Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc resents the A prizes of the fourth Golden Hammer & Sickle Press Awards in Hanoi on January 15, 2020. (Photo: VOV)

This year, there were two additional awards for the best work on the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation and for the best work by an overseas Vietnamese author.

At the award ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that Party building is a tough yet important topic for journalists, which requires a profound knowledge of the Party’s cause and social life, synthesis and analysis skills, and the courage to open themselves to danger. Prime Minister Phuc asked every journalist to take a firm political stance and have a great sense of responsibility before the Party, people, and society.

Prime Minister Phuc said: “In the new context, Vietnam’s press sector should embrace its role as the voice of the Party, State and political, social, and professional organizations. It should provide a reliable forum for the people and fight hostile forces, wrongdoings, and misrepresentations to protect the people’s legitimate rights. I ask all journalists, professional or amateur, to renew your approach to the issues, promote communications activities, and report on all aspects of social life and Party building.”

Voice of Vietnam (VOV) News and Current Affairs Department won two prizes for works on expelling ethically unfit members to ensure Party principles and improving personnel selection mechanism. VOV online newspaper was awarded a C prize for a look on Party anti-corruption.