Knowledge is the primary foundation for journalists.

The Institute of Journalism and Communication Training is known to be a trusted institution in training human resources for journalism and communication in the country. Could the Director share some of the Institute's training advantages?
The Institute of Journalism and Communication Training, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, formerly the Faculty of Journalism at Hanoi University, is considered a leading institution for training in social sciences and humanities nationwide. With a top-tier foundation in basic science and a team of experienced and qualified instructors, students will receive comprehensive, advanced, modern, and integrated knowledge in journalism and communication. In my opinion, foundational knowledge is the most important factor for a journalist to go far and delve deeply into their professional field, rather than professional skills.
Over the past period, the Institute has also received significant investment packages from Vietnam National University, Hanoi, as well as the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, for its system of machinery and equipment serving teaching and professional practice for students. In addition, the Institute has collaborated with many corporations, media agencies, businesses, newsrooms, etc., in recruiting personnel, thereby regularly updating itself on technological trends in the journalism and media industry in general, while also creating job opportunities for students at the Institute.
Therefore, these two factors are the Institute's primary advantages in training human resources for journalism and media in the country.

Director, could you please share your thoughts on the current role of journalism in the country's development, the contributions of the Institute's journalism training and research activities, and the creation of professional journalistic resources for the nation??
In the context of an information society, media has become an institution that creates and controls the flow of information in society. Never before have we seen such a clear dependence of human life on media as we do today. Amidst the chaos and complexity of both new and traditional media platforms, journalism, more than any other medium, has become a place where the public places their trust. Among diverse, even contradictory, sources of information, the public will consider journalism as a place to verify the truth. Therefore, it can be said that journalism today is the most important tool for guiding public opinion in the context of media technology developing in many complex directions.
This illustrates the crucial role of journalism training institutions today. When anyone can become a source of information and post it online, training journalists with the competence and qualities to shape and guide the flow of information in society becomes more important than ever.
At the Institute of Journalism and Communication Training, students are equipped with a very solid foundation of knowledge. Inheriting the long-standing tradition of Hanoi University, it can be said that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, currently has leading training programs in the field of social sciences and humanities nationwide. This is an important foundation that creates a difference between journalism and communication students at the university and those at other institutions across the country. With a good knowledge foundation, the tools, methods, and techniques of operation become simply skills. The character, life experience, and ethics of a journalist are forged by foundational knowledge, not by the skills in using the tools.
Besides imparting knowledge with a team of well-trained personnel from advanced countries, we also focus on updating modern knowledge of global media, thereby innovating research and teaching methods, helping students to update and acquire knowledge easily and promptly. In the latest program update in 2023, our Institute's undergraduate Journalism program has promptly included the course "Digital Media Technology" in the curriculum. This course updates students with knowledge and skills related to the latest technologies in journalism and media, such as the SMAC converged system, algorithms and algorithm applications in journalism and media, Big Data technology, Artificial Intelligence technology, data analytics technology, virtual reality technology, augmented reality technology, etc.
With a tradition of nearly 35 years of teaching and research, the Institute of Journalism and Communication Training currently has a network of alumni, graduate students, and doctoral candidates in almost all major and minor media organizations nationwide. Hundreds of the Institute's former students hold key leadership positions in these media organizations.
Many years ago, journalism training was heavily focused on theory; teachers were excellent in theory but lacked practical experience at media organizations. How has this changed at the Institute in recent years, Mr. Director?
I completely disagree. It's important to note that the Institute of Journalism and Communication Training is a university-level institution, not a vocational school. Only vocational schools focus on practical skills, ensuring graduates become proficient in their respective professions. Universities, on the other hand, prioritize theory as the core element in training highly skilled professionals in their field. Therefore, the beauty of a university lies in its academic and classical approach, not in the practical experience gained from real-world situations, although practical experience at media organizations is indispensable for a journalist's complete professional skills.
Furthermore, in the field of journalism and media, it is very difficult to have a single model of experience for a particular type of product or journalistic work. Each product and each assignment requires very different experiences, and this cannot be taught. Therefore, in our view, the most important factor in training journalism and media students at the university level is not training professional experience and skills, but training individuals with critical thinking and creativity in their profession.
Obviously, I don't mean to deny the role of professional skills in the learning activities of students in a highly applied science like journalism and communication. Therefore, for many years, in addition to training in deep and broad basic knowledge, the new trends of modern journalism and communication have been continuously updated in the training program of the Institute of Journalism and Communication Training. Courses related to social media, multimedia communication, etc., have long been included in the curriculum. Furthermore, our teaching staff always includes working journalists from media organizations, and communication specialists and leaders from large media companies. These lecturers are in charge of courses related to professional skills so that students are not only equipped with theory and professional thinking but also share practical experience.

Training in journalism and media involves cultivating political acumen and journalistic ethics in the context of social media. What is the Director's assessment of this issue?
Despite numerous influencing factors such as ethical and legal issues, the responsibility of journalists to the public and the times remains a crucial area for future journalists to cultivate from their time in school. While journalistic knowledge and skills enable journalists to create works that serve the public, the elements that forge the character and qualities of a true journalist are professional ethics and a deep understanding of their role and position within the complex and multifaceted landscape of social media today.
Therefore, in addition to extensive knowledge and advanced skills, training students in law and journalistic ethics is a very important task for all journalism and media training institutions.


Currently, there is a booming trend of journalism and communication majors at universities nationwide. This indicates a high societal demand for these fields of study. However, this also poses many risks, as there is no clear distinction in career guidance for those studying journalism and communication.
While journalism programs are only permitted in public schools, as they train human resources for the political system, media programs in general currently have no such restrictions. Meanwhile, there is a lack of uniformity in capacity, experience, scale, and faculty among journalism and media training institutions nationwide.
Journalism and media training is a specialized, interdisciplinary, and cross-disciplinary training model. How has the Institute implemented this, Mr. Director?
The interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and multidisciplinary trend is a general trend across all scientific and technological fields today, not just within any single scientific discipline. However, in journalism and media, this trend has a very strong influence and dominance due to two main reasons.
The firstThe field of journalism and media is highly dependent on the development of science and technology, while media technology is a complex combination of many scientific disciplines and is changing every day.
MondayIn terms of content, journalism and media are highly interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary because they are closely linked to the multifaceted changes in social life. A professional journalist cannot simply be proficient in the skills and knowledge of journalism or any single discipline. Therefore, as mentioned above, comprehensive knowledge and a foundation in social sciences and humanities play a crucial role in a journalist's career path. At the Institute of Journalism and Media Training, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, this has been emphasized from its inception and continues to this day.
We sincerely thank Director Phan Van Kien for these insights.