Laos' Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and Vietnam Television Station (VTV) have agreed to further strengthen their cooperation efforts and traditionally friendly ties in the information and culture sector.
The agreement, which runs from 2012 to 2015, was signed during a meeting between the two parties held in Vientiane yesterday.
The agreement was signed by Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Professor Dr Bosengkham Vongdara and VTV Director Tran Binh Minh.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Savankhone Razmountry, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Dr Ta Minh Chau and other senior officials.
Under the agreement, the two parties have agreed to exchange five- to ten-minute news transcripts on various subjects relating to current affairs, economic issues, and social and cultural programming.
They will exchange the transcripts on a weekly basis via File Transfer Protocol and Internet based computer networks. They have also agreed to exchange various other programmes, including short films, movies and art and drama productions whenever the respective agencies require programming material.
However, the respective agencies must respect the relevant copyright laws, and the two countries' news agencies will also share the cost of exchanging materials equally on a reciprocal basis.
As part of the agreement, the ministry has undertaken to help VTV build television and radio stations in Oudomxay and Savannakhet provinces, under a bilateral cooperation agreement on economic and scientific technology signed between the Lao and Vietnamese governments recently. Experts from the two countries will work closely with each other to provide all the necessary information. The two sides also agreed to further cooperate in the development of their respective information systems and strengthen the skills of their respective personnel.
VTV agreed to send staff to help Lao National Television cover the Asia-Europe Meeting Summit to be held in Vientiane in November. As part of this assistance, VTV will help to repair and improve the 10kw VAL 2000 transmission system at Lao National Television.
In addition, VTV will provide assistance and funding support for Lao officials working not only in television, but also in radio, newspapers, film, drama, literature and the arts. They will also sponsor media personnel to undertake short- and long-term studies and training in Vietnam.
Vietnam and Laos have a long shared history and have provided assistance to each other in many areas over an extended period. Cultural exchange and assistance in the fields of information, culture, education and tourism have traditionally been areas of close cooperation.
Bosengkham said experts from the two countries regularly provide each other with information and expertise, and information and culture is considered central to national protection and development, and to enhancing their special friendship.
Vietnam Television is a national broadcasting station whose central role is to disseminate information and make public the policies of the Vietnamese Party and state. VTV operates under state management through the Ministry of Culture and Information in relation to press operations.
