Việt Nam News wins award for Hồ Chí Minh documentary

HÀ NỘI A ten-minute documentary made by Việt Nam News' multi-media team about the home where President Hồ Chí Minh lived and worked for the last 15 years of his life has won a consolation prize in the 'Television' category at an annual press contest hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The film, titled Khu Di Tích Chủ Tịch Hồ Chí Minh - Nơi Tỏa Sáng Một Nhân Cách Vĩ Đại (Home to a Great Person)was created by a team of journalists including Nguyễn Thị Lê Hương, Ngô Hà Hải Anh, Paul Kennedy and intern Nguyễn Quỳnh Anh. It was announced as one of the award winners at the National Press Awards titled 'For the Development of Culture, Sports and Tourism' at the Hà Nội Opera House yesterday.

The documentary offers a deep dive into Hồ Chí Minh’s thoughts, morality and leadership style, focusing particularly on his final years at the Presidential Palace.

An in-depth interview with Trần Viết Hoàn, one of President Hồ's former bodyguards, was featured in the documentary along with more informal interviews with staff and visitors at the historic site.

The documentary highlights President Hồ’s enduring values and effectively promotes Vietnamese culture and people to international audiences.

Nguyễn Thị Lê Hương (sixth from the left), representing the award-winning team from Việt Nam News, took the stage to receive the certificate. VNA/VNS Photo

This is the second time these awards have been organised, after the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism started running the awards ceremony on May 22, 2024.

The awards aim to highlight achievements in culture, sports and tourism development, showcase exemplary figures in the field and encourage industry professionals to continue contributing to these areas.

By June 20, the awards had received a total of 920 entries from five categories of photo reportage, radio, television, print and online newspapers.

According to the organisers, most of the submitted works closely adhered to the theme. The large number of submissions in a short time frame highlights the strong interest of journalists and the public in these fields.

The jury has chosen 96 works for the final awards including five first prizes, 15 second prizes, 25 third prizes and 51 runner-up prizes.

Collective prizes were awarded to Vietnam News Agency, Nhân Dân (People) newspaper and Văn Hóa (Culture) newspaper. These agencies garnered the most prizes out of the dozens of agencies nationwide competing at the contest.

Vietnam News Agency has won a total of 10 awards.

A representative from Vietnam News Agency (second from the left) receives the Collective Award at the ceremony. VNA/VNS Photo

Among these, one second prize was awarded to journalists Đinh Thuận and Minh Ngọc for their article series, Chợ Truyền Thống Hà Nội (Hà Nội’s Traditional Market). Another second prize went to Nguyễn Tất Sơn and Trần Thanh Giang for their photo essay titled Những Điểm Sáng về Tôn Giáo Nơi Vùng Cao Tây Bắc (Religious highlights in the Northwest highlands), published by Vietnam Pictorial.

In addition, two third prizes were given: one for the series of three articles, Đi Tìm Lời Giải Cho Bài Toán Xóa “Vùng Trắng” Thiết Chế Văn Hóa Cơ Sở (Finding Solutions to the Problem of Eliminating 'White Spots' in Local Cultural Institutions), authored by journalist Đỗ Minh Thu (Minh Thu) of Vietnam Plus e-newspaper. The other one went to Nhà Máy Xe Lửa Gia Lâm - Di Sản Công Nghiệp Mang Nhiều Giá Trị Lịch Sử (Gia Lâm Railway Factory: An Industrial Heritage with Historical Value) by journalist Nguyễn Khánh Hòa.

Six consolation awards were given to other notable works: the series of articles Công Nghiệp Văn Hóa ở Việt Nam (Cultural Industry in Việt Nam) by journalist Phạm Huy Thông (Phạm Huy) from Thể thao Văn hóa (Sports & Culture) newspaper; the programme Du lịch - Chìa Khoá Giảm Nghèo trên Vùng Đất Khó (Tourism: The Key to Poverty Reduction in Challenging Areas) created by journalists Trần Huyền, Đức Long and Văn Trường from Vietnam News Agency Television (VNews).

In the photo reportage category, three works also were awarded with consolation prizes: Tết Việt - Tết Phố 2024 (Việt Nam’s Lunar News Year on the street 2024) by Trần Thanh Giang; Áo Dài Kết Nối Du Lịch và Di Sản Hà Nội (Áo dài: Connecting Tourism and Hà Nội’s Heritage) by journalists Lê Thanh Tùng, Phan Nhật Anh and Lương Tuấn Đức; and the photo series Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh: Mãn Nhãn Chương Trình Nghệ Thuật “Chuyến Tàu Huyền Thoại” (Hồ Chí Minh City – A Visual Feast of the ‘Legendary Train’ Art Programme) by Hoàng Kim Tuyết and Lê Mạnh Linh from Tin Tức (The News) newspaper.

The ceremony was attended by Lê Thành Long, a Party Central Committee member and Deputy Prime Minister; Nguyễn Văn Hùng, a Party Central Committee member and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Lê Quốc Minh, a Party Central Committee member and Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, Editor-in-Chief of Nhân Dân (People) Newspaper, and President of the Việt Nam Journalists' Association; along with numerous leaders from ministries, central and local agencies, media organisations and award-winning authors and teams.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trịnh Thị Thủy delivered a speech at the award ceremony. VNA/VNS Photo

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Head of the organising committee Trịnh Thị Thuỷ discussed the great value of the winning pieces.

She emphasised that the fields of culture, sports and tourism have consistently received attention, investment and care from the Party and State.

At the award ceremony, the deputy minister formally launched the third national journalism award in 2025 for the development of culture, sports and tourism. VNS

The Việt Nam News team interviews a foreign tourist at the historic site for the documentary. VNS Photo Quỳnh Anh