"Swallows" herald the arrival of spring.

At the roundtable discussion "Spring Newspapers Advancing Towards the Digital Age," held at Ho Chi Minh City Book Street on January 28th, the public had the opportunity to look back at the history of the formation and development of Vietnamese spring newspapers, especially in the context of the current digital transformation.

Over a century deeply marked by Vietnamese culture.

As is customary, in the final days of the year, one of the things many readers look forward to is the Lunar New Year issue of newspapers. People buy them to read during the Tet holiday or to give as gifts to friends and relatives as a spiritual present for the new year. According to the research of Mr. Vuong Hong Sen, the Tet issue of Nam Phong newspaper in 1918 is considered the "ancestor" of Vietnamese Lunar New Year newspapers. The newspaper was created as a gift for Nam Phong readers, while also establishing a unique publication and style for readers during the Tet holiday.

Readers are invited to visit and explore the exhibition "Spring Newspapers Advancing in the Digital Age".

“During our research of old newspapers, we found some that, while not yet official Lunar New Year editions, already contained articles about spring and had a spring-like atmosphere, such as Gia Dinh Bao in 1869, Thong Loai Khoa Trinh in 1889, and Nam Ky in 1898… But if we were to call the beginning of Lunar New Year newspapers, as Mr. Vuong Hong Sen rightly observed, it was the Nam Phong newspaper in its Tet Mau Ngo 1918 issue. Thus, our Lunar New Year newspapers have existed for over 100 years, becoming a meaningful source of spiritual nourishment for the public to enjoy the spring and celebrate the New Year,” said Mr. Tran Dinh Ba, Deputy Director - Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House.

According to Ms. Doan Thi Thoa, Deputy Head of the Journalism and Communication Department at the College of Radio and Television II, the Lunar New Year newspaper is a very special publication for the general public who love books and newspapers. It serves as a record of past events in the country, or the cultural and spiritual values ​​of the nation, which continue to be preserved and passed down, as well as being adapted to world culture to create new excellences in life. Vietnamese Lunar New Year newspapers are deeply imbued with Vietnamese culture each year. This is why everyone, during the Lunar New Year season, eagerly seeks out their favorite Lunar New Year newspapers as a spiritual gift, welcoming the new year with many hopes for peace and prosperity.

Celebrate the Lunar New Year online

The idea for organizing the roundtable and exhibition "Spring Newspapers Advancing in the Digital Age" came from journalist Trung Nghia, the Ho Chi Minh City Reading Culture Ambassador for the 2023-2024 term. Recently, he has been collecting spring newspaper covers and uploading them to social media as a form of "online exhibition." According to him, the cultural tradition of enjoying spring newspapers is being continued through the spring editions that newspaper editorial offices still produce with great care, dedication, richness, and diversity. The enduring vitality and continuous evolution of spring newspapers are also evident in online newspapers with continuously updated information throughout the Tet holiday, as a journey to preserve core cultural values ​​and integrate with the digital age – a new era to reach today's readers.

From now until February 1st, the exhibition "Spring Newspapers Advancing in the Digital Age" is taking place at Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, showcasing the tradition of spring publications both past and present. Here, the public has the opportunity to learn about and appreciate the covers of spring newspapers, from the Nam Phong newspaper's Tet Mau Ngo 1918 issue to later spring newspapers such as Saigon Giai Phong, Tuoi Tre, Thanh Nien, Nguoi Lao Dong, Giac Ngo, Cong Giao & Dan Toc… Particularly noteworthy is the presence of the first spring newspaper covers after the country's reunification (Tet Binh Thin 1976) from Saigon Giai Phong, Tuoi Tre, Giac Ngo, and Cong Giao & Dan Toc.

Journalist Trung Nghia explains: In recent years, traditional printed spring publications have been effectively digitized, becoming e-papers stored on online platforms, and anyone can read them online anytime, anywhere, including overseas Vietnamese. This contributes to preserving the cultural values ​​and intellectual benefits contained in spring publications, while also making it easier for digital spring publications to reach today's young readers, students, and schoolchildren.

Ms. Doan Thi Thoa agrees that, besides keeping a traditional spring publication at home as a spiritual gift, the digitization of spring newspapers or online news sites focusing on updating news during the Tet holiday when print newspapers are temporarily closed is a trend that is in line with today's times. Based on her teaching experience and personal observations, Ms. Doan Thi Thoa highly appreciates the organization and implementation of these online newspapers, which have created a very joyful "online spring" atmosphere, providing many useful and positive pieces of information for readers both domestically and internationally.

HO SON

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/canh-en-bao-tin-xuan-post835823.html