The Swedish government had helped train nearly 3,000 Vietnamese journalists via professional training courses under the “Improving the Press’ Capability” project between 2004-2009. An exhibition to review and display the project’s activities opened Jan 28 in Hanoi in the presence of Deputy Minister of Information and Telecommunications Do Quy Doan and Swedish Ambassador Rolf Bergman, the Hanoi Moi newspaper reported Jan. 29. Sweden’s Institute for Further Education of Journalists (Fojo) started the multi-million-dollar project in Vietnam since 1998. A Fojo official said last Sept that the institute is mulling over the construction of a professional training center for Vietnamese journalists. Free public media operations and access to information are vital to boost development in Vietnam, Ambassador Rolf Bergman told foreign media on the sidelines of the Consultative Group (CG) meeting in Hanoi last Dec. He added that Sweden and other donors urged the Vietnamese government to remove internet firewalls and publicize files of corruption cases. The Human Rights Watch in its World Report 2010 criticized Vietnam for repressing acts against expression freedom.
