Strengthening media exchange between Vietnam Journalists Association and Thailand Journalists Association

The signing ceremony was held online and chaired by Mr. Le Quoc Minh - Member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, President of the Vietnam Journalists Association and Mr. Mongkol Bangprapa - President of the Thai Journalists Association, President of the Thai Press Federation.

Strengthening communication exchange between Vietnam Journalists Association and Thailand Journalists Association picture 1 — Scene of the signing ceremony.

At the signing ceremony, Mr. Le Quoc Minh, on behalf of the leaders of the Vietnam Journalists Association, sent wishes of good health and a happy new year 2024 to his Thai colleagues.

Mr. Le Quoc Minh highly appreciated the valuable contributions and practical sharing that contributed to the overall success of the ASEAN International Journalism Conference held in Hanoi in early December 2023 organized by the Vietnam Journalists Association. At the same time, he thanked the Thai Journalists Association for the warm and sincere reception given to the delegation of the Vietnam Journalists Association on the occasion of the delegation's visit and work in Thailand in late November 2023.

The working trip achieved many positive results, contributing to strengthening and affirming the good cooperative and friendly relationship between the Vietnamese and Thai press over the past 30 years.

Strengthening communication exchange between Vietnam Journalists Association and Thailand Journalists Association picture 2 — Mr. Le Quoc Minh - Member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, President of the Vietnam Journalists Association signed the Memorandum of Understanding.

Mr. Le Quoc Minh expressed his hope that the two sides will continue to conduct high-level visits between the leaders of the two Associations, increase information exchange between the Vietnam Journalists Association and the Thai Journalists Association to better understand the situation of each Association. In addition, it will contribute to promoting information exchange on the situation of Vietnam and Thailand in all fields of politics, economy, culture and society.

"In that spirit, the two Journalists' Associations will act as an active bridge to encourage their member Journalists' Associations and press agencies to enhance cooperation in exchanging press delegations, supporting each other, contributing to the common progress in information exchange between the two countries at both central and local levels, and contributing to enhancing mutual understanding between the people of the two countries," said Mr. Le Quoc Minh.

Sending warm greetings from Thailand to his Vietnamese colleagues, Mr. Mongkol Bangprapa affirmed that the previously signed memorandums of understanding between the Thai Journalists Association and the Vietnam Journalists Association were not just words on paper but had been implemented into many practical activities. This signing activity is a premise for cooperation and development in the next two years between the two Journalists Associations.

Strengthening communication exchange between Vietnam Journalists Association and Thailand Journalists Association picture 3 — Mr. Le Quoc Minh expressed his belief that after this signing ceremony, the relationship between the two Journalists Associations will continue to develop effectively and sustainably in the coming time.

According to Mr. Mongkol Bangprapa, recently, in meetings, the Prime Minister of Thailand also emphasized the road exchange between the 5 ASEAN countries to strengthen the relationship not only in press activities but also in tourism, economy... of ASEAN countries including Vietnam.

Mr. Mongkol Bangprapa introduced the Photo Contest with the theme of sustainable tourism within the framework of ASEAN countries, which Thailand will host in 2024, and hoped that the Vietnam Journalists Association would share experiences and help to make the Contest run smoothly and successfully.

In his response, Mr. Le Quoc Minh said that the Vietnam Journalists Association will encourage photographers, photojournalists and photography lovers to respond and actively participate in this contest. At the same time, Mr. Le Quoc Minh expressed his belief that after today's signing ceremony, the relationship between the two Journalists Associations will continue to develop effectively and sustainably in the future.

The Thai Journalists Association and the Vietnam Journalists Association (hereinafter referred to as the Two Parties) agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the Media Exchange Program in the spirit of solidarity, equality and mutual respect to strengthen and develop solidarity and cooperation in information exchange between the press agencies of the two countries:
With the desire to maintain and promote the effectiveness of the bilateral cooperation mechanism; The two sides agreed as follows:
Article 1. Both sides agree to continue to actively cooperate to promote media relations between the two countries.
Article 2. Both sides agree to continue to carry out their responsibilities in the best possible way to promote consensus in press activities to help the people of the two countries have a correct understanding of social, economic, political and cultural issues.
A mutual hotline can be established for communication in case of emergency to avoid any social, economic, political and cultural misunderstandings that unexpected events may cause.
Article 3. Both sides agree to continue to work closely together to strengthen the media relationship between the two countries through regional and international activities such as the ASEAN Press Confederation and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations - ASEAN.
Article 4. Both Parties agree to exchange opinions, views and experiences on the current media situation of the two countries every year.
Article 5. Both sides agree to implement a program of exchanging high-level delegations of both sides on an annual rotation basis according to the principle: The sending side is responsible for the cost of round-trip international airfare, the receiving side is responsible for the cost of food, accommodation, travel, and interpretation in the host country. The two sides shall agree at least 02 months before organizing the visit.
Article 6. Both sides agree to support each other in organizing training for journalists of both countries to improve their capacity and expertise.
Article 7. The Memorandum of Understanding on the Media Exchange Program shall be effective for 02 years from the date we, the undersigned, have read and agreed to it. The Memorandum of Understanding shall be in English only, signed online and presented on the occasion of the Thai Journalists Association's visit to Vietnam in 2024.