WVR – A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between The World & Vietnam Report and The Colombo Times in a virtual ceremony on June 27, 2025.
Attending the signing ceremony at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for National Defense, Security and Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Tien, and Deputy Director-General of the Department of Press and Information Doan Khac Viet.
Joining virtually from Colombo were Dr. Rizvie Salih, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, and Ambassador of Vietnam to Sri Lanka Trinh Thi Tam.
Representing The World & Vietnam Report were Editor-in-Chief Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Hoang Diem Hanh, and Assistant Deputy Editor-in-Chief Ho Thi Van. The Colombo Times delegation included Editor-in-Chief Mohammed Rasoodeen, Executive Director Raees Rezwie, News Editor Rizaik Farook, and Tamil Editor Silmiya Yousuf.
Held in the proud and celebratory spirit of the 100th anniversary of Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press (June 21, 1925 – June 21, 2025), the MoU signing ceremony represented a meaningful milestone ahead of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Sri Lanka (July 21, 1970 – July 21, 2025). It also marked the first time The World & Vietnam Report signed a cooperation agreement with a media agency in South Asia, underscoring the newspaper’s continued efforts to broaden its international media partnerships.
Speaking at the ceremony, Editor-in-Chief of The World & Vietnam Report Nguyen Truong Son expressed his sincere appreciation to the leaders of the Foreign Ministries and National Assemblies of both countries for their presence – an affirmation of strong support for cooperation in the fields of information and communication.
He emphasized that the signing carried “dual significance”: marking 55 years of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Sri Lanka, and celebrating the centennial of Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press. According to the Editor-in-Chief, the ceremony opens a new chapter in the long-term partnership between the two media agencies.
Recognizing the active role of Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Trinh Thi Tam in connecting the two sides, Mr. Nguyen Truong Son affirmed that the MoU will pave the way for news exchange, professional collaboration, and co-hosted events in the future, thereby contributing to greater mutual understanding and stronger people-to-people ties between the two nations.
| Vice Chairman Nguyen Manh Tien affirmes that partnerships with foreign media outlets should be further expanded in the future. (Photo: Quang Hoa) |
In an interview with The World & Vietnam Report, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for National Defense, Security and Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Tien emphasized that the cooperation between the two media outlets serves as an important communication channel to strengthen Vietnam-Sri Lanka relations and promote shared messages of peace and sustainable development. He expressed hope that the MoU would soon be translated into concrete and practical initiatives, describing it as a meaningful step that should be expanded through similar partnerships with other international media organizations.
The signing of the MoU between The World & Vietnam Report and The Colombo Times not only reflects a forward-looking commitment to strengthening Vietnam–Sri Lanka relations, but also underscores the proactive engagement of the official press agency under the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs with international partners, particularly in the fields of journalism and communication.
In recent years, The World & Vietnam Report has made international media cooperation a strategic priority. In 2023, it signed a MoU with The Korea Times, a leading English-language daily in The Republic of Korea, followed by an agreement with Greece’s Zougla newspaper. The editorial board has also engaged in discussions on potential collaboration with various international media outlets, including Prensa Latina (Cuba), Guangxi Daily (China), PTI (India), Nikkei Asia (Japan), The Washington Times (USA), and CNA (Taiwan, China), among others.
