Raise standards, minister tells Vientiane Times on 25th anniversary
 
The Vientiane Times should improve the standard of its news coverage to meet the needs of increasingly discerning readers and satisfy their desire for in-depth information, the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism has said.
Speaking at an event on Friday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Laos’ only English language newspaper, Professor Dr Bosengkham Vongdara told newspaper staff to forge ahead with efforts to create a more professional news agency.

Noting that the Vientiane Times, which was established on April 7, 1994, is a member of a regional news network – the Asia News Network (ANN) - the minister said the newspaper needs to do more to reach the standards of other ANN members who have many more years of experience.
“We need to keep upgrading our professional expertise to catch up with their high standards as our newspaper is only 25 years old,” he told the gathering, which took place at the Office of the Lao Press in Foreign Languages, which publishes the Vientiane Times.
Editors, staff of the Lao Press in Foreign Languages, and representatives of businesses who support and assist the newspaper were present at the event.
The minister suggested that the Vientiane Times should place more emphasis on producing good quality news electronically, as this medium is increasingly popular amid the decline in circulation of newspapers published by the mainstream media.
He underlined the need for the newspaper to update the news regularly and in a timely manner so as to inform readers of developments as quickly as possible.
The newspaper was also advised to pay special attention to training, so that younger staff members would be qualified to become the successors of those holding senior positions today.
The minister praised the Vientiane Times for its many achievements over the past two and a half decades.
The newspaper has been diligent in disseminating the policies and guidelines of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, as well as the passage of new laws, socio-economic development plans, and regulations formulated by the government.
Also speaking at the event on Friday, Director General and Editor-in-Chief of the Lao Press in Foreign Languages, Mr Thonglor Duangsavanh, summarised the Vientiane Times’ growth and development.
He recalled how a founding committee headed by Mr Somsanouk Mixay first created the newspaper with very few resources. There were no reporters so the committee did all the work themselves.
But with invaluable support from other media organisations, companies, foundations and international organisations who kindly gave equipment, trained staff and provided foreign volunteer sub-editors, the Vientiane Times survived the initial challenges and proceeded to flourish.
The first issue was published on April 7, 1994, which was also the day that the first Laos-Thailand Friendship Bridge opened, linking Vientiane across the Mekong River to Thailand’s Nong Khai province.
The newspaper’s mandate was to promote relations, cooperation and integration between Laos and the international community following the Party’s introduction of the so-called “opening up” renovation policy in 1986. To begin with, the Vientiane Times was published once a week, then twice weekly in 1996 and becoming a daily newspaper in 2004. Three years later, the Saturday issue was introduced, so that readers received six issues a week.
To reach its audience more widely and quickly, in 1999 the newspaper’s information and technology (IT) team created a website.
Over the years, the Vientiane Times has expanded its cooperation and partnership with a number of leading mainstream media organisations in the region.
In 2005, it was accepted as a member of the Asia News Network, which comprises 23 leading media organisations from 20 countries. Every day, the Vientiane Times sends news for publication by the group’s other members.
In addition, the Vientiane Times has news-sharing agreements with  China’s Xinhua, Vietnam’s VNA, Japan’s Kyodo News, Maeil Business News Korea of South Korea, the USA’s AP, KCNA of North Korea, and a media group in Yunnan.
 This year, the Vientiane Times became a member of the ‘Belt and Road News Network’, which comprises more than 30 news agencies from 25 countries.
These links have enabled the Vientiane Times to better disseminate the policies and guidelines of the Party, state laws, and socio-economic development plans and regulations issued  by the government.
In recognition of its work, the government has awarded the Lao Press in Foreign Languages a number of medals and certificates of congratulations.
Currently, the Lao Press in Foreign Languages publishes news reports in English, French, Lao and Chinese. It has 10 products including news websites in English, Lao and French, news on Facebook in English, Lao and French, and posts on YouTube in Lao and English.
The Vientiane Times has worked hard to become a financially self-sufficient state organisation. Mr Thonglor promised that the Vientiane Times would continue to stay true to its vision and uphold the professional ethics of journalism, while also making use of its 25 years of experience in continuing to publicise the Party’s policies and guidelines.
He also pledged to take steps to follow the advice given by Professor Dr Bosengkham to ensure the delivery of accurate, impartial and in-depth news.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update April 8, 2019)