UPPSALA UNIVERSITET & (©) UNIVERSITY OF ECONOM MASTER THESIS OF MPPM State policy changes/technological developments and the impacts on the development of media groups in Vietnam, with research via the model of the Vietnam Economic Times group Authors: Ha Thang Nguyen Supervisor: Professor Dr. Lennart Wikander Local Supervisor: Dr. Phan Chi Anh Class: MPPM INTAKE 4- Group 10 Hanoi, March — 2012 AtCKNOWLEDGEMENT 1 would like to express our special thanks to the University of Economics - Hanoi National Umiversity and Uppsala University, Sweden. The Masters Program of Public Management orgianized by the two leading universities of Sweden and Vietnam has provided me a valuable sy‘stiem of scientific research methods.
Especially, the program gives student an ambition to follow such a valuable area of scientific knowledge which is highly applicable to our current works new and in the future. The knowledge gained from the program will be with us along our professional career. Especially, it’s great honor to express my special thanks and gratitude to Professor Dr. Lemmart Winkander and Dr.
Phan Chi Anh, the supervisors who greatly supported me during thee research. It’s so proud for me having great chance working with such outstanding experienced professors, who are devoting their scientific enthusiasm for the gradual development of each student. The guidance and scientific enthusiasm expressed by Professor Dr. Lennart Winkander is an important momentum for me during my thesis research.
I also would like to specially thanks Professor Dr. Lars-Torsten Eriksson from Uppsala University who encouraged me so much during my initial preparation of the research. I aliso would like to specially thank all members of the program's organization board who have strongly supported students during our research; Thanks to my colleagues, my MPPM 4B classmates who have made valuable encouragement for me during this useful study Program. Last but not least, a special thank to my beloved wife, Nguyen Thu Huong and my two little kids, Trang Nhung and Ha Minh, who’re always staying beside me during good and not so gooid time.
You raised me up. Thank you all ! ABSTRACT Title: State policy changes/technological developments and the impacts on the development of media groups in Vietnam, with research via the model of Vietnam Economic Times group. Author: Ha Thang Nguyen - Group 10~ MPPM 4B Siupervisor: Professor Dr. Lennart Wikander and Dr.
Phan Chỉ Anh THESIS PURPOSE: The most important area of this study is to present collected information and analyze the impacts of State policy changes and the Internet-based technology boom on the dievelopment of the media groups in Vietnam. Due to changes in State press management philosophy, the development of legal framework and the positive improvements in Vietnamese society, increasing numbers of media groups with diverse information and business styles and media products have been bom over the last few years. Imternet based economies, business, culture, media is the next development trend in today world. It gives changes to all business culture completely.
It even changes the way people think, the way the society receives, shares and behaves with information. That movement created the concept of citizen journalism, across all traditional and non- traditional media (such as blogs and social networks). Online newspapers in Vietnam is promising an incredible development period but the fact that not a few local publishers keep applying old style journalism skills for today Internet emvironment. On the other hand, it seems that there is a degree of confusion among State media agencies about how best to manage the Internet and Internet-based journalism.
This is an area | find interesting and wish to research with ambitious scientific purpose. It is also my ambition to prove that the establishment of a free, dynamic, Internet-based j©umalism industry/information society in Vietnam, where citizen journalism plays an important part, is very likely. For that, every change in State policy today will decide the success or failure of press industry in the future METHOD: The thesis methodology used here contains both documentary studies, secondary data research and is also based on my professional experience in journalism. RESULT & CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic, free and digitalized journalism will likely to be the next trend of media in Vietnam where multimedia newsrcoms, citizen journalism should probably play important roles.
That will change the information distribution system in Vietnam. We do not know how long it will take to get there, but the first movements toward that direction can already be seen. To catch up with this development trend, State management policies should behave in a proper manner in order to better manage and support such movement rather than distort the development. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH: The question of how long it would take to get there will depend on how policy response in the future would likely be.
With limited scientific research experiences, | did not have enough chances to study such topic in the thesis. Moreover, other components which would also form up or give impacts to the next movements of media industry in Vietnam, such as political context, political philosophy, social behavior/social resistance were not subjects ofthis study. I would like spare those for future researches. CONTRIBUTION OF THE THESIS: Free digitalized media development can be seen elsewhere in the world today but just showing in Vietnam recently.
That’s why | think this topic is interested by many Vietnamese media groups, scholar community, State policy makers and the community at large. Further researching of this topic in Vietnamese universities should be encouraged. By doing this thesis, I hope it will be a small contribution for those who love to follow this interesting area. KEY WORDS: Citizen journalism; Internet; Digitalized dynamic free media; Policy behavior; State management thinking and philosophy; Information distribution system.
4 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY - DATA COLLECTION METHODS. THESIS STRUCTURE: CHAPTER 2. IMPACTS OF STATE POLICIES: POLICY ENVIRONMENT: The r st signs of change in media management mindset.
wen MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY: and the role of media ‘STATE FINANCIAL SUPPORT: JOURNALISM INDUSTRY AND THE POTENTIAL. THE STATE PRESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS (MOIC): b. STATE MANAGEMENT OF THE PRESS BY OTHER MINISTRIES.
STATE MANAGEMENT OF THE LOCAL PROVINCIAL PRESS. NEW PROVISIONS IN THE PROPOSED PRESS LAW: e. PRESS MANAGEMENT: Voice of the authorie s. MODEL OF VIETNAM ECONOMIC TIMES: Traditional print media.
TEAMING UP WITH FOREIGN INVESTORS. PRESS MARKET AND MARKET SHARE FOR VIETNAM ECONOMIC TIMES. COMPETITION - POTENTIAL & CHALLENGES:. IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT: 1.
Overview of Internet users in Vietnam: 2. Internet user trends:. Digitalmarken g: A challenge to tradio nal print media advers ing. BLOGS: and the compeo _n with journalism oe) CHAPTER 5.
CONCLUSION: The future of press is digital and free media. 0VERVIEW Vietnam began to open its doors to the outside world in 1986. Two decades and more of reform 1ave created a range of changes in the country, from the way its economy operates to the marner in which State policies are designed and implemented. State management policy for locl media has been no exception.
Many different media group models have been introduced, especially with the development of Internet-based technologies over the last ten years. Vital Suite policy changes regarding local media were seen in the early 1990s when the State decided to cease subsidizing/financing the media system and gave newspapers the right to run their ovn business, from marketing and advertising to distribution. The way local media design ‘heir content and the way they conduct business also changed. This was a first step towards a more dynamic, business-oriented media industry in Vietnam.
Many local media groups have been born over the last ten years. The State, however, keep its right to fund certain media organizations such as national TV stations and newspapers of the Party. Overall the business spirit in Vietnam’s journalism industry has been very dynamic. Accordng to official statistic from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC), the press industry in Vietnam has developed rapidly.
As at May 2009 there were 697 press organizitions with 906 print publications. At the central level there were 77 newspapers, 416 magazires, and 105 sub-publications; while the provincial press had 103 newspapers, 101 magazires, and 104 sub-publications. There were over 16,000 licensed journalists. In particulir, many reporters, editors and leaders of many press agencies had been trained in professinal journalism.
(Report on State management on Press 2007 - 2008 - Ministry of Informaion and Communications - 2009) In particular, the developments of Internet-based technologies over the last five years have created new drivers as well as challenges for the local media industry. Internet newspapers and theconcept of citizen journalism (backed up by the appearance of various tools such as social mtworks/blogs/tablets/Iphones) are challenging the survival of traditional newspapers. Many Iical media groups are now asking themselves about the development strategies they 6 should undertake and what changes they should make in order to survive. Meanwhile, State media authorities are also facing questions about how to control Internet-based media and how far this control should reach.
It can’t be denied that there has been a slow but steady change in the management philosophy of State media management organizations over recent years. That change could stem from internal demands by the State agencies themselves and could also be driven by external environments such as social development, Internet-technology development, and a greater demand from society for new media tools (to be informed, entertained and to express their views). Vietnamese media groups today are therefore developing in many different ways. Apart from this, there is also a great number of what I would call non-traditional media, such as personal blogs, social networks and citizen journalism.
In some special cases, we can say that some non-traditional media are having greater social impacts than traditional newspapers and television. All of that development is only seen today, with the support of the Intemet- technological boom. There are increasing numbers of media groups taking the Internet as their priority area to develop but, meanwhile, many other traditional print newsrooms are insisting on their old habits of doing journalism. Meanwhile official statistics indicate that a larger share of media advertising now belongs to online newspapers.
The most important area of this study is to present collected information and analyze the impacts of State policy changes and the Intemet-based technology boom on the development of local media groups. Vietnam Economic Times, where I have worked for the last ten years, is a model that | will present later on in this study. To answer the question of what operating models will local media groups likely follow in the future, I have found that a large number of the current groups should go onto the Internet and digitalize their ways of doing journalism if they want to survive in today’s cyber world of free information. Private media is not allowed in Vietnam, as stated by law.
But, in fact, it’s arguable that some ofthe State policies have actually paved the way for the establishment of cooperation between private businesses and local media houses in Vietnam. Although private media is still a political-incorrect term in this country, some forms of its existence are clearly seen today. 7 Internet-based, multimedia newsrooms, and free citizen journalism should probably be the next trend of media development in Vietnam. We do not know how long it will take to get there, but the first movements toward that direction can already be seen.
This paper also recommends a positive shift in policy responses from government agencies to manage or control such movements. Other factors such as economic development, political influences, etc., will not be studied in this research. THESIS PURPOSE: The most important purpose of this study is to present collected information and analyze the impacts of State policy changes and the Intemet-based technology boom on the development of local media groups. Vietnam Economic Times is the case study and a typical model of traditional print media in Vietnam that faces opportunity and challenges in the future.