Into writers’ mind: Presuppositions in English and Vietnamese English news

headlines

Abstract

The need to access the latest news in an ever-changing world requires journalists to write news

headlines that are both informative and appealing to readers, which can be supported by the

employment of presuppositions in news headlines. Presuppositions, which can be briefly

described as pieces of information that writers embedded in their words, need to be decoded by

readers for comprehension. While various studies have been investigating this element, few have

focused on analyzing presuppositions in English news headlines written by native writers and

Vietnamese writers. This study aims to compare the presuppositions in the English headlines of

two prestigious newspapers, namely The Guardian from Britain and Việt Nam News using the

model proposed by Khaleel (2010). The results reveal some major differences regarding the

degree and extent of presuppositions adopted. The researchers further discuss the application of

such findings into more effective news-writing.

Introduction

McKane, on pinpointing the criteria of a piece of news, claims that a news article “needs

to be something that would interest your readers, and if they already know it, then it is not news”

(2006, p.1). This statement also demonstrates the purposes of news in modern days as to keep

people updated with new information that meets their interest. Moreover, in the hectic world

where people are more and more time-conscious, news headlines play a crucial role in attracting

and giving readers a summary of the articles.

With a view to studying the effect posed by headlines, many researchers attempt to

unravel readers’ interpretations of news articles based on their headlines. As a result, much
research in recent years has revealed the influence of headlines on the emotional and

psychological perception of readers. These findings can be found in studies involving English

news headlines and those of other languages. The use of presuppositions in journalistic texts is

also one field of interest for many researchers. Presupposition can be triggered by several

linguistic devices, which are known as presupposition triggers. Pragmatically speaking,

presuppositions can be viewed as one essential clue that readers must interpret in order to

comprehend writers’ intentions. In the context of journalism, presupposition may direct their

audience following a certain reading. In other words, it might be exploited as a means of

subconscious persuasion (Bonyadi & Samuel, 2012). When it comes to newspaper headlines,

presuppositions may also serve other functions, including Conciseness, Information, Attraction,

and Humour (Shi & Fan, 2018). Recently, with the growing numbers of news articles across

many platforms, studies focusing on the presuppositions employed in news articles across

languages have also increased in quantity. However, the subject of newspaper headlines has not

been rigorously studied. Hence, this research will focus on presuppositions identified in

newspaper headlines.

Since the economic reforms in 1986, Vietnam has witnessed an influx of international

visitors and settlers, giving way to the growing importance of English. As more foreigners

choose Vietnam to live and work, this creates a demand for newspapers written in English.

Besides, as mentioned above, news headlines are the gateway to articles where they greatly

influence readers’ drive to continue reading. Thus, a comparison between English and

Vietnamese English1 news headlines is necessary to enhance the writing quality of English

journalism in Vietnam, which is beneficial to the growth of the industry and people’s need to

1
as Vietnamese English has not been established as a dialect of English, this term is used to refer to English
produced by the Vietnamese
gain information from this media platform. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of research into

Vietnamese English in general and Vietnamese English in journalistic texts particularly.

Based on the theoretical foundations of different types of presupposition triggers through

detailed analysis of specific headlines employed in English and Vietnamese-English opinion

pieces, this study aims at solving the two questions:

1. What are the types of presupposition triggers used in the English and Vietnamese-English

news headlines?

2. What are the similarities and differences observed from presuppositions made in

Vietnamese-English news headlines?

Literature Review

Presupposition

The definitions of presupposition fall into two major fields which are Semantics and

Pragmatics. Semantically speaking, presupposition refers to the relation between sentences or

propositions. Beaver (2001) cited Strawson’s definition of semantic presupposition which

assigns the condition of truth value of one sentence to another. In other words, one sentence is

presupposed by another if its truth is the prerequisite for the semantic value of the other. In the

realm of Pragmatics, according to Yule and Widdowson (1996), a presupposition is a piece of

information which is assumed to be true by speakers when making an utterance no matter if it is

actually true or false. Presupposition in pragmatics deals with speakers’ knowledge and attitudes

(Beaver, 2001). In the present study, we aim to delve into writers’ motives for using

presupposition in composing news headlines, and thus we take on the view of pragmatic

presupposition.

One noticeable feature is that presuppositions seem to be constructed via linguistic

structures such as words or phrases at the surface level. Such linguistic items are called
presupposition triggers (Levinson, 1983). While Keenan (cited in Fillmore and Langendoen,

1971, p.46) proposed 9 kinds of presupposition triggers, Hickey et al (1993) introduced a list of

14 kinds of presupposition-generating linguistic items. Notwithstanding, Yule and Widdowson

(1996, p.27) classified presuppositions into 6 types, namely “existential presupposition, factive

presupposition, lexical presupposition, structural presupposition, non-factive presupposition, and

counterfactual presupposition.” There is often confusion between presupposition triggers and

types of presupposition. In this research, the focus is mainly on the analysis of presupposition

triggers. Among numerous proposed frameworks of presupposition triggers, this study opted for

one suggested by Khaleel (2010). Khaleel (2010) adopted his framework from Karttunen (cited

in Levinson, 1983, p.181-184), and Yule and Widdowson (1996). This framework categorizes

presupposition triggers into three primary types which comprise a number of different linguistic

structures: existential (definite descriptions); lexical (implicative and factive verbs, change of

state verbs and verbs of judging, counterfactual verbs, conventional items, and iteratives); and

structural (cleft constructions, Wh-questions, adverbial and comparative constructions, and

counterfactual conditionals, and non-restrictive clauses).

1. Existential

Existential presupposition assumes the existence of an entity when making an utterance.

This type of presupposition trigger does not only appear in possessive structures (i.e Mary’s dog

>> * Mary has a dog.) but it is also embedded in definite noun phrases (Yule & Widdowson,

1996). The following examples are found in Yule and Widdowson (1996):

(1) The King of Sweden, the girl next door, the cat

Definite noun phrases in (1) presuppose there are such entities in the world that fit the properties

of the descriptions. When one uses the definite noun “The King of Sweden” in a sentence such as
“The King of Sweden is cruel”, he/she has primarily assumed that there is a King of Sweden. All

of these structures are subsumed under the subcategory of definite descriptions.

*The symbol “>>” means “presupposes”

2. Lexical

Lexical presupposition refers to presuppositions that are triggered by specific lexical

items such as certain types of verbs.

2.1. Implicative verbs

Lexical presupposition was defined by Yule and Widdowson (1996) as the use of one

item with its asserted meaning which is conventionally construed with the presupposition that

another non-asserted meaning is attached. For instance, when we say that somebody “managed”

to do something, we apparently understand that the person was successful in doing something.

On the other hand, when we say somebody “didn’t manage” to do something, it is transparent

that the person was not successful in doing something. While we can see that both cases yielded

two distinct asserted meanings, there is a presupposition in both situations that the person “tried”

to do something. Levinson (1983) classified this type of verb as implicative verbs. Other

examples include “forget”, “avoid”, “happen to” as below:

(2) John forgot to lock the door.

>> John intended to lock the door.

(3) Mary avoided doing homework.

>> Mary was expected to do homework.

2.2. Factive items

Factive items including factive verbs like “know”, “realize” or “regret” incur the

presupposition that the information embedded in their following complement clauses is true

(Kiparsky & Kiparsky, 1971).

 (4) She didn’t realize that she was deceived.

>> She was deceived.

(5) John didn’t know that his friends were there.

>> His friends were there.

(6) We regret letting him know.

>> We let him know.

In (4) and (6), the information expressed in the complement clause after “realize” and “know” is

considered to be the case when speakers make such utterances.

Factive predicates also include phrases with “be” followed by adjectives such as “aware”,

“odd”, and “glad” (Yule & Widdowson, 1996, p.27).

(7) I’m glad that you come.

>> You come.

(8) I wasn’t aware that he was there.

>> He was there.

2.3. Change of state verbs

Change of state verbs or aspectual verbs are verbs that describe a change in a state of

action and presupposes the occurrence of the action.

(9) He stopped smoking. (Yule & Widdowson, 1996, p.28)

>> He used to smoke.

(10) Mary hasn’t stopped beating her boyfriend. (Huang, 2014, p.87)

>> Mary has been beating her boyfriend.

2.4. Verbs of judging

Verbs of judging including “accuse” or “criticize” presuppose the piece of information

that is thought to be the truth by the subjects of the verbs instead of the speakers.
 (11) John accused Mary of cheating in the exam.

>> John thinks Mary was cheating in the exam.

(12) Joe criticized Susan for spreading fake news.

>> Susan spread fake news.

2.5. Counterfactual verbs

According to Yule and Widdowson (1996), counterfactual presupposition indicates the

presupposed information which is not only not the case but also the opposite of the facts.

Counter-factual verbs involve verbs such as “pretend”. The complement clause after “pretend” is

presupposed not to be true.

(13) He pretends to be rich

>> He is not rich.

2.6. Conventional items

There are linguistic items that bear presupposition in themselves. Levinson (1983)

attributed presuppositions of sentences to the conventional meaning of lexical items. In other

words, presupposition can be triggered by the use of certain words.

(14) He killed the bird.

>> The bird used to be alive.

The word “killed” in (14) makes way for the presupposition that the bird used to be alive.

Conventionality is not only tied to verbs. We can find such a conventional meaning in nouns

such as “bachelor” in (15)

(15) John is a bachelor. (Khaleel, 2010)

>> John is unmarried.

The definition of “bachelor” covers the information that John is an unmarried man.

2.7. Iteratives
 Iteratives are items that presuppose the repetition of an event or an action. Such items

include “again”, “anymore”, “return”, “restore”, etc.

(16) You’re late again. (Yule & Widdowson, 1996, p. 28)

>> You were late before.

(17) Do not return there!

>> You have come there at least once.

3. Structural

Structural presupposition encompasses sentence structures which conventionally carry

the presupposition that a part of the structure is taken for granted. Speakers can use such

structure to treat a piece of information as being true, and thus it is accepted as a fact by the

listeners.

3.1. Cleft constructions

According to Cambridge Dictionary, cleft constructions or cleft sentences are used to link

what is already comprehended to what is new to the listener. In a cleft sentence, a single message

is broken into two clauses, which enables the listener to concentrate on the new information.

Cleft structure is divided into two types: It-cleft and Wh-cleft. It-clauses are the most prevalent

forms of cleft structure. The new information is placed in focus after the pronoun “It” and the

verb “be”. This new piece of information is connected to what is already understood through the

commonly used relative pronoun “that”.

(18) It was Sarah who broke the vase.

This sentence (18) contains the focused information which is “Sarah” and the understood

information “who broke the vase”. Therefore, through such construction, it triggers the

presupposition:

>> Someone broke the vase.

The wh-cleft structure comprises a wh-clause which is often started by “what” and the verb form

of “be” and the new information which is emphasized. The information contained in the

wh-clause is treated as known or understood, which gives way to a presupposition.

(19) What they chose was a small house.

The sentence (19) contains the presupposition:

>> They chose something.

It is contended by Levinson (1983) that the two cleft structures yield the same presupposition.

3.2. Wh-questions

Wh-questions are conventionally construed with the presupposition that the information

presented in the questions is true.

(20) Who did he give the money to?

>> He gave money to someone.

By answering this question, the addressee already accepts the information that he gave money to

someone. This information whether true or false is the presupposition made by the addresser.

3.3. Adverbial clauses

Adverbial clauses in sentences are treated as being known or true by speakers. Hence

such clauses trigger presupposition.

(21) She worked as a nurse when she lived in Amsterdam.

>> She lived in Amsterdam.

3.4. Comparative constructions

Levinson (1983) listed comparisons and contrasts as one type of presupposition triggers.

The information expressed through such structures triggers a certain presupposition as in (22).

(22) Sarah is a better dancer than Susan.

>> Sarah is a dancer.

 (23) John is richer than Mary.

>> John is rich.

3.5. Counterfactual conditionals

In a type II or type III conditional sentence, the information presented in if-clause is

presupposed to be untrue.

(24) If she had arrived early, she would have received the voucher.

>> She did not arrive early.

(25) If he passed the test, he would be in England now.

>> He did not pass the test.

3.6. Non-restrictive clauses

After examining non-restrictive clauses using the test of constancy under negation,

Levinson (1983) concluded that they passed the test. Hence, he treated them as a type of

presupposition triggers.

(26) John, who worked as a professor at Harvard, never drank alcohol.

>> John worked as a professor at Harvard.

News Headlines

Newspaper Headlines

Similar to how stories are referred to by titles, news stories are titled with headlines.

However, headlines are more than just titles. Dong and Shao (2016) called headlines the eyes of

the news because they contain the core information and help readers decide whether the stories

are worth reading. Harrower (1998, p.23) stated that a good headline should serve four functions

such as “summarizing story content, prioritizing stories, enticing readers into the text, and

anchoring story designs.” To attract attention, news headlines can also be edited differently from

the rest of the news by using distinguished fonts and sizes (Mardh, 1980; Isani, 2011).
Altogether, a headline is the title of a news story, usually written in an attention-catching fashion

both linguistically and visually to summarize the news and attract readers.

Functions Of A Newspaper Headline

Gattani (cited in Isani, 2011, p.4) introduced the three functions of a headline, including

the informative function, the indicative function, and the eye-catching function. Specifically, the

informative function refers to the ability to present the topic of the news through the headline;

the indicative function means by reading the headline, the readers can get a glimpse of what

happened in the story; and of course, a headline has to be eye-catching, that is it entice people

into reading the actual story.

Therefore, a good headline should be able to fulfill all three functions above. However,

despite the huge scale of writings, headlines are often limited in space to leave room for the main

content of the news, therefore only an economical amount of letters would be granted the

appearance in such spaces. In that circumstance, besides the noticeable sizes, headlines are

densely packed with information through the use of provocative language, polarizing idioms, and

exaggerations (Kronrod & Engel, 2001). McKane (2006) called these informative linguistic

devices the ‘listen-to-me words’, or the less common words that “carry enough meaning to make

your readers sit up and pay attention” (McKane, 2006, p.50). This is where presupposition can be

taken advantage of to help the writers express their thoughts within the space restriction.

Pragmatic Presupposition In Newspapers Headlines

Pragmatic presupposition is one of the efficient and reasonable devices for news authors

to get enough information across in the tight space of headlines, and may even slip in some of

their own existing opinions or shocking background knowledge to catch readers’ interest. Shi

and Fan (2018) proposed the specific roles of pragmatic presuppositions in news headlines,

which are conciseness, information, attraction, and humor. First of all, the conciseness function
covers the use of certain words that can trigger a presupposition (Shi & Fan, 2018). This fits well

with the aforementioned McKane’s ‘listen-to-me words’ (2006), which are used to convey

meaning accurately within a few limited words. Second of all, according to Shi & Fan (2018),

more information can be embedded underneath the surface of the short-length headlines through

presuppositions. Again, this helps the writers deliver more than what is written, and the readers

can get more than expected. Finally, the attraction and humor function within the framework of

Shi & Fan (2018) can be very similar, that is utilizing presuppositions to create a different

viewpoint or an uncommon knowledge that may contrast the readers’ existing ones, by which

they would find laughable or peculiar enough to read further into the stories.

Note that through the four functions of presuppositions in headlines, it is fairly easy to

assert the authors’ own claims or opinions as facts into the headlines without any justification. In

consequence, as suggested in much research conducted on this topic (Al-Zubeiry, 2020; Manu,

2020; Reah, 2002), pragmatic presupposition and its triggers are tools to deceive readers into

believing and accepting the writers’ pre-assumed beliefs. This is why the occurrences of

presuppositions are more commonly found in editorials and opinion-based news writings and

headlines.

Previous Studies

Over the years, scholars have been scrutinizing the usage of presuppositions and their

functions in news articles and newspaper headlines. The studies range from analysis of

presuppositions in monolingual English of many kinds to comparative evaluation of English

written by authors of different first languages, including Vietnamese. Khaleel (2010) analyzed

and identified the presuppositions triggers in the journalism texts of six English newspapers

based on the model of presupposition triggers of Karttunen (n.d.), cited in Levinson (1983,

p.181-184), and Yule and Widdowson (1996, p. 28). The proposed model categorized
presupposition triggers into three main groups followed by specific forms of triggers. The main

types of triggers are existential, lexical, and structural. In which, existential includes the form of

definite descriptions, lexical includes implicative verbs, factive items, change of state verbs,

verbs of judging, counterfactual verbs, conventional items, and iteratives, structural includes

cleft constructions, Wh-questions, adverbial constructions, comparative constructions,

counterfactual conditionals, and non-restrictive clauses. The result shows that the existential

presupposition triggers appeared the most in the news texts, followed by lexical triggers, some

forms among which, however, were not documented at all, including implicative verbs, verbs of

judging, and counterfactual verbs. Finally, the least used trigger was structural. The study

displayed a meticulous way of analyzing presupposition triggers in text, which is a useful

research model for researchers studying this topic. However, there was no indication of the

implications or suggestion for further research, so the outcomes of the analysis remained in vain.

One cross-linguistic research on presuppositions found in editorials was done by Bonyadi

and Samuel (2012), in which they analyzed the linguistic devices that trigger the presuppositions

in the New York Times and Tehran Times' editorial texts, representing American English and

Persian English. The study followed a nonrandom purposeful sampling method, recruiting 40

editorials, 20 from each newspaper. The researchers then analyzed the data using the framework

of presupposition proposed by Yule and Widdowson (2002). The analysis reinforced that

editorial writers from both newspapers view presupposition as a means of persuasion. In other

words, presupposition was exploited to shape readers’ viewpoint towards the writers’ sides by

instilling their bias in an implicit way. It was also demonstrated that across different codes, the

same presupposition triggers are adopted, yet with varying dominance and extent. One striking

contrast lies in Existential presupposition with TT’s figures doubling NYT’s, however, both

manage to construct favorable presuppositions for themselves and create disadvantageous

presuppositions towards others. From the analysis, it might be concluded that for newspapers and

editorials in particular, writers adopted a variety of presupposition triggers; compared to Reah

(2002) in which he solely mentioned implicative verbs, definite and possessive articles as well as

Wh-questions. Finally, this study, setting out to clarify the adoption of presupposition triggers in

American and Persian Englishes, offered assistance to teachers of EFL in instructing learners to

approach their study of language in a more critical way.

For English newspapers written by Chinese writers, Shi and Fan (2018) conducted a

study on the presuppositions found in various English newspaper headlines of the China Daily

with a view to investigating the pragmatic functions of such headlines. They proposed the

mechanism behind psychological effects shown by presuppositions in general as human nature to

reach mutual comprehension in interpreting sentences. Therefore, through the interpretation,

readers can be influenced by authors’ embedded messages in presupposition. Specifically, they

categorized their findings into 4 groups of functions: consciousness, information, attraction, and

humor. They also included concise examples of headlines taken from the aforementioned

newspaper. For instance, a headline such as “Beijing makes big gains in air quality” was said to

bring the benefit of informativeness. To be specific, they claimed that in order to understand such

headlines, readers subconsciously get the presupposition of the air condition that used to be

unqualified, yet is better now due to the government’s effort. Thus, through rather few words, the

author was able to convey a headline packed with information to readers, or at least, sparked

such ideas in readers’ minds subconsciously. Furthermore, they stated that presuppositions in

headlines can help to attract readers’ attention, increasing the chance of readers continuing with

the article. For example, readers may feel a great sense of attraction upon encountering a

headline like “Talking to yourself is a sign of higher intelligence”. Through analysis of this

headline, they pointed out how successful the writer was in captivating readers’ intentions by
imposing a presupposition that goes against normal people’s initial impression of the subject

matter. Specifically, the act of talking to oneself is often regarded as a sign of mental disorders to

many, which is opposite to the headline’s presupposition. This contrast raises the interest of

readers, driving them to read more. Shi and Fan’s conclusion resonates with our hypothesis for

the functions of presuppositions in news headlines as a means to deliver the writer’s subtle

messages and hence, influence readers’ reading of these headlines.

Former studies on pragmatic presupposition in newspaper headlines also include one

conducted by Tian Dong and Pingping Shao (2016): The Analysis of Pragmatic Presupposition

in English News Headlines. The study was carried out with a view to analyzing the application

of pragmatic presupposition in English news headlines. The study bases its analysis on four

major characteristics of pragmatic presupposition. The first characteristic is common ground or

mutual knowledge. Common ground or mutual knowledge refers to the fact that both the speaker

and the hearer share the same knowledge, and thus it is presupposed by the speaker when making

an utterance. That is, the fluidity of communication can be achieved only when the participants

share the knowledge of the presupposed information. The second characteristic is felicity.

Felicity is defined as appropriateness. Pragmatic presupposition is considered to be

context-dependent. In other words, the presupposed information must lend itself to the situational

context. Since one same utterance may yield different presuppositions in different contexts, there

may be cases when the hearer cannot understand the speaker’s presupposition. Therefore, the

speaker must speak in such a proper way that the hearer can understand him. The third

characteristic is subjectivity. Subjectivity deals with the subjective assumptions, beliefs or

attitudes held by the speaker when making an utterance. The last characteristic is latency also

known as “sneakiness”. A proposition is often made of two main parts which are assertion and

presupposition. Presupposition in Pragmatics refers to the information assumed to be true by the

speaker no matter if it is actually true or not. Presupposition often sneaks within words so if the

listeners do not take any notice, they will come to terms with it as an assertion. Due to the

latency of presupposition, the speaker can easily convince the listeners to follow his way of

thinking. The researchers conducted the analysis of pragmatic presupposition by dividing it into

3 categories which are pragmatic presupposition in sentences, pragmatic presupposition in

phrases, and pragmatic presupposition in words. The study revealed numerous effects of the use

of presupposition in headlines on readers. Thanks to the characteristic of common ground, more

information can be understood within a limited number of words in headlines. The researchers

also found that a sense of suspense or doubt which leads readers to further discover the article is

raised when the writers take advantage of the latency of pragmatic presupposition. Moreover,

felicity is crucial in allowing readers to fully grasp the headlines. In other words, if readers are

not acquainted with the contextual information, they will not be able to understand the news

headlines. The researchers concluded their study by contending that pragmatic presupposition

plays a pivotal role in news headlines. It not only promotes the brevity of headlines but also

expands the information quantity. The study is claimed to guide writers to use pragmatic

presupposition to compose “excellent news headlines”.

In the context of Vietnamese newspaper headlines, there exists a number of studies that

compares the usage of English and Vietnamese news headlines in different linguistics branches.

Nguyen (2015), in a semantics-driven research, depicted and made comments on some of the

fundamental modes of meaning transference of various English and Vietnamese news headlines.

Throughout her paper, many similarities can be found in the way authors of the two languages

employed modes of meaning transference to create attractive and humorous news headlines.

Moreover, Ngo (2020) investigated the similarities and differences between 200 Vietnamese and

English news titles regarding grammar structures and word usage, concluding her work’s
applications in various fields such as language teaching, news writing, translating, and

cross-cultural research.

Findings as such mean great contribution to future research on the subject matter, yet the

studies about the functions of presuppositions in English and Vietnamese English news

headlines, especially pragmatically speaking, remain untouched in the Vietnamese academic

environment. The shortage of studies focusing on this subject matter means the lack of scientific

foundation for two things. Firstly, journalists may miss out on opportunities to write headlines

that are more informative and attractive to readers via presuppositions. This issue can grow even

bigger with the growing demand for modern journalists to be proficient in writing news in a

foreign language such as English. Secondly, readers may find themselves being lost in a pool of

information and even manipulated by cleverly designed misleading presuppositions. Readers

have the right to be informed of the subconscious psychological impact that they may undergo

upon encountering certain presupposition triggers. Therefore, it requires a more in-depth analysis

of the subject matter to benefit the Vietnamese news-writing industry and pave the way for more

studies of this kind.

Method

Subjects

The subjects of this study include 80 articles’ headlines selected from The Guardian (TG)

(see Appendix A for list of headlines) and Việt Nam News (VNN) (see Appendix B for list of

headlines), with 40 from each newspaper. The former is a prestigious British newspaper

providing researchers with native English resources, and the latter is the Vietnamese English

articles for comparative analysis. TG is highly accredited for its widespread circulation and

quality journalism. PAMCo (2020), a governing body overseeing audience measurement for the

published media, found that TG is the most-read quality news publisher in the UK. As for VNN,
 founded in 1991, it is the national English language daily which is written entirely in English by

Vietnamese writers. Hence, the two newspapers are the true representatives of English written by

native and Vietnamese writers. Moreover, the study only targeted the section of opinion of the

two newspapers. Since this journalistic writing genre is employed by writers to express their own

viewpoints towards a matter and our study drew on the pragmatic realm of presupposition which

mainly deals with the speaker's (or writer’s) meaning, the column of opinion provided us with a

fertile source of writing into which we can analyze the writer’s intention and motives when using

presupposition. The chosen articles were retrieved from https://vietnamnews.VNN/opinion and

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/commentisfree, the former between October 29 and October 31

while the latter from August 18 to October 29. The latest data (at the time of data collection)

were selected so as to reflect the latest trends in headline writing styles of the writers.

Materials

The headlines were analyzed based on the framework of presupposition triggers proposed

by Khaleel (2010), which had been elaborately explained in the section of Presupposition. The

analysis would include the presupposition, types of triggers (Existential, Lexical, Structural),

forms of triggers, and also the triggers. To illustrate, one example was provided as below:

Table 1

An example of the analysis of the headlines

Headlines Presupposition Types of Form of Trigger

trigger trigger

Elon Musk's Paul Pelosi tweet There is a person called Existential Definite Elon Musk
proved he has no business running Elon Musk. description
Twitter
 Elon Musk has tweeted on Existential Definite Elon Musk's
Paul Pelosi. description Paul Pelosi
tweet

It is true that Elon Musk Lexical Factive proved

has no business running items
Twitter.

There is a social network Existential Definite Twitter

called Twitter description

Procedure

The present study followed a non-random sampling method for data collection so that we

were able to choose the suitable newspapers and headlines. TG and VNN are representatives of

journalistic English written by native speakers and Vietnamese authors respectively. Similarly,

the headlines were chosen so as to present the newest writing style. After being collected, the

data were analyzed using a combination of descriptive qualitative and quantitative approaches.

First, two independent researchers analyzed, categorized, and described the presuppositions and

presupposition triggers of each headline in accordance with the framework by Khaleel (2010).

Then, a discussion was held to make agreement on the discrepancies in the analysis. Following

the analysis and categorization of the previous step, the frequency and percentage of each type of

presupposition trigger was calculated.

Results and Discussion

The analysis yielded numerous insightful revelations about the use of presupposition in

headlines written by native and Vietnamese writers. As mentioned in the methodology section,
the framework of presupposition triggers suggested by Khaleel (2010) was adopted for the

analysis of this research. The numerical data is presented in Table 3 and Table 4.

There are a total of 105 presuppositions found in the 40 headlines from The Guardian, a

staggering 71.43% out of which are triggered by definite descriptions (N=75). This is followed

by lexical elements (N=15) with the use of implicative verbs, factive items, change of state

verbs, conventional items, and iteratives, accounting for 14.28%. Structural presupposition

triggers also witness 15 occurrences, constituting 14.28%, making use of mostly

Wh-constructions (N=11).

Table 2

The presupposition triggers and their frequency of occurrence found in 40 headlines from the

Guardian

Presupposition triggers Frequency of occurrence

Definite descriptions 75
Existential
Total: 75

Implicative verbs 5

Factive items 2

Change of state verbs 1

Verbs of judging 1
Lexical
Counterfactual verbs 0

Conventional items 3

Iteratives 3

Total: 15

Cleft constructions 0
Structural
Wh-questions 11
 Adverbial clauses 0

Comparative constructions 2

Counterfactual conditionals 1

Non-restrictive clauses 1

Total: 15

Total 105

As for Viet Nam News, there are 59 presupposition triggers that are found in 40 of its

headlines. The largest section belongs to definite descriptions which take up 62,7 % (N=37). The

second popular type is lexical presupposition which amounts to 33,9% (N=20), with the triggers

falling into 4 main categories, namely Implicative verbs, Change of state verbs, Conventional

items, and Iteratives. Ranked last is structural presuppositions with 2 occurrences which make up

3,4 % (N=2).

Table 3

The presupposition triggers and their frequency of occurrence found in 40 headlines from Việt

Nam news

Presupposition triggers Frequency of occurrence

Definite descriptions 37
Existential
Total: 37

Lexical Implicative verbs 15

Factive items 0

Change of state verbs 1

Verbs of judging 0

Counterfactual verbs 0

Conventional items 3
 Iteratives 1

Total: 20

Cleft constructions 0

Wh-questions 0

Adverbial clauses 1
Structural Comparative constructions 1

Counterfactual conditionals 0

Non-restrictive clauses 0

Total: 2

Total 59

Examples of triggers employed in the headlines from both newspapers are illustrated

below:

1. Existential

First and foremost, it could be seen from the figures that the most commonly used type of

presupposition trigger is existential. Specifically, definite descriptions are the most popular

trigger with the use of definite noun phrases, proper names, and possessives. Yule (1996)

indicated that by using such linguistic structures, speakers are committed to the assumption that

certain entities exist.

1.1. Definite noun phrases

In The Guardian, definite noun phrases were the most popular presupposition trigger

compared to the others (N=36). The examples are as follows:

1) 900 balloons are released from the Earth (TG8)

2) the national mood >> There exists a national mood (TG5)

 3) Tory immigration failures >> The British Conservative Party has failed in the matter of

immigration (TG1)

The examples taken from the Viet Nam News are presented as below:

4) thirty years of Viet Nam Marine Strategy (VNN19)

5) … the pandemic … >> There exists a pandemic. This refers to the COVID-19. (VNN14)

6) COVID-19 control measures … >> There have been measures to control COVID-19

(VNN25)

Both newspapers used common definite noun phrases constructions, including NP with

numerical, the + NP formula, and descriptive NP.

1.2. Possessives

Possessive forms “ ‘s” and possessive pronouns such as “our” and “its” were reported to

carry presupposed information in the selected headlines:

7) Lula's comeback >> Lula has a comeback to become Brazil's president (TG2)

8) … What's going on in our prisons? >> We have prisons (TG11)

9) Europe's energy crisis >> There is an energy crisis happening in Europe. (VNN20)

10) Việt Nam gears up to scale its game industry … >> Viet Nam has a game industry

(VNN38)

1.3. Proper names

Proper names constituted a considerable part in the number of presupposition triggers

identified in the headlines of both TG and VNN. Proper names found in TG included Rishi

Sunak, Elon Musk, Britain, Brazil, Twitter and the NHR. With regard to VNN, they are mostly

countries and places, namely Asia, Europe, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Viet Nam, Ha Noi, Da Lat and

Da Nang.

2. Lexical
 In the respect of lexical presupposition, 6 categories of triggers were identified in the

selected headlines, namely implicative verbs, factive items, change of state verbs, verbs of

judging, conventional items and iteratives. No counterfactual verbs were found in the headlines

of both newspapers.

2.1. Implicative verbs

In both newspapers, implicative verbs are the most used triggers which give rise to

lexical presupposition, with 5 for TG and 15 for VNN. Implicative verbs that were found in The

Guardian headlines include verbs such as “remind”, “reveal”, and “find” in the following

examples:

11) I've had to remind myself how to behave in meetings … >> I forgot this before (TG6)

12) … Elon Musk reveals a vapid mind super-charged with wealth and ego >> His vapid

mind super-charged with wealth and ego was not known before (TG10)

13) I've found extraordinary joy in knitting. >> The writer sees extraordinary joy in knitting

after trying it (TG13)

In VNN headlines, “need” appeared to be the frequently used implicative verbs. Other

verbs involve those like “remain”, “insist”, “improve”, “reduce” and “pay off”. Further analysis

into the verbs is as follows:

14) High-rise space management needs to go hand-in-hand with sustainable development >>

It is essential for high-rise management to go hand-in-hand with sustainable

development. (VNN2)

15) More efforts needed to strengthen child protection … >> More efforts are essential to

strengthen child protection (VNN35)

16) Hygiene remains a major issue in school restroom. >> Hygiene has long been a major

issue in school restroom. (VNN13)

 Implicative verbs in these headlines seem to carry not only presupposition but also the

bulk of information embedded. These headlines enable readers to receive new information with

presupposed knowledge, aiding their understanding of the news headlines.

2.2. Factive items

Factive items were found only in the headlines of TG. Such items appear in the use of

verbs such as “prove” or “expose”. These verbs trigger the presupposition that the following

phrases or clauses are treated as facts.

17) Elon Musk's Paul Pelosi tweet proved he has no business running Twitter. >> It is true

that Elon Musk has no business running Twitter. (TG7)

18) … in exposing the emptiness of the elite diversity rhetoric. >> There exists the emptiness

of the elite diversity rhetoric. (TG17)

2.3. Change of state verbs

Change of state verbs were spotted in both TG and VNN:

19) … don't just say whatever pops into your head >> The mind used to be blank before the

idea appears in your head (TG6)

20) Disinformation is a scourge on public discourse. Fact-based journalism can help stop it.

>> Disinformation is currently happening and can be erased by fact-based journalism.

(VNN16)

2.4. Verbs of judging

Verbs of judging turned out to be the least popular trigger and appeared only once in the

headline from TG:

21) Politicians are responsible for inequality in Britain. No wonder they blame refugees. >>

Politicians think that refugees are to blame for inequality in Britain. (TG4)

2.5. Counterfactual verbs

 Throughout the 80 selected headlines, there was no sign of counterfactual verbs.

2.6. Conventional items

Conventional items were the second most used triggers of lexical presupposition. TG was

reported to contain 3 occurrences of such trigger:

22) Could Twitter actually get any worse? >> It's already bad. (TG18)

23) … China's response to dissent … >> There is dissent in China. (TG20)

24) … cuts to arts funding … >> There are cuts to arts funding. (TG21)

Regarding VNN, conventional items involved words such as “for”, “carefully” and

“maintain”.

25) High-quality rice production areas to be formed for increased value, reduced gas

emissions >> High-quality rice production would lead to increased value, reduced gas

emissions (VNN17)

26) Whale watching tours must be carefully regulated … >> Whale watching tours have not

been carefully regulated (VNN34)

27) Wildlife conservation maintains biodiversity >> There is already biodiversity. (VNN36)

2.7. Iteratives

Iteratives were found in various forms, namely a compound noun with verb + preposition

“back”, verbs with prefix “re-” and adverb “again”.

28) Lula’s comeback >> Lula has been Brazil's president before. (TG2)

29) Netanyahu’s return to power >> Netanyahu has been in power before. (TG3)

30) Our schnauzer will always be waiting to greet my father on the tennis court again >>

Our schnauzer has waited to greet my father on the tennis court before. (VNN39)

3. Structural
 While in the TG, structural presupposition was as prevalent as lexical presupposition, it

showed little appearance in VNN.

3.1. Cleft constructions

Cleft constructions made no contribution to the headlines of both TG and VNN.

3.2. Wh-questions

There was a sharp contrast between the number of wh-questions found in the headlines

taken from TG and that of VNN. While wh-questions were the most prevalent triggers of

structural presupposition in TG headlines, none was found in VNN.

31) What drove the man who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband? >> There was something that

drove a man to attack Nancy Pelosi's husband. (TG9)

32) … how he might act now. >> He might act now. (TG14)

33) … why his rise to the top matters >> His rise to the top matters. (TG30)

3.3. Adverbial clauses

Adverbial clauses appeared to be one of the rarest presupposition triggers. Only one

adverbial clause was identified in the headline of VNN and none in TG:

34) … after recent flooding in Da Nang >> Đà Nẵng has experienced flooding recently.

(VNN4)

3.4. Comparative constructions

The headlines of both newspapers took advantage of the comparative constructions in

triggering presuppositions:

35) Like Trump, Elon Musk reveals a vapid mind super-charged with wealth and ego >>

Elon Musk shares a vapid mind super-charged with wealth and ego similar to Trump’s

(TG10)

36) A swede … is far more terrifying >> A swede is terrifying (TG15)

 37) … a closer India-Việt Nam partnership >> India-Viet Nam partnership is already close.

(VNN40)

3.5. Counterfactual conditionals

When it comes to counterfactual conditionals, only one such conditional was observed in

the headline of TG:

38) … if Labour is to successfully challenge Rishi Sunak >> Labour hasn't successfully

challenged Rishi Sunak. (TG31)

3.6. Non-restrictive clauses

There was one non-restrictive clause found in TG, while no occurrence was detected

among VNN headlines.

39) A swede, which looks like a preserved head dug up from a bog, is far more terrifying >>

A swede looks like a preserved head dug up from a bog.

Table 4

A comparison between the presupposition triggers and their frequency of occurrence found in

headlines from TG and VNN

Presupposition triggers Frequency of occurrence

TG VNN

Existential Definite descriptions 75 37

Total: 75 37

Implicative verbs 5 15

Factive items 2 0
Lexical Change of state verbs 1 1

Verbs of judging 1 0
 Counterfactual verbs 0 0

Conventional items 3 3

Iteratives 3 1

Total: 15 20

Cleft constructions 0 0

Wh-questions 11 0

Adverbial clauses 0 1

Comparative 2 1
constructions
Structural
Counterfactual 1 0
conditionals

Non-restrictive 1 0
clauses

Total: 15 2

Total 105 59

The analysis of presupposition triggers identified in TG and VNN headlines reveals some

similarities and differences. Regarding the former, the majority of presuppositions in both

newspapers were triggered by definite descriptions. This pattern of results is identical to

Khaleel’s study on presuppositions in English newspapers’ editorials (2010) and Bonyadi and

Samuel’s 2013 article about presupposition triggers in news headlines of the New York Times

(NYT) and the Tehran Times (TT). The figures for TG are also matched with those yielded by

Manu (2020) in which TG was compared with The Ghanaian Daily Guide in terms of

presupposition triggers observed in editorials. These existential presuppositions indicate the

existence of the entities mentioned, and as descriptions, they are typically packed with

information, hence making the headlines more concise, marking the prominent features of
newspaper headlines. Moreover, this also represents the first direct demonstration of the

“common ground knowledge” characteristic of presupposition (Dong & Shao, 2016), especially

in the case of proper names for famous figures, countries, regions, well-known organizations,

and social networking sites. The writers all treat their existence as common knowledge and one

that their readers definitely know. For the descriptive noun phrases, the same “formulas” were

applied, including plural noun phrases, noun phrases with numerical, “the” + noun phrase, and

descriptive noun phrases. Particularly, number-contained noun phrases might be used to exhibit

precision, thus raising reliability (Manu, 2020). On the other hand, change of state verbs, verbs

of judging, counterfactual verbs, conventional items, iteratives, cleft constructions, adverbial

clauses, comparative constructions, counterfactual conditionals, and non-restrictive clauses were

among the least used types of presupposition triggers, with no items of counterfactual verbs and

cleft constructions in both newspapers. This finding may be explained by the idea that these are

specific characteristics of newspaper headlines genres. Overall, the results strongly imply that

across different codes, the same presupposition triggers are used, yet at varying frequencies and

extents. (Bonyadi & Samuel, 2012)

One difference in the use of existential presupposition is possessive constructions. While

only two examples were found among VNN headlines, TG writers quite preferred to use them.

Bonyadi and Samuel also found that possessive constructions were the favorite triggers

employed by the NYT and TT writers in their headlines (2013). Moreover, different from the

findings of Manu (2020), the possessive adjective “our”, which is believed to be used by writers

to identify with readers by Manu, appeared many times in TG, constituting an effective

persuasive linguistic device. As regards lexical presuppositions, VNN journalists adopted more

lexical elements to trigger presuppositions. However, most of the lexical items were implicative

verbs, and even only certain verbs were frequently used. Implicative verbs, in contrast, were the
least popular triggers in the NYT and TT headlines. These verbs, in particular, can provoke

certain connotations regarding the situation in discussion in the readers’ minds. Though fewer in

number, TG had more lexical trigger forms, with factive items, judging, and iteratives, thus being

more diverse. As a result of the need to be brief, structural presupposition triggers were the least

used among the three types in VNN headlines. VNN writers are inclined to use phrases and “:” to

ensure the brevity of the headlines. One comparative and adverbial structures were found, but

both were in shortened and phrasal forms. Although an equal number of structural items were

recorded in TG headlines, the vast majority of which were Wh-constructions, coming in both full

questions and Wh-phrases. This can be considered a “manipulative” linguistic item as it can

make readers accept the propositions presupposed in the wh-structures as facts. As parts of a

headline, they also function to attract readers by tempting them to read to find out the answers

posed by the questions (Rubiyanti, 2013).

In general, more presuppositions were discovered in TG headlines, nearly doubling the

figures of VNN. Among VNN headlines, some even did not have any presupposition. The range

of triggers was also more diverse for TG headlines compared to VNN headlines. VNN editors, as

can be observed, strived for the quality of conciseness when writing their headlines, opting for

phrases rather than full sentences. Consequently, though, it makes the headlines bewildering and

hence hard to understand. Also, bereft of presuppositions, the headlines could not provide

enough information to equip readers with background knowledge and to enhance the appeal to

readers. Even existential presuppositions were mostly triggered by names of well-known or

common entities, while at the same time, these could be improved to become more descriptive.

In other words, more information could be packed within a single headline if the noun phrases

were to be extended descriptively or to contain detailed possessive construction, as in the case of

TG headlines. Another noticeable point is the application of implicative verbs, which may serve
the purpose of creating a positive/negative mood surrounding the subject matter. Unfortunately,

in spite of their quantity, they were quite limited in range. VNN writers, then, are advised to vary

the range of implicative verbs. TG headlines, while still maintaining the necessary succinctness,

hold instant appeal to readers. The existential contained more information thanks to elaborate

definite descriptions. One powerful tool for persuasion employed by TG writers was

Wh-constructions, simultaneously shaping readers’ minds and raising curiosity. Therefore,

Vietnamese journalists, when writing English news, should strive to achieve both brevity and

attractiveness by adopting suitable presupposition triggers, specifically developing descriptive

noun phrases and possessive constructions, diversifying implicative verbs as well as inputting

such persuasive constructions as Wh-questions. On the other side, this study also raises readers’

awareness of persuasion devices contained within headlines, helping to become “smart” readers

in today’s world of information.

There are, however, at least two limitations regarding this study. First, since there were

many cases that were not clear-cut and hence could not fit strictly into the proposed framework,

variation could appear in the analysis if examined by other researchers. In other words,

subjectivity might be a source of fluctuation, which can be simply explained as a natural part of

pragmatics - an area that deals with speakers’ meanings and interpretations then might differ

among listeners/readers. The second limitation concerns the restricted number of headlines as

well as the short time range addressed. To be specific, if more headlines over a range of time

periods are to be analyzed, it might give more precise results.

Conclusion

As Vietnam welcomes more foreigners coming to settle, the need for quality English

newspapers written by Vietnamese journalists is also emphasized, beginning with headlines

which constitute an important part of an article. According to previous studies, presuppositions,

or assumed fact before utterances, have been effectively adopted by native writers to create

concise and appealing headlines. This study, therefore, compared the presupposition triggers

identified in headlines from TG and VNN to draw out some implications that could help raise the

quality of headlines in Vietnamese English newspapers. Of 80 headlines analyzed, existential

presupposition triggers came first, followed by lexical and structural. Between the two codes, the

writers employed the same types of presupposition triggers in their headlines, but with varieties

in degrees and extents. The outnumbering figures of TG highlighted a more skillful technique of

native authors in using presuppositions to write their headlines. Vietnamese writers, hence, could

learn from these differences to improve their writing as native-like, brief, but also attractive. In

terms of future research, it would be useful for other researchers to review this study or extend it

with more data. The study also hopes to inspire more research into Vietnamese writing English in

journalism, which would be regarded as an interesting, brand-new, and fertile source of data with

a view to improving our country’s journalism to better adapt to globalization.

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Appendix A

40 Headlines from The Guardian from October 28 - October 31, 2022

Code Headlines Date of publication

TG1 The Guardian view on Tory immigration failures: from bad to October 31, 2022
worse

TG2 The Guardian view on Lula’s comeback: good for Brazil and the October 31, 2022
world

TG3 Israeli Arabs may be the last defence against Netanyahu’s return October 31, 2022
to power

TG4 Politicians are responsible for inequality in Britain. No wonder October 31, 2022
they blame refugees

TG5 Rishi Sunak badly misread the national mood, and now a Cop27 October 31, 2022
U-turn is looming

TG6 I've had to remind myself how to behave in meetings: rule one, October 30, 2022
don't just say whatever pops into your head

TG7 Elon Musk's Paul Pelosi tweet proved he has no business running October 30, 2022
Twitter

TG8 The moon: twice a day, 900 balloons are released from the Earth October 30, 2022

TG9 What drove the man who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband? October 30, 2022

TG10 Like Trump, Elon Musk reveals a vapid mind super-charged with October 30, 2022
wealth and ego

TG11 In Britain, a jail sentence is often a death sentence. What's going October 30, 2022
on in our prisons?

TG12 Lula's presidential victory in Brazil is sweet, but will he be able October 30, 2022
to govern?

TG13 I've found extraordinary joy in knitting. Here's why October 30, 2022
TG14 Sunak's Covid decisions tell us how he might act now. It doesn't October 30, 2022
look good for the NHS

TG15 Move over pumpkins! A swede, which looks like a preserved October 30, 2022
head dug up from a bog, is far more terrifying

TG16 Go trick-or-treating this Halloween, and help bring Britain back October 30, 2022
from the undead

TG17 Yes, Sunak at no 10 is a 'win' - in exposing the emptiness of the October 30, 2022
elite diversity rhetoric

TG18 Could Twitter actually get any worse? Hold Elon's beer October 30, 2022

TG19 I have done all I can to save energy and I can barely afford the October 30, 2022
cost of existing

TG20 The Guardian view on China's response to dissent: repression, at October 30, 2022
home and away

TG21 The Guardian view on cuts to arts funding: a calamity that must October 29, 2022
be averted

TG22 Disastrous cuts loom, but the Tories have a secret weapon - our October 29, 2022
weary fatalism

TG23 Learning new skills can be daunting. Here are four ways to October 29, 2022
embrace being a beginner

TG24 Raising Warragamba Dam probably can't stop floods. There's a October 29, 2022
simpler solution closer to home

TG25 How do I stay in touch with my sons at the university without October 29, 2022
seeming tragic and needy?

TG26 Calling all men: this is what we can do to help women feel safe October 29, 2022
exercising in the dark

TG27 The Tories are trashing more than just a nation October 29, 2022

TG28 May I have a word about ... why magic bullets aren't silver October 29, 2022

TG29 Hidden gems from the world of research/ Satellite pictures shine October 29, 2022
light on the nations that inflate their GDP

TG30 Rishi Sunak's politics are wretched. But as a British Indian, I see October 29, 2022
why his rise to the top matters

TG31 What Keir Starmer needs to do if Labour is to successfully October 29, 2022
challenge Rishi Sunak
TG32 Will disruptive action help save the planet? October 29, 2022

TG33 Halloween is bad enough, so why torture ourselves with scary October 29, 2022
films?

TG34 TS Eliot's Waste Land was a barren place. But at least a spirit of October 29, 2022
optimism still prevailed.

TG35 The Observer view on Rishi Sunak's shameful decision not to October 29, 2022
attend Cop27

TG36 The Observer view on why we're paying a high price to host the October 29, 2022
World Cup

TG37 Letters: nurses need a little nurturing October 29, 2022

TG38 Observer corrections and clarifications/ For the record October 29, 2022

TG39 Our schnauzer will always be waiting to greet my father on the October 28, 2022
tennis court again

TG40 In a deserted courtroom, the grim details of the Nice atrocity go October 28, 2022
mostly unnoticed

Appendix B

40 Headlines from Việt Nam News with intervening from August 15 - October 26, 2022

Code Headlines Date of publication

VNN1 Austria - Việt Nam: 50 years of diplomatic relations October 26, 2022

VNN2 High-rise space management needs to go hand-in-hand with October 22, 2022
sustainable development

VNN3 Improving agricultural value chain in the Mekong Delta October 21, 2022

VNN4 Natural disaster coping plans need new approach after recent October 19, 2022
flooding in Đà Nẵng

VNN5 Onsite first aid plays important role but receives little attention in October 17, 2022
Việt Nam: Professor

VNN6 Việt Nam working hard to ensure all human rights for all October 15, 2022

VNN7 Preventive measures key to control dengue fever: official October 14, 2022

VNN8 Nature, equality and new bridges between Spain and Việt Nam in October 13, 2022
 2022

VNN9 Hà Nội eyes improving transport network in next ten years October 13, 2022

VNN10 One year on from Resolution 128: an effective resolution issued October 11, 2022
at the right time

VNN11 Mechanisation needed to increase agricultural value October 8, 2022

VNN12 Power control is vital to fighting against group interests in October 1, 2022
legislative activities

VNN13 Hygiene remains a major issue in school restroom September 30, 2022

VNN14 Lessons from the pandemic to better handle future outbreaks: September 29, 2022
expert

VNN15 World News Day: In times of crisis and change, journalists play a September 28, 2022
critical role in society

VNN16 World News Day: Disinformation is a scourge on public September 28, 2022
discourse. Fact-based journalism can help stop it

VNN17 High-quality rice production areas to be formed for increased September 28, 2022
value, reduced gas emissions

VNN18 Government needs to support businesses to proactively adapt to September 27, 2022
future fluctuations

VNN19 Thirty years of Việt Nam Marine Strategy: a long stride in September 26, 2022
realising the strategic vision

VNN20 Việt Nam vulnerable to Europe’s energy crisis due to heavy September 23, 2022
imports

VNN21 Saudi Arabia sees Vision 2030 as sustainable future September 22, 2022

VNN22 VNNR insists cafes in train streets constitute serious safety September 20, 2022
violation

VNN23 Persist efforts pay off in election of Vietnamese expert elected to September 19, 2022
agency of International Seabed Authority

VNN24 Ministry works to reduce fires, improve safety September 17, 2022

VNN25 COVID-19 control measures narrowed in new situation September 14, 2022

VNN26 Farmers are core factor promoting agricultural and rural area September 12, 2022
development
VNN27 Land policy changes improve social welfare and accessibility: September 10, 2022
expert

VNN28 Đà Lạt needs better manage greenhouses to protect environment, September 9, 2022
prevent floods

VNN29 Independence or Death: The Bicentennial Anniversary of the September 8, 2022

Independence of Brazil

VNN30 New project helps improve efficiency of innovation, technology September 8, 2022
transfer in Hà Nội

VNN31 The right policies can protect the workers of Asia and the Pacific September 6, 2022

VNN32 2022-2023 academic year puts focus on renovation: minister September 6, 2022

VNN33 Association helps encourage farmers to develop September 5, 2022

VNN34 Whale watching tours must be carefully regulated: marine August 31, 2022
biologist

VNN35 More efforts needed to strengthen child protection: expert August 30, 2022

VNN36 Wildlife conservation maintains biodiversity August 29, 2022

VNN37 Farmers are at the centre of science and technology innovation August 20, 2022

VNN38 Việt Nam gears up to scale its game industry: official August 19, 2022

VNN39 Vietnamese language a precious asset: deputy minister August 17, 2022

VNN40 Recommitting to a closer India-Việt Nam partnership August 15, 2022