Journalism with the mission of developing Vietnamese culture and people

Speaking about the role of the press, President Ho Chi Minh - the founder and great teacher of the Vietnamese revolutionary press, once affirmed: "The task of the press is to serve the people, to serve the revolution", "Press cadres are also revolutionary soldiers". Imbued with Uncle Ho's ideology, throughout a century of serving the Fatherland and the people with their pens, generations of Vietnamese journalists have fought on all fronts.

Particularly on the cultural and ideological front, the press has shaped and spread cultural standards of behavior in society, contributing to building and developing culture and human character; following the right direction as indicated by the Party's policies and guidelines on culture, most recently Resolution 33 on "Building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable national development".

Art program "Forever the Triumphant Song" celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the Liberation of Bac Lieu . Photo: HT

Lesson 1: Recreating history, arousing patriotism

Dubbed as “the secretary of the times”, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has diligently recorded and “revived” the heroic historical moments of the nation. Many articles and documentary films have been stained by time and still touch the hearts of readers, listeners and viewers today!

And when revolutionary traditions are preserved, patriotism and national pride are promoted, the press also contributes to providing the prerequisites to forge a system of national values ​​- the endogenous strength of the nation in any era.

Refreshing historical documents

“I have hunted down the special supplement of Nhan Dan newspaper, teacher!” - Le Quoc Bao, a student of class 16 DNV (Bac Lieu University) excitedly showed off to his lecturer. An even younger reader - an elementary school student - was absorbed in enjoying the printed newspaper with multiple senses, because his father guided him to access the QR code on it. The historic Ho Chi Minh campaign was learned about by a boy with both interest and admiration...

Having a supplement that recreates the golden moments of history in the atmosphere of the whole country celebrating the 50th anniversary of national reunification, for many Bac Lieu readers, that is happiness. The happiness of patriotic citizens who know how to appreciate the historical values ​​of their predecessors!

And that is also the goal of Nhan Dan Newspaper - the newspaper considered the eldest brother of the Vietnamese revolutionary press - when launching a special information campaign to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country recently. The practical work has "promoted the role of the press in the task of contributing to propagating andeducating the tradition of patriotism and the spirit of great national unity of all generations of Vietnamese people, contributing to creating a strong driving force for our country to enter a new era - an era of prosperous development" as noted by Vice President - Vo Thi Anh Xuan.

One of those tasks is that Nhan Dan Newspaper has printed and distributed hundreds of thousands of copies of this special supplement to readers nationwide for free. These are special documents about the Ho Chi Minh Campaign designed and printed on Nhan Dan Newspaper paper, including 8 A3 pages. What "fascinates" readers is that the supplement integrates QR codes so that viewers can easily access and follow many documentary videos on social networking platforms.

Innovating propaganda methods to target readers in the digital age is a new and permanent task that modern press must think about. Historical stories learned from school are too familiar, so new experiences from the press are needed. It must be recognized that traditional press is full of unique stories, but sometimes it will be difficult to integrate with the tastes of young people in the digital age. Therefore, it is necessary to have appropriate forms for the press to build a system of values ​​of patriotism and national pride - an important task for the press to contribute to "building and developing culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable development of the country" in the new context.

Reporters from Bac Lieu press agencies work with provincial leaders to inspect preparations for the Vietnam - Bac Lieu Salt Festival 2025.

The press "captures" the golden moment

“ This is the voice of Vietnam broadcasting from Hanoi, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam... The Ho Chi Minh Campaign has been completely victorious. Saigon City has been completely liberated. The flag of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam has flown over the roof of the puppet President's Palace …” - is the immortal victory news from 50 years ago, rebroadcast by a school unit to illustrate the model of tank 390 crashing into the gate of the Independence Palace to participate in the book stacking contest with the theme "The Great Victory of Spring 1975 - The Epic of Victory". This news is no longer unfamiliar to many people, it still makes people "goosebumps" when they listen to it again! In just over 3 minutes, the information that broke the hearts of millions of Vietnamese people on the historic day of April 30 with a voice full of joy and pride has created an immortal news that lives forever!

In Bac Lieu, the first victory news of the Military Management Committee at 6:00 p.m. on April 30 was also broadcast by the town's Radio Station with the content: Bac Lieu Province was completely liberated on April 30, 1975! Besides, the golden moment of history - the "entering the tiger's den" trip of the Bac Lieu revolutionary delegation to negotiate with the Provincial Governor Nguyen Ngoc Diep to force the surrender of the revolutionary army - was recorded by press photos that have become invaluable historical documents of Bac Lieu!

The golden moment of journalism is sometimes just a pan of the camera! During the recent 50th anniversary celebration of the country's reunification, when two young singers performed the song "Continuing the story of peace" by musician Nguyen Van Chung - after the lyrics " Please thank the soldiers who forgot their own feelings, forgot themselves ", VTV's television camera at that time quickly captured the moment that made the audience choke up: An elderly Colonel, his chest full of medals, quietly raised his hand to wipe away his tears!

That is the golden moment that only journalists with sensitive hearts and quick wit can capture in time to convey to the audience and readers. Those journalistic images do not even need commentary!

The scope of this article is only typical of a major event of the whole nation to prove that: Documentary films about the war were rebroadcast, a series of television programs were elaborately staged in terms of technique, carefully scripted and integrated with valuable press materials, brought images and messages that penetrated deeply into the hearts of the audience. At that time, the press directly aroused patriotism, pride and responsibility to preserve peace, build the country for the young generation, the future owners of the country today and tomorrow.

That is also the way to build and develop culture and people from the starting point of fostering patriotism, solidarity and national pride in every Vietnamese person that the writers on the ideological front have always strived to fulfill their mission.

Cam Thuy

Source: https://www.baobaclieu.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/bao-chi-voi-su-menh-phat-trien-van-hoa-con-nguoi-viet-nam-100562.html