Laws of Vietnam

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To ratify the development plan of Vietnam Television to the year 2000 and beyond, with the following main contents:

1. Aims:

- Increasing the broadcasting time and the quality of television programs in contents, technology, art and forms of presentation; increasing the national and comprehensive character of the national television programs.

- Building a national television network from the center to the localities, renewing and modernizing its material and technical facilities to suit the trend of development of the world, basically meeting the requirements for watching Vietnam Television programs in the country and in a number of necessary areas of the world.

2. Scale:

By the year 2000, Vietnam Television must at least broadcast non-stop its programs from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, of which domestically prepared programs must make up 50% of the broadcasting time with a quality comparable to the level of developed countries in the region. It is necessary to ensure that at least 80% of the homes have access to the national television programs in addition to the local television programs. This percentage must be also ensured for the mountain areas, the highlands, remote areas, areas not easily accessible, border areas, and offshore islands. The television programs for external relations must reach a number of areas with large communities of Vietnamese in foreign countries.

3. Principles of implementation:

- The television programs must provide prompt and accurate information for every citizen concerning the orientations, policies and laws of our Party and State, contributing to raising the people's cultural standard and aesthetic sense, and combating the schemes and activities of hostile forces. The programs must be rich in content, varied, balanced and harmonious in terms of information, education and recreation, and between the home-made programs and selected programs of other countries. It is necessary to collaborate with the cinema industry to increase the broadcasting time and the quality of Vietnamese television films. There should be more programs dubbed in languages of ethnic minorities.

- Step by step modernizing in a uniform manner the program production equipment of the whole branch, with a view to raising TV films to international standard for exchange of television programs with other countries in the world. Studying and deploying new television techniques and technologies suited to the conditions and circumstances in Vietnam.

- Building a national and local television cable and broadcasting network into a single system, and ensuring that the entire television network in the country can be directed and controlled in the whole country. It is necessary to subscribe to satellite use to broaden the National Television Station's coverage nation-wide and to a number of necessary areas in the world; at the same time, it is necessary to make rational use of other cable transmission means, such as digital micro-wave band and optical fiber cable.

- Combining the use of the material facilities of television, radio and posts.

- While building new stations and installing new equipment, the program production system and the cable and broadcasting system must be assured in normal and stable operation.

- In deploying the program of "Broadening television coverage to mountain areas, highlands, border areas and islands", on the basis of the general development plan of television, a plan should be made to provide TV sets of various types to receive the national television programs, and to set up points for receiving the Vietnam television programs in mountain areas, highlands, border areas and islands; carry out uniform measures for the supply of equipment, repair and warranty services and power sources according to the characteristics of each area; identify those persons who are entitled to preferential treatment policy and who should be given priority in acquiring TV sets. Selecting a number of typical areas with different characteristics for experimentation, to draw experiences for large-scale application. Building relay television stations with a suitable capacity for the population in remote areas and areas not easily accessible, and in lowland areas which cannot receive the signals of major broadcasting stations.

- The new Vietnam Television Program Production Center should start construction soon so that it can be completed before the year 2000.

Drafting a separate investment plan for the building of a Television Tower combining the function of television, postal service, tourism and trade on the north-western bank of West Lake (Hanoi) with the aim of drawing many sources of investment capital.

Article 2.- The Vietnam Television Station has the task of:

- Making concrete draft plans on the basis of the general plan, and submitting them to the authorized level for ratification of investment projects according to the Regulations on management of investment and construction issued attached to Decree No.177-CP of October 20,1994 of the Government.

- Cooperating closely with the Ministries and branches in working out measures to draw domestic and foreign capital sources for the implementation of the television development plan.

Article 3.- This Decision takes effect from the date of its signing.

Article 4.- The General Director of Vietnam Television, the Minister-Chairman of the State Planning Committee, the Ministers, the Heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the Heads of the agencies attached to the Government, and the Presidents of the People's Committees of the provinces and cities under the Central Government shall have to implement this Decision.

For the Prime Minister

Deputy Prime Minister