Only nameplate left

National historical relic signboard of Dan Chung Newspaper Headquarters

Recently, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City coordinated with the People's Committee of Nguyen Thai Binh Ward to launch the national historical relic signboard of the Dan Chung Newspaper Headquarters, at 43 Le Thi Hong Gam Street, Nguyen Thai Binh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Following the flow of history of Vietnam's revolutionary press, in 1938, the editorial office of Dan Chung Newspaper was established at 43 Hamelin Street (now Le Thi Hong Gam Street, District 1), then moved to 51E Colonel Grimaud Street (now Pham Ngu Lao Street, District 1). On November 16, 1988, the Dan Chung Newspaper headquarters was recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) as a National Historical Relic in Ho Chi Minh City.

Despite being a nationally ranked historical site, the only remaining information board is an information board. Address 43 Le Thi Hong Gam has been privately owned since 1991. This national historical site is now a 6-storey office building, always bustling with daily activities. Few people pay attention to the small old board on the side of the house, reminding them of the former headquarters of one of the most prominent newspapers, marking a milestone in the history of Vietnam’s revolutionary press. And now, the only thing that has changed is a newer board.

Due to historical circumstances, war, division, etc., many historical and cultural sites and relics have inevitably been "damaged". However, the fact that the only vestiges of a national historical relic are two boards has left much sorrow for the community. The old building no longer exists, but if the board had more images (documentary photos or paintings) of the old headquarters of Dan Chung Newspaper, or the covers of some typical newspapers, etc., it would certainly bring back memories to viewers. The updated QR code on the new signboard cannot "make up" for this deficiency. When scanning the code, those who want to learn more can only see the relic ranking profile, which is quite blurry and difficult to read, with absolutely no additional information or simulated or recreated images to learn about.

Preserving heritage is an important part of the country's history and culture. But preserving it so that it truly lives with the community and society is essential. A national relic, even if the actual situation is only a signboard, we can still supplement detailed, clear information, from reality to digital space, so that today's and future generations can fully and correctly understand the values of the glorious past.

LIBRA

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/chi-con-bang-ten-post800591.html