VTV5 celebrates 20 years of broadcasting ethnic language programs

The birth of VTV5 ethnic language television channel is associated with the implementation of the direction of the Politburo, the Government, and the leadership of Vietnam Television. After a period of testing ethnic language television programs, on February 10, 2002, VTV5 officially broadcast its first program. This event also marked the first time in Vietnam that ethnic minorities were able to watch programs designed specifically in their own language on national television.

Journalist Le Tat Cu, former Head of the Ethnic Language Television Department, said: “At that time, the General Director of Vietnam Television called me up to discuss: Local radio and television stations are broadcasting ethnic languages, we should pay attention. That suggestion motivated us to make efforts so that on February 10, 2002, the first program was officially broadcast on VTV. Three weeks later, when I was on a business trip to the Central Highlands, I met the people there. The people were very excited that from now on they could see their images and voices on the central radio, the whole country could see them, not just in their localities like before.”

From the initial, awkward and difficult steps of building a separate, specialized channel, ethnic language television workers have gradually affirmed their mettle, creativity, passion and dedication in producing programs to serve ethnic minorities in particular and audiences nationwide in general.

At the beginning, the Ethnic Language Television Department only had a few dozen people, broadcasting on VTV5 channel for 6 hours a day in 14 ethnic languages. Up to now, the Ethnic Language Television Department has about 180 employees at the headquarters (Hanoi) and representative offices (Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Phu Yen, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho), taking on the task of producing, editing and broadcasting 24 hours a day/channel on 3 independent channels including: VTV5 national channel broadcasting nationwide; VTV5 Southwest covering the Southwest region (on air on January 1, 2016), VTV5 Central Highlands covering the Central Highlands region (on air on October 17, 2016).

Viewers can watch VTV5 in 26 languages (including Kinh) on different platforms (traditional television, VTVgo application, VTV5 website, Youtube channel, VTV5 Fage on Facebook...)

After 6 years of specializing in broadcasting ethnic language programs serving ethnic minorities, since 2008, the Ethnic Language Television Department has started broadcasting the first Mandarin program, which is the News bulletin... This is a stepping stone for ethnic language television workers to continue to diversify and enrich the channels through expanding the broadcasting program caps such as: news, columns (political, cultural-artistic), documentaries, reports, memoirs, children's programs, movies, skits, live broadcasts of sports programs, live broadcasts of important political-cultural-social events in ethnic minority and mountainous areas... Mandarin programs are arranged interspersed with specialized ethnic minority language programs on the air, helping the channels to become increasingly attractive to audiences.

In addition to program production and broadcasting activities, the Ethnic Language Television Department is assigned to carry out important projects: "Enhancing the capacity to produce ethnic language television programs", "Covering television in mountainous, remote, border and island areas"; "Improving the capacity to produce ethnic language television programs".

Recognizing and appreciating the efforts of generations of VTV5 staff and workers over the past 20 years, Minister and Chairman of the Ethnic Committee Hau A Lenh affirmed: “VTV5 has been closely associated with ethnic minorities, together with local newspapers and radio stations, transmitting many policies of the Party and State, knowledge, science and technology... to ethnic minorities over many periods. This is an extremely important factor to contribute to ethnic minorities believing in the Party and striving to overcome hunger and reduce poverty to have an increasingly better life.”

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