On June 13, 1992, the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee (VIIth Congress) issued Directive No. 11-CT/TW on renewing and enhancing the external information work, setting the orientation for our external information activities in the cause of national construction and defense.

On December 29, 1998 the Political Bureau�s Standing Board issued Notice No. 188/TB-TW on the external information work in the new situation.

External information constitutes a very crucial component of the external work of our Party and State, aiming to help foreign countries and peoples (including foreigners currently residing and working in Vietnam) and Vietnamese residing and working abroad to understand the Vietnamese people and land, our renewal line, policies and achievements, thereby winning the support of the world people as well as the contributions of the overseas Vietnamese community for the cause of national construction and defense.

Since the June 1998 conference which reviewed Directive No. 11 of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee (VIIth Congress), the branches and levels have carried out many active activities in the field of external information, achieving many satisfactory results.

In general, over the past years the external information work has been carried out along the right orientation, focusing on the key tasks. The State has allocated an initial but adequate budget for external information activities and services, renovating and continuously modernizing the telecommunication system and logging onto the global Internet, thus creating conditions for transmitting update information about Vietnam to every corner of the world. The contingent of external information workers has been reinforced. The technical and material bases have been further equipped. The awareness of all branches, levels and localities of the external information work has been elevated to a new level.

Nevertheless, in the process of national renewal, the external information work has not yet met the requirements of the new situation and has shown many shortcomings as clearly pointed out in Notice No. 188/TB-TW of December 29, 1998 of the Standing Board of the Political Bureau: "The quality, efficacy, persuasiveness, attractiveness and combativeness are not high. The contingent of cadres working in this field is insufficient while their capabilities and qualifications are not equal; they are not fully and deeply aware of the importance of the external information in our Party�s and State�s external relation work as a whole. Due to the unclear determination of responsibility of each branch and level in the direction and organization of the external information work in many aspects, there are confusions in the management and coordination of various forces in the country and the overseas implementation as well. Investment has been scattered, unplanned and ineffective."

The cause of national renewal and accelerated industrialization and modernization for the objective of a rich people, a strong country and a civilized and equitable society is a prolonged cause, requiring the entire Party, the entire people and entire army to bring into full play their creativeness and their spirit of self-reliance and self-improvement, to effectively combine internal resources and potentials, which should be regarded as the principal resources, with external resources brought about by the international cooperation and integration process.

With its functions, the external information work must take the most active and effective part in bringing into full play advantages, seizing opportunities, limiting adverse effects, overcoming weaknesses and making practical contributions to the successful achievement of the objectives of national development.

Therefore, the external information work has become more urgent than ever, it should be implemented in a synchronous, practical and efficient manner under the unified direction of the Party Central Committee and with the active participation of the ministries, branches and localities.

Firmly grasping Directive No. 11/CT-TW of June 13, 1992 of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee (VIIth Congress) and Notice No. 188/TB-TW of December 29, 1998 of the Political Bureau�s Standing Board, with a view to well implementing the external information work to meet the requirements of the new situation, the Prime Minister hereby requests the ministries, branches, localities and levels to thoroughly understand and realize the following policies and tasks:

I. GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE EXTERNAL INFORMATION WORK

1. All ministries, branches, localities and levels have the responsibility to direct and organize the good implementation of the external information work in their respective management scopes.

2. The external information work should be implemented in a comprehensive and extensive manner but with prioritized areas and focal points, first of all neighboring and regional countries, overseas Vietnamese communities; priority should be given to supplying well-oriented information to foreigners residing, working, studying in or visiting Vietnam as well as Vietnamologists in the world.

3. To organize, coordinate and bring into play the integrated strength of various forces involved in the external information work: Of the specialized key forces and our overseas representative missions, delegations going abroad, Vietnamese residing and working abroad as well as foreign friends; of external information and internal information; of external information activities and external political, economic and cultural activities; between State diplomacy and Party�s and people�s external work; of central agencies and localities; of State agencies and enterprises.

II. DIVISION OF THE STATE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY FOR AND ORGANIZATION OF EXTERNAL INFORMATION

1. The Ministry of Culture and Information shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies in discharging the function of State management over the external information work.

2. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs shall have the major responsibility in monitoring the situation and implementation of external information activities abroad.

3. The Ministry of Finance shall arrange annual funding from the State budget for external information activities.

4. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall elaborate a plan on investment in the technical and material bases for external information activities.

5. The ministries, branches, localities and enterprises shall have the duties:

a/ To direct the specialized agencies to perform the external information tasks;

b/ To organize the implementation of external information activities targeted at relevant subjects inside and outside the country.

III. ORIENTATIONS FOR STEPPING UP THE EXTERNAL INFORMATION WORK

1. To continue raising the awareness of all levels and branches, especially the State management agencies and agencies specialized in the external information work of the importance of this work in the immediate as well as long-term future

2. To ensure close coordination among the branches and localities in the organization, direction of implementation and management of external information activities in order to bring into the fullest play all capabilities for generating an integrated strength to step up and broaden the external information work.

3. To increase investment in building the technical and material bases with prioritized areas and focal points in service of the external information work; pay attention to investment for the mass media agencies, including electronic press, publishing agencies; agencies engaged in cultural cooperation and exchange with foreign countries.

IV. PRINCIPAL CONTENTS OF EXTERNAL INFORMATION

1. The external information work is tasked to widely publicize the line and policies of our Party and State as well as important decisions in all political, economic, cultural, social, security, defense... aspects; reject wrong and distorted information about Vietnam.

2. Vietnam�s external line and policies, including external economic policies; its consistent policy of "being willing to befriend all countries in the international community, striving for peace, independence and development"; its demand and potential in the relationship of cooperation with foreign countries on the principles of mutual benefits, respect of each other�s independence, sovereignty and self-determination right.

3. Introduction of Vietnam�s people and land, history and long-standing, rich and diversified culture bearing the national traits.

V. TASKS TO BE DONE IMMEDIATELY

In order to put the external information work into order, all levels and branches should work out short-term and long-term plans as well as appropriate management regulations as basis for active implementation. Specifically: