Central Vietnam to strengthen communication in combating IUU fishing

On June 30, during a working trip to Khanh Hoa province, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien visited the South Central and Central Highlands Representative Office of the Vietnam Agriculture and Nature Newspaper (VAN News).

At the meeting, Mr. Thieu Ngoc Khanh, Head of the South Central and Central Highlands Representative Office of VAN News, expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment leader, particularly to the Deputy Minister, for the attention and funding allocated to renovate the office. With the upgraded and more spacious facilities, the team of journalists and staff feel greatly encouraged and motivated.

According to Mr. Khanh, the office is currently in charge of coverage in four provinces under the newly proposed provincial merger scheme, including Khanh Hoa, Gia Lai, Lam Dong, and Dak Lak. The journalist team at the office possesses both experience and professional expertise, enabling them to effectively meet the practical demands of their work.

In recent years, the office's reporters have won numerous press awards at the provincial, regional, and national levels.

Recently, the investigative series titled "1 Marine Farming License Entangled with 6 Ministries and Branches," published by VAN News, won the B Prize at the National Press Awards. Two reporters from the Representative Office were among the contributors to this award-winning series.

During his visit, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien encouraged the team of reporters to continue striving to fulfill their professional duties and uphold the office's responsibility in its assigned region. He called on the office to further strengthen communication across the various sectors under the management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Particularly, in the coming time, it is necessary to accelerate communication regarding the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, contributing to the removal of the European Commission's "yellow card." "Communication should be both critical and encouraging, highlighting positive results achieved in the fight against IUU fishing at the local level," emphasized Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien.

Amid the ongoing decline of print journalism, the Deputy Minister also noted that journalists need to promote the development of multimedia journalism to deliver events in a more vivid and authentic manner, meeting the increasingly diverse demands of the public.

Regarding the proposal from the South Central and Central Highlands Representative Office of the Vietnam Agriculture and Nature Newspaper on essential equipment for the journalist team, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien acknowledged the request and recommended that the office develop a detailed plan to submit to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment for the 2026-2030 public investment budget allocation.