VnExpress turns 20

Last year, the newspaper has garnered over 40 million frequent readers, over 10 billion views and 5 million comments. Each reader spends an average of five minutes and 44 seconds per session. Readership spans from as young as 18 to over 60 years of age. Mobile use to access the newspaper grows in nearly all age groups as well. The number of readers aged 34-44 even doubled from the previous year.

Such achievements were unthinkable for VnExpress founders at the time when the newspaper first got online on Feb. 26, 2001. Without the constraints of a paper format, VnExpress had the opportunity to reach a global scale and continually update its content in real-time, even after an article has been published. No newspaper in Vietnam had that unique edge, until VnExpress showed up.

Throughout the last 20 years, VnExpress has stood by its most treasured creed: to serve its readers and to report news with objectivity, balance, urgency and accuracy.

As readers increasingly gain more access to news channels on multiple platforms, VnExpress focused on its high-quality, data-driven works to bring readers an in-depth, full picture of what has transpired in both Vietnam and the world.

We understood how technology was vital in creating a solid platform, so we spared no effort to research and apply new technologies to develop a platform for publishing modern online newspapers, while meeting the evermore diverse needs in reporting and bringing the best experience for our readers.

We were trusted and accompanied by our partners in business, the media and events, bringing us an average revenue growth of over 10 percent throughout the past several years, cementing our lead in Vietnam’s digital advertising race.

Behind our remarkable growth were 241 journalists with an average age of 31, who are constantly improving their skills with yearly training. All of them were chosen first and foremost by their own capabilities and ethics on the job. VnExpress was also built on the work of 80 technical engineers and product designers, 180 salespeople and 40 office workers from FPT Online, who have devoted their talents and efforts to accompany VnExpress on its 20-year journey.

But we were much more than simple providers of content. To give back to the community, we paid increasingly more attention towards organizing multiple events throughout the last three years with positive results. VnExpress Marathon for example has attracted 18,000 athletes on average each season, becoming a brand name that inspires and raises awareness on community health, as well as kick-starting local economies, tourism and investments.

Our project Vlight, still in development, would be a platform for multiple parties to contribute to copyrighted news content.

TechAwards, our voting award event, throughout the last eight years has become a leading award and tech conference. Its forums and conferences, whether with thousands of attendees or held online due to Covid-19, has brought new opportunities for the forces that drive our economy to exchange and generate new ideas for development.

Our entertainment news website Ngoisao.net and its Star of the Year award has continued to affirm its credibility in spreading human values within the show business. Our youth-oriented website iOne.net is gradually making its name known. VnExpress International, our English online newspaper, has remained to be the most-read English online newspaper in Vietnam.

The trust that our readers has confided in us throughout the last 20 years would be our motivation to innovate and create more for the sake of the community and social progress.

Thank you.