“Check-in memories”
TikTok, Facebook, Instagram… are currently the “channels” that most quickly and vividly reflect the emotions of young people about the event of merging provinces and cities from July 1, 2025. A series of videos recording the removal of local nameplates, old photos, poems, and impromptu songs about the old province names are shared across social networking sites. Many young people edit their personal videos to update the new names, both funny and profound.
In the last days of June, young people spread the trend of Old Province, Old Name, sharing photos and clips of famous local landmarks that will soon be renamed. Mr. Nguyen Hoang Son chose to keep the image of the Thai Binh province gate at sunset with the purple sky as a way to express his nostalgia for the old name. Those photos quickly received thousands of likes and comments, many sympathetic opinions were shared by the online community right under the post. Among them, Mr. Nguyen Ba Duy expressed: "I once heard my father say that my hometown is Ha Nam , separated from the old Ha Nam Ninh province, and now it has become Ninh Binh province. Although it sounds a bit strange, it is also interesting!"
In Ho Chi Minh City, Ms. Nguyen Dac Thien Ngan posted a video "showing off" a map of 63 provinces and cities on her Tiktok channel, receiving more than two million views. A series of comments responded: They invited each other to buy maps, the Vietnam Geography Atlas, and shared the names of old provinces and cities as an unforgettable heritage. "Old or new names are all our country, but keeping them to tell our children and grandchildren is the right thing to do" - a user wrote on social media. Many young people agree with that opinion, they see remembering, preserving, or simply "checking in memories" as an act of responsibility.
TikToker Man Ne has made her mark again with a video covering songs about the West. In the lyrics, places like Kien Giang and Long An were changed by Man, with new names added, attracting tens of thousands of likes. The humor, intimacy, and Gen Z color make the message gentle and touch the hearts of many people.
Not stopping there, many young people designed watches engraved with the names of 63 provinces and cities, opened Q&A topics about old place names, or organized "nostalgic tours" to places that will change their names after July 1.
Put aside regrets and look to the future
And of course, amid the “wave of emotions” called nostalgia, young people are not immersed in regret. They quickly transform into action: Remember to preserve, share to spread, and expect to develop together. Not everyone fully understands the resolution, administrative structure or regional planning, but civic responsibility, concern for the fate of the country, the story of the name, the organization of the apparatus, are being aroused in a very ordinary and practical way. Mr. Tran Hung (born in 2001 in Yen Bai, now in Lao Cai province) shared: “I see this as an opportunity for the provinces to develop together, support each other. The important thing is to move forward together”.
Nguyen Canh Nam (born in 1993), from Hai Duong province, now Hai Phong, is also optimistic: "I believe this change is a strategic move, hopefully opening up a new look for the whole region."
If in the past, young people only listened to adults discuss current events at dinner, now they are part of that conversation. The way they face this revolution of merging provinces and cities and streamlining the apparatus is a clear demonstration: Young people are interested in politics and society in the way of the digital citizen generation.
The event of merging provinces and cities not only marks a major change in the Vietnamese administrative apparatus, but also opens up an interesting slice of the consciousness of the young generation. Through each post, video, image and spreading emotion, they are contributing to turning the changes “on paper” into cultural material and vivid memories. The geographical map may change, but the emotional map - where love for the homeland and civic responsibility are kept - will remain forever.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/bau-troi-to-quoc-trong-tam-thuc-cong-dan-so-post891420.html
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