Decision No. 79/2010/QD-TTg dated November 30, 2010 of the Prime Minister promulgating the Regulation on state management of external information

THE PRIME MINISTER

Decision No. 79/2010/QD-TTg of November 30, 2010, promulgating the Regulation on state management of external information

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 178/2007/ND-CP of December 3, 2007, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structures of ministries and ministerial-level agencies;

At the proposal of the Minister of Information and Communications,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To promulgate together with this Decision the Regulation on state management of external information.

Article 2. This Decision takes effect on January 15, 2011.

Article 3. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall implement this Decision.

Prime Minister
NGUYEN TAN DUNG

Regulation on state management of external information

(Promulgated together with the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 79/2010/QD-TTg of November 30, 2010)

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of regulation and subjects of application

1. This Regulation provides principles and contents of the state management of external information; and responsibilities of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally run cities (below referred to as provincial-level People’s Committees) for the state management, coordination and implementation of external information activities.

2. This Regulation applies to agencies, organizations and individuals managing and/or carrying out external information activities.

Article 2. External information

External information provided in this Regulation is information promoting to the world the national image, country, people, history and national culture of Vietnam; information on the Party’s line and the State’s law and policies; and information on the world into Vietnam.

Article 3. Principles of managing external information activities

1. The Government performs the uniform state management of external information activities with assignment to and close coordination among agencies in order to assure the effective state management of external information.

2. To promote the aggregate strength of the political system and all levels, sectors, localities, organizations and individuals in carrying out external information activities. Ministries, sectors and provincial-level People’s Committees shall manage and organize external information work under their management.

3. To carry out external information work proactively, comprehensively and regularly with focal and key contents in each period; to closely associate external information with domestic information and with external political, economic and cultural activities; to associate state diplomacy with the Party’s and people’s external relations in order to expand international cooperation in the spirit of mutual benefit and assurance of national interests.

Article 4. Contents of external information activities

External information activities mean the provision of information for foreign organizations and individuals and overseas Vietnamese in combination with the provision of international information for nationals. External information activities include:

1. Providing information on the Party’s line and the State’s law and policies, the national renewal’s achievements, the world situation and Vietnam’s foreign relations in combination with providing international information for nationals.

2. Introducing and promoting the national image, people, history, culture and cooperation and development potential of Vietnam.

3. Refuting untruthful or distorted information against the Vietnamese people’s cause of national construction and defense.

5. Other external information activities.

Chapter II

STATE MANAGEMENT OF EXTERNAL INFORMATION

Article 5. State management of external information

1. To elaborate and promulgate legal documents on external information and organize the implementation of legal documents promulgated according to the competence prescribed by law.

2. To elaborate and implement strategies, master plans, plans and programs on external information.

3. To organize the apparatus of and formulate mechanisms and policies for agencies, organizations and individuals engaged in external information activities at home and abroad; to build and furnish physical and technical foundations in order to raise the capacity of external information activities.

4. To organize and manage external information research work; to train and retrain in professional operations for agencies, organizations and individuals engaged in external information activities.

5. To direct and guide information contents for Vietnamese news and press agencies; to provide information for the foreign press and overseas Vietnamese and the international community.

6. To inspect, examine, handle violations and settle complaints and denunciations in external information activities under law.

7. To review external information activities; to commend and discipline agencies, organizations and individuals engaged in external information activities.

Article 6. State management agencies in charge of external information

1. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall take responsibility before the Government and assume the prime responsibility for performing the state management of external information.

2. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies and government-attached agencies shall perform the state management of external information within the ambit of their tasks and powers under law and this Regulation.

3. Provincial-level People’s Committees shall perform the state management of external information in their localities within the ambit of their tasks and powers under law and this Regulation.

Chapter III

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR STATE MANAGEMENT OF EXTERNAL INFORMATION

Article 7. Responsibilities of the Ministry of Information and Communications

1. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned agencies in, performing the state management of external information, specifically:

a/ To elaborate and submit to the Government or the Prime Minister legal documents on external information and organize the implementation of legal documents promulgated according to the competence prescribed by law;

b/ To elaborate and promulgate according to its competence documents on and documents guiding the state management of external information;

c/ To guide domestic news and press agencies in external information contents;

d/ To plan on a network of foreign-based representatives of Vietnamese news and press agencies;

e/ To urge the implementation of external information plans of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees.

2. To coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and concerned agencies in providing guidelines on information provision for the foreign press and overseas Vietnamese and the international community.

3. To summarize and report to the Prime Minister on the implementation of external information plans of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees; to monitor and tally annual funds for general external information activities.

Article 8. Responsibilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1. To assume the prime responsibility for carrying out external information activities overseas; to coordinate with concerned ministries and sectors in managing external information activities.

2. To assume the prime responsibility for observing, studying and reviewing opinions of the foreign press in service of external information work.

3. To assume the prime responsibility for covering news on activities of overseas Vietnamese; to combine external information activities with overseas Vietnamese-related affairs.

4. To speak out Vietnam’s official views and stances on international issues; to hold international press conferences; to prepare answers of leaders of the State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to foreign reporters’ interviews.

5. To manage and license press activities of foreign reporters in Vietnam and of foreign delegations visiting Vietnam.

6. To coordinate with concerned ministries, sectors and localities in guiding the domestic press in covering external activities of leaders of the State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in combination with guiding in covering news on the international situation and foreign-related domestic news.

7. To coordinate with concerned ministries and agencies in providing information on external economy and culture and other sectors for foreigners.

8. To coordinate with concerned ministries and sectors in organizing the apparatus of and adopting mechanisms and policies for agencies, organizations and individuals engaged in external information activities overseas.

9. To coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in planning on a network of foreign-based representatives of Vietnamese news and press agencies.

Article 9. Responsibilities of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

1. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications and concerned agencies in, carrying out external information activities through cultural, art, sports and tourist activities.

2. To effectively use and create conditions for concerned agencies to use overseas Vietnam culture centers under its management for external information work.

Article 10. Responsibilities of the Ministry of Public Security

1. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in, guiding and monitoring the observance of information confidentiality regimes in external information activities.

2. To monitor and summarize external information developments to propose orientations and measures to refute untruthful and distorted information against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Article 11. Responsibilities of the Ministry of Finance

1. To appraise annual budget estimates for external information activities and propose them to competent authorities for approval.

2. To ensure funds within annual state budget estimates for investment in physical and technical foundations and implementation of external information programs, plans and schemes.

3. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned agencies in, setting norms on funds for external information activities.

Article 12. Responsibilities of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees

1. To direct and organize the implementation of external information plans under their management.

2. To provide under regulations information for the domestic and foreign press on matters related to the domains and localities under their management.

3. To elaborate plans on and estimate annual funds for external information activities which shall be sent to the Ministry of Information and Communications for monitoring, summarization and elaboration of annual plans on external information activities to be reported to the Prime Minister.

4. To review and evaluate the effectiveness of external information activities under their management and submit annual reports to the Ministry of Information and Communications before December 31 every year or irregular reports upon request for summarization and reporting to the Prime Minister.

5. To assign their attached organizations or individuals to take charge of the implementation of external information activities.

6. To inspect, examine, handle violations and settle complaints and denunciations in external information activities.

7. To implement confidentiality regimes under law.

8. Provincial-level People’s Committees shall assign provincial-level Information and Communications Departments to advise and assist them in performing the state management of external information in their localities and assign relevant provincial-level Departments, based on their functions, tasks and powers, to coordinate with provincial-level Information and Communications Departments in performing the latter’s task of advising provincial-level People’s Committees in performing the state management of external information.

Article 13. Organization of implementation

1. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall adopt plans to implement this Regulation.

2. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall guide the implementation of this Regulation and annually report on implementation results to the Prime Minister.-

Prime Minister
NGUYEN TAN DUNG