The 17th National Vietnam Radio Festival, organised by the Voice of Vietnam in coordination with Quang Ninh Province, took place from 11 to 13 April in Quang Ninh, bringing together radio and audio professionals from across the country.
Widely regarded as Vietnam’s leading professional gathering for the radio industry, this year’s festival introduced several notable firsts. The opening ceremony was held as a large-scale outdoor concert, welcoming an audience of approximately 50,000 people. The performances reflected the festival’s theme, “Radio for a Powerful and Prosperous Vietnam,” highlighting the continued relevance and cultural impact of radio in the country.
It brought together 73 delegations and nearly 1,000 participants from Voice of Vietnam, 34 provincial radio and television stations, security and military units, and major national media outlets such as Vietnam News Agency, Nhan Dan, Lao Dong, VnExpress, Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre, among others.
This year’s festival featured 343 entries across various categories, including live radio broadcasts, reports, investigative journalism, feature programmes, and ethnic-language broadcasts.
Notably, podcast was introduced as an official competition category for the first time, reflecting the rapid growth of digital audio content. Nearly 97 podcast entries were submitted, highlighting the strong shift of Vietnam’s radio broadcasting industry toward multi-platform media and digital transformation.
A series of professional workshops and forums were held to address new challenges and opportunities for modern radio journalism.
On April 12, the international seminar titled Podcast – A Creative Avenue for Radio in the Digital Era attracted nearly 500 delegates, including international journalists.
Another seminar on Live Broadcast in the New Era – Skills to Engage Audiences gathered more than 200 participants, focusing on evolving audience engagement strategies.
An exhibition showcasing the history and development of Vietnamese radio and local journalism was also organised.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, VOV Vice President Pham Manh Hung, who is head of the Organising Committee, emphasised that the event not only honoured outstanding works but also paid tribute to radio professionals working behind the scenes.