of the profession over the last 30 years I have been in Vietnam.

I remember getting my first copy of VIR outside the Australian Embassy in Hanoi after some Friday drinks at the Billabong Bar. At that time, little news was available to expats like myself, who were struggling with the Vietnamese language.

Of course the press plays an important part in the development of Vietnam, as it serves as a channel to disseminate important information on policy and economic performance in the domestic and foreign-invested companies. Promoting the success of sectors and enterprises certainly assists in attracting investment but highlighting challenges helps facilitate improvements.

The press has an important role through its transparent and honest reporting of issues regarding the public and business communities. It has done a great job in keeping their readers up to date with important information on the COVID-19 situation and deserves credit in assisting the authorities in the containment of community spread and the observance of social distancing measures.

Erick Contreras - Managing director, BASF

In VIR we have a credible partner for the latest updates on the country’s major policies and decisions that enable our business to grow and share to our success stories among other companies and industry peers.

We also get helpful insights on how to do business in the local market which is extremely beneficial for a foreign company like BASF. In addition to the print version, its online platform provides an interactive and 24/7 access to market news at our fingertips.

Through this reputable publication, we shared some of our success stories on how we contribute to Vietnam’s educational development. For example, we have published our signature science programme BASF Kids’ Lab to help schoolchildren do hands-on experiments and learn how chemistry relates to our everyday life from their early age. Moreover, our school renovation programmes provide better access to education for students in remote areas of the country.

We especially value our important partnership with VIR that helps us reach out to the wider business community and stay informed. We would like to congratulate you and look forward to many more years of successful co-operation with this leading business and investment publication.

Joseph Perucca - General director, GIVI Vietnam

I enthusiastically welcome this celebration as it gives me the opportunity to offer my contribution to emphasise the fundamental role of journalists and the media, and remember that journalism is one of the cornerstone of progress.

The media, and especially VIR with its 360º view on economy and investment, is living proof of how information can become a daily nourishment for companies like us, as well as a guiding compass and a social thermometer.

In our line of business, information flows through specific channels with technical content that is relevant only to the people in our industry.

The channel itself is defined by the information that it distributes and the depositary of that information is the writer, the copywriter, or the journalist to whom we delegate the task to inform the general public about our company and its products.

In today’s world, all media and social networks, at least on the surface, strive to do the same thing, but often the abundance of sources and the number of stories and commentaries about the same event concur to build a very intricate maze where the facts get lost and often only a very subjective interpretation gets to the public.

Alex Crane - Managing director, Cushman & Wakefield Vietnam

We rely heavily on publications such as VIR but even more so during times of uncertainty like those we are faced with today.

Vietnam has demonstrated to the world best practices in the fight against the pandemic and a huge part of that was transparency, regular, and clear communications.

Enterprises will look to every source they can find to try to forge opinions, build plans, and prepare so that they can keep a competitive edge. During times such as this pandemic, this is amplified as we all are trying to build assurances for our own staff and clients.

One of the key risks to this is inaccurate information, and in Vietnam this has been impeccably handled, enabling enterprises to be assured and focused on their own tasks at hand.

Speculation at the best of times is a risk but speculation based on poor information during times like this is potentially lethal, in many senses of the word.

I am thankful at all levels, from government to the press acting as a partner to my business.

Stephen Wyatt - Country director, JLL Vietnam

The press has always played an important role in spreading and shaping awareness. Economic developments rely on investors making sound decisions, which requires an abundance of data and insights. As real estate consultants, we strive to use our expertise to inform our clients and enhance the decision-making process.

The press, especially VIR, has made it easy for JLL experts to communicate our knowledge to the audience in a timely and insightful manner. It’s not a surprise that Vietnam has done so well in the fight against COVID-19. The media’s effort on reporting about the pandemic has also proven to help the government enact containment measures and inform the general population about prevention techniques. The great work the media has done has helped enterprises in Vietnam tremendously and we thank you for that. Keep up the good work and happy the Vietnam Journalists’ Day.

Federico Vasoli - Lawyer, managing partner, dMTV Global

Nassim Nicholas Taleb states in his book Fooled By Randomness that the more we are exposed to data, the higher the ratio of noise (meaning useless data) affecting the quality of news. If this statement was true before the pandemic, it is even more valid now when most of the world remained hyper-connected at home, consuming news in gargantuan proportions.

More than ever, therefore, so-called mainstream media and professional journalists have a role in providing the public with news that are valuable pieces of information that break through and eliminate the vast noise we are surrounded with.

VIR is precisely in such a position. As the leading business publication in Vietnam it holds a particularly vital role in both finding news that offer an added value to its readers and a way to convey such news which stands above mere instant reporting.

On Vietnam Journalists’ Day, VIR can, therefore, set an example for its peers, as well as for other news outlets covering different fields. VIR has already done a lot, and standing firm on its values, perhaps with a more international approach, will grant continuous success and pursuit of its noble mission.

James Dong - CEO, Lazada Vietnam and Thailand

By providing comprehensive coverage and keen insights into the country’s political, social, and economic landscape, VIR has been instrumental in shaping and reflecting public opinions, as well as in informing and educating the public.

Being a leading e-commerce platform in the region, we also appreciate VIR’s interest in covering the e-commerce industry, a key growth engine for the Vietnamese economy.

Lazada is glad to be part of this conversation with VIR, as we all work together to build a long-term, sustainable ecosystem that will support businesses and serve consumers and the communities.

We believe the media and businesses can be partners in driving the digital transformation and growth for the nation.

On this Vietnam Journalists’ Day, Lazada would like to send our heartfelt wishes to VIR.

Congratulations on its achievements – we look forward to many more insightful pieces from your team.

Colin Blackwell - Founder, Enablecode

Vietnam has been one of the world’s best economic success stories over the last couple of decades. It is a proud achievement that certainly did not happen by accident. In order to be so successful, there had to be an excellent co-ordination between the government, the private sector, and the media.

The world of business and technology is changing rapidly, presenting the community with many challenges and opportunities.

The role of the media is essential in explaining this in understandably and in engaging ways for companies and people. VIR has been a true leader in this role for many years.

I happily remember reading VIR in the 1990s and I am sure it will continue with its high standards and social responsibilities well into the future. Congratulations to the excellent VIR journalists on Vietnam Journalists’ Day.

Pham Ha - CEO, Luxury Travel

Besides our own international marketing channels abroad, we often co-operate closely with the Vietnamese media as well as media agencies in the countries hosting tourism fairs or events to promote our products and Vietnamese tourism.

VIR and Timeout are high-quality and prestigious economic and tourism publications in English. Throughout the years, these publications helped us effectively transmit messages about our products, activities, and stories to target partners and clients.

Many of our partners and clients know us thanks to Timeout’s review articles. I hope that VIR and other local media outlets will continue to support travel businesses like Luxury Travel, so that Vietnam’s tourism industry is able to share the charming images of the country to international tourists worldwide.

I also wish to have a chance to work closer with many more foreign language publications to promote my country’s tourism potentialities at international tourism events.