PROVIDING FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES OF CENTRAL-AFFILIATED CITIES AND PROVINCES

This Circular provides guidance on the management and organization of external communication activities of central-affiliated cities and provinces.

This Circular applies to People’s Committees of central-affiliated cities or provinces (hereinafter referred to as Provincial-level People’s Committees), specialized agencies affiliated to Provincial-level People’s Committees; People’s Committees of urban/suburban districts, district-level towns or provincial-affiliated cities (hereinafter referred to as District-level People’s Committees); organizations and individuals participating in external communication activities.

Each Provincial-level People’s Committee shall, based on the Government’s programs and plans, its socio-economic development targets and orientations, and instructional documents on external communication activities by Ministry of Information and Communications, formulate long-term, medium-term and annual plans for external communication activities with the following primary duties:

1. Assign organization or individual to take charge of organizing external communication activities.

2. Formulate and promulgate legislative and instructional documents concerning external communication activities.

3. Organize annual training and re-training courses for officials of departments and higher-level authorities, and organizations and individuals engaged in external communication activities on the following key contents:

a) Implementation of documents about state management of external communication activities;

b) Methods and skills in external communication activities;

c) Skills in speaking and provision of information to press agencies;

d) International situation and activities related to external affairs of the Communist Party and of the Government;

dd) International integration situation of Vietnam and of province/city;

e) Protection of sovereignty over the national sea, islands and border regions;

g) Improvement of knowledge and awareness of human rights; propagation of achievements of Vietnam and of province/city in protection of human rights;

h) Relationship between Vietnam and countries sharing common borders (if the province has borders).

4. Formulate external communication activities, schemes and/or plans to perform the following primary duties:

a) Disseminating policies of the Communist Party and the Government's policies and laws;

b) Disseminating information about the international situation and activities related to external affairs of the Communist Party and of the Government, and the international integration situation of the province or city;

c) Promoting the province/city’s image and potentials for tourism, trade promotion and attraction of foreign investments;

d) Providing information about the province/city-related issues attracting overseas public opinions; explaining and clarifying misstated information which causes adverse influence on the prestige or image of the province/city;

dd) Propagating the protection of sovereignty over the national sea, islands and border regions;

e) Fulfilling other duties as assigned by the provincial government.

Funding for conducting external communication activities of a central-affiliated city or province shall be provided by local-government budget and other lawful sources of funding. Each Provincial-level People’s Committee shall, based on external communication duties and requirements, annually provide funding from local-government budget for organization of external communication activities in conformity with prevailing laws.

The information concerning the promotion of the image of a province/city shall be provided in the following forms:

1. Activities related to external affairs of the Provincial-level People’s Committee.

2. Portal/website of the Provincial-level People’s Committee, portals/websites of specialized agencies affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee and those of District-level People's Committees in Vietnamese and foreign language versions.

3. Province/city’s database on the promotion of its image.

4. Publications in Vietnamese and foreign languages.

5. External information systems at international border gates by land, sea, airway and railway.

6. Press products of domestic means of mass media.

7. Products of foreign news, press and media agencies.

8. Communications products communicated on the internet network.

9. Cooperation activities with foreign press agencies.

10. Communications activities related to important events organized in the province/city and foreign countries.

11. Other forms of external communication activities as regulated by laws.

1. Explanatory and clarifying information refers to documents, materials, dossiers and arguments used for explaining and clarifying misstated information which causes adverse influence on the province/city’s prestige or image.

2. Each Provincial-level People’s Committee shall update and analyze domestic and overseas public opinions to find out misstated information about that province/city. Each Provincial-level People’s Committee must, upon its discovery or receipt of any misstated information, documents or materials containing misstated information which causes harm to the prestige or image of that province/city, notify Ministry of Information and Communications and relevant authorities of such misstated information for management.

3. Each Provincial-level People’s Committee shall proactively develop communication and propagation approaches to protection and promotion of the prestige and image of that province/city by adopting the following methods:

a) Issuing press releases to explain or clarify misstated information; spokespersons of Provincial-level People’s Committee, specialized agencies affiliated to that Provincial-level People’s Committee and District-level People's Committees speak and provide information to press agencies in that province/city;

b) Appointing a representative or spokesperson to attend press briefings called by the Central Committee for Propagation and Education in association with Ministry of Information and Communications and/or Vietnam Journalists Association to provide explanatory or clarifying information to press agencies at the request of Ministry of Information and Communications;

c) Posting explanatory or clarifying information in Vietnamese and foreign languages on the portal/website of the Provincial-level People’s Committee, portals/websites of specialized agencies affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee and those of District-level People's Committees, and communications products of new agencies or press agencies and other means of mass media;

d) Providing information to news agencies and press agencies to explain or clarify misstated information;

dd) Providing information to organizations and individuals engaged in external communication activities and people living in border regions, including explanatory or clarifying information and information about the cooperation and friendship between Vietnam and countries sharing common borders.

4. The provision of information containing national secrets shall be governed by regulations of the law on protection of national secrets.

1. Province/city’s database on promotion of its image refers to the set of data which is digitalized in Vietnamese and foreign languages to provide introduction about that province/city with respect to all fields/sectors, and is provided to international communities and Vietnamese people living in Vietnam and foreign countries.

2. Province/city’s database on promotion of its image is the source of official information about that province/city.

3. Province/city’s database on promotion of its image shall be integrated into the national database on external communication.

4. Specialized agencies affiliated to Provincial-level People’s Committee; District-level People’s Committees; news agencies and press agencies of the province/city are responsible for providing information and data to promote the image of that province/city.

Each Provincial-level People’s Committee shall assign its specialized agencies to take charge of:

1. Formulating statutes in compliance with prevailing laws and facilitating foreign news, press and media agencies, and correspondents in conducting activities in the territory of that province/city.

2. Formulating mechanism for cooperation with foreign news, press and media agencies, and correspondents in making communication products to introduce and promote the province/city’s image on foreign means of mass media.

Each Provincial-level People’s Committee shall have the responsibility to:

1. Organize the implementation of policies of the Communist Party and of the Government on external communication activities in that province/city.

2. Promulgate legislative and instructional documents concerning external communication activities.

3. Consider approving for long-term, medium-term and annual programs, schemes, projects and/or plans for external communication activities of the province/city.

4. Instruct specialized authorities affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee and District-level People's Committees to appoint officials to take charge of external communication activities.

5. Within the ambit of assigned functions, duties and powers, provide the province/city-related official information to news and press agencies, international communities and Vietnamese expatriates.

6. Establish external information systems at international border gates by land, sea, airway or railway (if there is any of international border gates by land, sea, airway or railway located in the province).

7. Coordinate with Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Information and Communications and relevant authorities in formulating plans for and organizing external communication activities in foreign countries; report to Ministry of Foreign Affairs before organizing any external communication activities and notify Ministry of Information and Communications for cooperation in organizing such activities.

8. Maintain the security of information within the management of Provincial-level People’s Committee in accordance with regulations on information security; assume responsibility to inspect, check and handle violations and settle complaints and accusations that may arise from external communication activities in the province/city.

9. Carry out preliminary and final review of external communication activities within its remit; send the plan for external communication activities to the Ministry of Information and Communications by March 01^st of every year by using the form stated in Annex No. 01 herewith; send final report on the organization of external communication activities to the Ministry of Information and Communications by December 10^th of every year by using the form stated in Annex No. 02 herewith. The Provincial-level People’s Committee shall also send ad-hoc reports to Ministry of Information and Communications and relevant authorities at the request of Ministry of Information and Communications.

Each Department of Information and Communications has the responsibility to:

1. Provide advice and assist the Provincial-level People’s Committee in performing state management of external communication activities.

2. Formulate regulations on external communication activities in the province/city.

3. Take charge and coordinate with specialized agencies affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee and District-level People's Committees in fulfilling the following primary duties:

a) Establish long-term, medium-term and annual programs, schemes, projects and/or plans for external communication activities of the province/city as regulated in Article 3 herewith; organize the implementation of such long-term, medium-term and annual programs, schemes, projects and/or plans for external communication activities upon the approval by the Provincial-level People’s Committee;

b) Instruct specialized agencies affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee and District-level People's Committees to appoint officials to take charge of external communication activities;

c) Expedite, instruct and inspect external communication activities of the province/city; put forward the proposal for commendation and reward for outstanding organizations and individuals engaged in external communication activities within their competence.

4. Take charge and conduct the appraisal of long-term, medium-term and annual programs, schemes, projects and/or plans for external communication activities of specialized agencies affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee and of District-level People's Committees; consider approving for (within their competence) or request the Provincial-level People’s Committee to give approval for programs, schemes, projects and/or plans for external communication activities; monitor and expedite the implementation progress of approved programs, schemes, projects and/or plans for external communication activities.

5. Coordinate in formulating regulations facilitating foreign news, press and media agencies, and correspondents in conducting activities in the province/city; formulate mechanism for cooperation with foreign news, press and media agencies, and correspondents in making communication products to introduce and promote the province/city’s image on foreign means of mass media.

6. Coordinate with the Propaganda Committee of Province, the City Committee of the Party and specialized agencies affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee in providing advice to the Provincial-level People’s Committee to organize periodical or unscheduled press conferences to provide external information to news and press agencies, and relevant organizations and individuals.

7. Take charge and coordinate with specialized agencies affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee, District-level People's Committees and relevant agencies in organizing professional training and re-training courses as regulated in Clause 3 Article 3 herewith.

8. Take charge and coordinate with specialized agencies affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee and District-level People's Committees in providing advice to the Provincial-level People’s Committee to prepare documents, materials, dossiers and arguments used for explaining and clarifying misstated information which causes adverse influence on the province/city’s prestige or image.

9. Take charge and coordinate with specialized agencies affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee in setting up, managing and using the province/city’s database on promotion of its image, and complying with regulations of the law on protection of national secrets with respect to storage of data on the database.

10. Take charge and coordinate with specialized agencies affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee and competent authorities in making plan and providing annual funding for compiling information contents provided for external information systems at international border gates by land, sea, airway or railway, and submitting them to the Provincial-level People’s Committee for consideration.

11. Implement regulations of the law on protection of national secrets with respect to external communication activities.

12. Take charge and coordinate with specialized agencies affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee and District-level People's Committees in putting forward proposal for commendation and reward for organizations and individuals engaged in external communication activities to Ministry of Information and Communications or the Provincial-level People’s Committee within their competence.

13. Take charge and coordinate with the Inspectorate of Ministry of Information and Communications, specialized agencies affiliated to the Provincial-level People’s Committee and District-level People's Committees in inspecting, checking and handling violations and settling complaints and accusations that may arise from external communication activities in the province/city in accordance with prevailing laws.

1. Provincial-level People’s Committees shall assume the responsibility to instruct their specialized authorities and District-level People's Committees to organize the implementation of this Circular.

2. The Authority of Foreign Information Service shall assume the responsibility to expedite, monitor and inspect the implementation of Circular, and report results thereof to Minister of Information and Communications.

This Circular comes into force as of December 02, 2016.

Difficulties that arise during the implementation of this Circular should be reported to the Ministry of Information and Communications for consideration./.