On the afternoon of June 20, the discussion session "Strategic autonomy of press agencies in the digital era" within the framework of the 2026 National Press Forum became the focus of attention of the profession. Here, the definition of "autonomy" is shared comprehensively by press managers, not just in finance.
Putting the issue from the perspective of the main press agency, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam, General Director of Vietnam Television, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, said the concept of "strategic autonomy" has deep roots in the ideology of General Secretary and President To Lam on the strategic autonomy of a country, from economics, national security and defense to foreign affairs.
"If we don't have strategic autonomy, we don't exist. Strategic autonomy or death," Mr. Lam said frankly.
According to Mr. Lam, a silent war is taking place as users gradually choose the appropriate approach, pushing some traditional media methods to a secondary level. More dangerously, this wave is directly challenging the legitimacy of the revolutionary press. Today's consumers are very demanding, very demanding and often impatient, they are ready to switch to other platforms immediately.
Sharing from the real story of VTVgo - a journey that began 10 years ago, Mr. Lam said that user habits have completely changed. Although digital terrestrial television provides the sharpest picture, very few people currently watch it because they are no longer in the habit of plugging the antenna into the television. On the contrary, the internet and telecommunications infrastructure have turned digital into the most important distribution channel.
Thanks to the government's participation in the game, VTVgo is oriented to become a national television platform, integrating local television channels. The management agency has worked with manufacturers to integrate the VTVgo application and off button on the controls of all smart TVs in Vietnam without the station having to pay the cost.
"When the new Decree guiding the Press Law is issued, the installation of a number of national platforms, including possibly a national press platform, will become mandatory on all smart devices, from televisions, mobile phones to tablets, regardless of domestic production or official import," Mr. Lam informed.
Mr. Lam emphasized that the Vietnamese press must determine a strategy of "both cooperation and struggle" and must not consider foreign social networks as their mainstay platform. He recounted the story of when VTV had a number of programs that received public attention, many viewers wondered and blamed the station, "why didn't they put it on YouTube?"
"I just said, 'why do I have to put it on YouTube?' I do (the show) with the hope that people will see my platform. Using social networks for anything is up to you to take the initiative. There is no way they can come in and impose the rules of the game," Mr. Lam said.
Looking at the trend of large media corporations in the world aggressively cutting off unsuitable personnel, Mr. Lam believes that it is also necessary to consider and retrain drastically. At the same time, it is necessary to find ways to cooperate with new human resources - those who are mastering the flow of information on social networks. "Whatever they lack, we can train them. We can absolutely retrain them," Mr. Lam said.
Mr. Nguyen Quang Vu, Deputy Director of the Center for Digital Content and Communications (Vietnam News Agency), said that the flow of information must go through foreign algorithms, causing the press's ability to reach the public to be heavily influenced. Citing evidence from the amended Press Law in 2025, Mr. Vu said newsrooms are required to be autonomous in content, technology, data and distribution system instead of just focusing on financial autonomy.
"If we are completely dependent on other people's platforms, we will be dominated," Mr. Vu said. "Platform autonomy, user data autonomy and distribution system autonomy are the long-term goals of digital journalism."
In the local press sector, Mr. Pham Van Tuan, Director of Hai Phong Newspapers and Radio and Television (a consolidated unit from 4 local press agencies with more than 430 employees) - said that the unit's total service and advertising revenue in the first 6 months of 2026 has decreased sharply, only about 46% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, operating costs for human resources account for nearly 57.6% of total recurrent expenses, causing space for technology investment to be stifled.
The Port City press agency has changed its thinking, shifting to providing complex total media solution packages, taking the lead from electronic newspapers and taking advantage of the revival of radio advertising thanks to the advantage of low costs and the growing number of listeners traveling by car. Currently, this unit's channels have also been transmitted directly on the VTVgo system to optimize reach.
Sharing at the discussion session, Mr. Le Quoc Minh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association, expressed his views on changing human resource processes. "We think we are converting digitally, but in fact we are just 'doing print journalism on a digital platform', not digitally converting. Attaching a few images and video clips to a text and calling it an electronic newspaper is not."
Mr. Minh proposed that the most practical solution is retraining, selecting about 20% - 25% of excellent factors for intensive training, turning them into a multitasking force. At the same time, modern newsrooms need to "embed" new positions such as data scientist, web designer, AI editor and social editor directly into the production process, instead of separating them in the technical department.
The President of the Vietnam Journalists Association said that newspaper agencies need to embark on substantive changes, taking small steps first, because each small step will create a big step forward.
"Hopefully when we meet again next year, many press agencies confidently say, we have achieved self-control. That will be the most important thing," he said.
