Decree No. 24/2008/ND-CP dated March 03, 2008 of the Government defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Vietnam News Agency

DECREE

DEFINING THE FUNCTIONS, TASKS, POWERS AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE VIETNAM NEWS AGENCY

THE GOVERNMENT

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

At the proposal of the General Director of the Vietnam News Agency and the Minister of Home Affairs,

DECREES:

Article 1. - Position and functions

1. The Vietnam News Agency is a governmental non-business agency which performs the function of a state news agency in the publication of news and official documents of the Party and the State, supplies information for the requirements of the Party’s leadership and the State’s management and collects information and disseminates information through various media to meet demands at home and abroad.

2. Vietnam News Agency is its international transaction name, which is abbreviated to TTXVN in Vietnamese and VNA in English.

3. The Vietnam News Agency is subject to the state management of its press activities by the Ministry of Information and Communication.

Article 2. - Tasks and powers

The Vietnam News Agency has the following tasks and powers:

1. To submit to the Government draft decrees defining, amending or supplement its functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure.

2. To submit to the Prime Minister its long-term, five-year and annual development strategies, plannings and plans and other important projects and schemes; to organize the implementation of these strategies, plannings, plans, projects and schemes after they are approved.

3. To submit to the Prime Minister decisions on the establishment, merger, dissolution or renaming of organizations under its management which fall within the Prime Minister’s competence.

4. To publish official documents and information of the Party and State; to collect and edit news, images, documents, books and reference documentation to promptly meet the Party's leadership and the State's management requirements.

5. To collect, edit, disseminate and publish information (news, articles, documents, newspapers, magazines, books, images, audio-visual products and multimedia information products) to meet demands at home and abroad in accordance with law.

6. To announce the State's official viewpoints on current affairs, rectify information inappropriate to national interests, correct erroneous information and when necessary, reject intentionally distorted information.

7. To carry out foreign news service of the Party and the State in accordance with law.

8. To archive information; to build an information data bank and manage the national photo archives in accordance with law.

9. To coordinate with concerned agencies in performing common information tasks and other relevant tasks in service of defense and security.

10. To research into and apply scientific and technological advances in news agency operations and information technology to performing news agency and press functions.

11. Regarding the management of attached state enterprises:

a/ To perform some specific tasks and exercise some specific powers regarding the representation of the owner of state capital portions at enterprises with state capital under its management in accordance with law;

b/ To direct the implementation of schemes on establishment, reorganization, dissolution or equitization of state enterprises under its management after these schemes are approved by the Prime Minister;

c/ To approve charters of unequitized state enterprises under its management and appoint and dismiss their directors, deputy directors and chief accountants.

12. To effect international cooperation in the domain of news agency and press according to law.

13. To manage investment and construction projects falling under its competence in accordance with law.

14. To participate in the formulation important schemes and projects related to its functions, tasks and powers at the request of the Government or the Prime Minister.

15. To decide on and direct the implementation of its administrative reform program according to objectives and contents of the state administrative reform approved by the Prime Minister.

16. To manage its organizational apparatus and payroll; to implement regulations on salary, rotation, appointment and re-appointment of officials and other regulations and policies, commend or discipline cadres, public employees and civil servants under its management; to provide professional training and re-training to public employees under its management .

17. To enjoy autonomy and accountability for the performance of its tasks as well as its organizational apparatus, payroll and finance; to be allowed to assign the right to autonomy and accountability for the performance of tasks, organizational apparatus, payroll and finance to revenue-generating non-business units under its management in accordance with law.

18. To organize service activities in accordance with law.

19. To manage and use allocated funds, assets and other financial sources in accordance with law.

20. To implement regulations on reporting to the Government, the Prime Minister and other competent state agencies in accordance with law.

21. To perform other tasks and exercise other powers as assigned by the Government or the Prime Minister or prescribed by law.

Article 3. - Organizational structure

1. The Editorial Secretariat.

2. The Organization and Personnel Department.

3. The Planning and finance Department.

4. The Inspection Department.

5. The Office.

6. The Domestic News Department.

7. The World News Department.

8. The Foreign Service News Department.

9. The Economic News Department.

10. The Department for Editing and Production of Press Photos.

11. The Database-DocumentationCenter.

12. The NewsAgencyAudio-VideoCenter.

13. The Representative Agency in Ho Chi Minh city

14. The Representative Agency in Da Nang city.

15. Bureaus in provinces and centrally run cities, which are established and dissolved under decisions of the General Director.

16. Overseas bureaus, which are established and dissolved under decisions of the General Director after obtaining the Prime Minister’s permission.

17. The Vietnam Pictorial Review.

18. The Tin Tuc (News) newspaper.

19. The Vietnam Today online newspaper.

20. The Sports and Culture newspaper.

21. The Vietnam News newspaper.

22. The Le Courrier du Vietnam newspaper.

23. The Science and technology bulletin.

24. The Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Region Photographic Bulletin.

25. The Vietnam Law and Legal Forum magazine.

26. The ''UNESCO Horizon'' magazine.

27. The NewsAgencyTechnicalCenter.

28. The NewsAgencyInternationalCooperationCenter.

29. The NewsAgencyProfessionalTrainingCenter.

30. The InformaticsCenter.

31. The News Agency Publishing House.

32. The Marketing, Distribution and AdvertisementServiceCenter.

Units specified from Clauses 1 thru 5 of this Article are units assisting the General Director and the establishment of their sections is decided by the General Director on the basis of work requirements; units specified from Clauses 6 thru 12 of this Article are editorial units; units specified from Clauses 13 thru 32 are representative agencies, bureaus, newspapers, magazines, specialized bulletins and other non-business organizations.

The General Director of the Vietnam News Agency shall decide on the renaming, merger, reorganization or dissolution of newspapers, magazines, specialized bulletins and other service establishments and non-business organizations in accordance with law.

The General Director of the Vietnam News Agency shall specify the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structures of attached units and appoint or dismiss heads and at most 03 deputy-heads for each attached unit.

Article 4. - Leadership

1. The General Director of the Vietnam News Agency is the head and leader of the Vietnam News Agency who will be assisted by at most 04 deputy general directors.

2. The General Director and deputy general directors of the Vietnam News Agency are appointed and dismissed by the Prime Minister in accordance with law.

3. The General Director of the Vietnam News Agency shall take responsibility before the Government, the Prime Minister and law for all operations of the Vietnam News Agency.

Deputy general directors of the Vietnam Agency shall assist the General director in directing a number of working areas as assigned by the General Director and take responsibility before the General Director for assigned tasks.

Article 5. - Implementation effect and responsibility

1. This Decree takes effect 15 days after its publication in ''CONG BAO'' and replaces the Government’s Decree No. 82/2003/ND-CP dated July 18, 2003, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Vietnam News Agency.

2. Previous regulations contrary to this Decree are annulled.

3. The General Director of the Vietnam News Agency, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies and presidents of provincial/municipal People's Committees shall implement this Decree.