Hanoi - Vietnam's first national press awards gave top honours to the official army newspaper for an article outlining the threat of "reactionary" and "hostile" influences working to undermine communist rule, state-controlled media reported Tuesday. Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's Army) newspaper, the official publication of the Ministry of National Defense, won one of the three top A Prizes for the story "describing the insidious nature of hostile Western influences," the English-language Vietnam News reported.
The article, published last year, accused overseas Vietnamese groups and other organizations of paying Vietnamese dissidents and spreading anti-state propaganda to stir up discontent toward the Communist Party.
The awards' ceremony was presided over Monday night by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who praised the winners as defending the nation.
"Vietnamese mass media have helped to thwart the activities of the country's enemies," Dung was quoted as saying at the ceremony. "The state, the government, the party and the public all recognize the crucial role performed by the mass media."
The four authors of the army's winning article, including the editor-in-chief Major-General Nguyen Quang Thong, were also awarded with a cash prize of 20 million dong (1,250 dollars).
"We consider this a great honour. We promise to try harder to have more encouraging stories that leave stronger and more realistic impacts on the society, contributing to the course of the country's revolution," Thong said on his newspaper's website.
Nearly 50 news articles published in state-controlled media of the communist country in 2006 were awarded with prizes at the ceremony Monday night in Hanoi, according to Vietnam News.
State-run publications dominated the top awards over other, privately run but state-censored publications that have taken small steps to investigate official corruption.
The other two A Prizes went to a series of stories about the life of factory workers published on Nhan Dan newspaper, the official publication of the Communist Party, and a documentary about a metallurgy worker shown on state Vietnam Television.
Vietnam has nearly 700 press organizations, all of which are strictly controlled by the government.
Prime Minister Dung earlier this year rejected the idea of allowing uncensored private media, saying it is necessary to control information to prevent wrong views that could "cause damage to the nation."
