Unique and unusual traditional spring newspaper

With the aim of providing lighthearted entertainment, most traditional New Year's newspapers tended to tell stories about buffaloes in the Year of the Ox, horses in the Year of the Horse, and dragons in the Year of the Dragon...

By 1972, Saigon had 43 daily newspapers in operation, 134 periodicals such as weekly, monthly, and bi-monthly publications, and 16 newspapers in English, French, and Chinese, according to the weekly magazine Van Nghe Tien Phong . Although the editorial policies and readership of each newspaper differed, at the end of the year, most daily newspapers published a special edition called a spring supplement (spring newspaper).

Cover of the Lunar New Year 1952 issue of Than Chung newspaper .

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Springtime stories of old spring newspapers

According to writer Son Nam, the spring edition of newspapers was a distinctive feature of Saigon life, a sudden innovation that began in 1930. The first was the weekly newspaper Phu Nu Tan Van Xuan Canh Ngo, published by Nguyen Duc Nhuan, a businessman on Catinat Street (now Dong Khoi Street). According to Son Nam, journalists before 1975 used the term "spring special edition" to avoid the word "newspaper."

Manuscripts and handwritten notes by Son Nam

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With the aim of providing lighthearted entertainment, most traditional Lunar New Year newspapers tended to tell stories about oxen in the Year of the Ox, horses in the Year of the Horse, and dragons in the Year of the Dragon… along with sections such as "First Visit of the Year by Artists," "Petition to the Kitchen God," and "Horoscope."

In the spring of 1966 (Year of the Horse), the daily newspaper Sống, owned by writer Chu Tử, published a thick spring special edition, compiling articles from many famous Saigon writers and journalists such as Nguyễn Thụy Long, Lê Tất Điều, Dương Nghiễm Mậu, Nguyên Sa, Hồ Hữu Tường, Duyên Anh… and also maintaining the satirical column "Duck Pond"…

Phu Nu Tan Van (New Women 's Newspaper) by Nguyen Duc Nhuan, 1934

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The Thần Chung Spring issue of the 1952 Year of the Dragon, with over 40 pages of content in a 30x42 cm format, featured many articles related to dragons, such as the dragon descending in Tây Ninh or the eight years of the Year of the Dragon under the Nguyễn dynasty. Notably, despite being a spring issue, Thần Chung did not hesitate to recall the devastating storm of the Year of the Dragon in 1904 that caused significant damage in Gò Công, Mỹ Tho, and the Saigon-Chợ Lớn area. The 1964 Saigon Spring issue of the Year of the Dragon heavily explored the dragon: Is the crested snake a dragon? The earth dragon in the Thạch Vân cave and the Emperor's lair in Hạ Long Bay…

Cover of the Nam Ky weekly newspaper, Spring issue (Year of the Goat 1943)

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Legend has it that when Nguyen Hoang went to Thuan Hoa to avoid his brother-in-law Trinh Kiem, one day he went with a geomancer to survey the scenery and find a place to build his palace. When they arrived at the left bank of the Perfume River, the geomancer claimed that the place had a very auspicious dragon vein, but it had been cursed by Cao Bien, who had dug a ditch cutting across the dragon vein at the foot of Ha Khe hill. The geomancer then removed the curse and filled in the ditch. In the year Tan Suu (1601), Nguyen Hoang had a pagoda built there and named it Thien Mu Pagoda.

Cover of the Spring Newsletter of the Year of the Monkey 1956

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Also in the Thần Chung Xuân Nhâm Thìn 1952 issue, there is an article suggesting that it wasn't invented by the French, but that before 1800, during his exile, Lord Nguyễn Ánh already knew how to use fingerprints. Specifically, during the period of pursuit by the Tây Sơn, he often had to disguise himself as a commoner, hiding with his entourage in many places in the Southern region. At times, after losing battles, the Lord and his followers were scattered. Carrying the official seal was very dangerous. To communicate with his entourage, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh devised a method of using fingerprints on secret documents sent out. The generals would then recognize the Lord's fingerprints.

The story goes that when Lord Nguyen was taking refuge in Binh Dinh, one night the fishermen intended to take him south. But as soon as the boat set sail, it encountered a great storm, its mooring ropes broke, and it was swept ashore.

The cover of the Tu Do ( Freedom) newspaper , Spring 1961, features a drawing of a buffalo.

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In a moment of crisis, he entered a house and met an old woman weaving silk. Seeing her kind nature, he told her the truth. The old woman immediately offered him a piece of silk she was nearly finished weaving to cut and use as a rope. Not knowing how to repay her kindness, Nguyen Anh drew his short sword, cut a corner of her robe, marked it with ink, and said, "In the future, if I am able to restore my kingdom, I will not dare betray your loyalty." Thanks to that piece of silk, the lord set sail directly to Khanh Hoa , where he met Vo Thanh, who was also searching for the lord.

Cover of the Vietnam Spring Newspaper , Year of the Snake 1965

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Many unusual news stories

The Nam Ky weekly newspaper, Xuan Quy Vi (Quy Mui 1943), was one of the earliest spring newspapers published in Saigon. Nearly 70 pages of content, but the cover was printed in only one color with a drawing of a mother holding her child, the colors were monotonous. Many articles were long and somewhat difficult to read because they were far removed from reality. Only the articles "Remembering My Homeland" by Doan Gioi, "Old Ba Tri" by Le Tho Xuan, and "I Celebrated Tet in Con Son" by Khuong Viet were close to real life.

Cover page 1 of the Southern Torch newspaper, Spring of the Year of the Pig 1971

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In 1956, when the Vietnamese people didn't even know what television was, the Spring issue of Tin Dien magazine published a long article about a monkey that became a "television star"! It was a two-year-old monkey named Fred Muggs, and in 1954 it traveled the world as an "ambassador" for the American television industry.

"The art of the monkey" is during television broadcasts; for example, when the announcer reads news about an earthquake, the monkey scratches its ear; when it reports a cabinet crisis, the monkey wrinkles its nose... Just a few such gestures, but each year the monkey earns fifty thousand dollars, equivalent to 2 million Indochinese francs at the time! The monkey has a personal secretary to respond to admiring poems from viewers. When the monkey travels, a reporter and a cameraman accompany it. When the monkey set foot in the City of Lights, Paris, a veterinarian came to Orly airport to greet and take care of it.

Cover of the newspaper "Life in Spring of the Year of the Pig 1971"

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The Spring of Freedom 1961 (Year of the Ox) was also an unusual publication because dozens of large-format pages were filled with text, with no illustrations. The front cover featured a stylized buffalo with a tail that resembled a tiger's. However, this issue contained many articles by famous writers such as Doãn Quốc Sỹ, Võ Phiến, Vi Huyền Đắc, Nguyễn Duy Cần, Lê Ngọc Trụ, and Vương Hông Sển…

Similarly, the Vietnam Spring 1965 issue also had a similar style with many very long articles by figures such as Phan Khac Suu, Ho Huu Tuong, Vu Hoang Chuong, Phan Khoang, Le Ngoc Tru, Nguyen The Truyen, Chu Tu, Phan Quang Dan… The only difference is that each article included a picture of the author.

Cover page of the Spring Light magazine , Tan Mao year 1951.

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Why do Vietnamese people cherish Tet (Vietnamese New Year)? Historian Phan Khoang (author of "Vietnamese History of the Southern Region" ) wrote that no other nation in the world loves and cherishes Tet as much as the Vietnamese. Anyone who is poor and lacks money to celebrate Tet is truly unfortunate: "Looking around, Tet is here again / At this time, I'm truly going to die / Heaven is high, earth is low, my wife hasn't returned / The month ends, the year ends, and the rice runs out!"

In the early 1950s, many Lunar New Year newspapers featured drawings of beautiful women by artist Le Trung.

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After the collapse of the First Republic, even though it was the Lunar New Year issue, the Vietnam Spring 1960 edition still published a two-page article recounting the failed coup attempt on November 11, 1960, led by Colonel Nguyen Chanh Thi. After being imprisoned for nearly three years, the government prepared to bring dozens of defendants to military court in July 1963 when writer Nhat Linh Nguyen Tuong Tam committed suicide by poisoning himself, despite being out on bail.

Women's Forum Magazine , Spring 1966 (Year of the Horse)

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Perhaps the strangest is the 1971 Spring issue of "Duoc Nha Nam" (Southern Torch), edited and managed by journalist Tran Tan Quoc. The front and back covers of this spring issue were printed in beautiful four-color offset, featuring only old banknotes. Meanwhile, the 28 pages of special content focused solely on one topic: money!

Life News … news review!

One truly unique spring issue was the weekly magazine "Doi" (Life) by writer Chu Tu. While the general trend for spring magazines was entertainment and lightheartedness to boost sales, "Doi" did the opposite. For example, the cover of the 1971 Spring issue (Year of the Pig) used the phrase "Tan Hoi hoi tan" (The year of the Pig is almost over) without any reservations!

Photo of singer Minh Hieu on the cover of the Women's Forum magazine, Spring 1967 (Year of the Goat).

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During Tet (Vietnamese New Year), the "Many Facets of Life" column claims that the Spring editions of newspapers for the Year of the Pig are all about... girls, pigs, and money! It sounds strange, but the newspaper "Life" cites the cover image – printed with banknotes depicting incense burners and golden dragons – as proof that the " Torch of the Southern House " Spring edition for the Year of the Pig is a money-driven publication. "Surely anyone who has read this entire special edition will not be able to enjoy a pleasant Tet holiday. Because this is a spring newspaper that is anything but spring-themed. Strangely, even though it's printed in larger quantities than the daily newspaper, it still sells out completely."

A picture of artist Thanh Nga in the Women's Forum magazine, Spring 1967 (Year of the Goat).

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According to the newspaper Doi , although the newspapers Cong Luan and Thach Do have different stances, they publish two identical, classic-style spring editions. Since the trend of beautiful women holding doves of peace is outdated, this year the beauties freely flaunt their thighs and breasts on the covers. The articles inside are also of the old-fashioned kind, but "some people believe these two spring editions are only meant to be read while engaging in... the fourth pleasure"!

The Spring issue of the newspaper "Con Ong Xuân Tân Hợi" (The Bee of the Year of the Pig) featured a cover illustration of a litter of mother pigs and piglets, and the articles inside revolved around dogs and pigs. Very few articles didn't mention pigs, such as the rambling, nonsensical piece by Dê Húc Càn. "When writing an article for the end of the year, my mind is completely blank. There's no article I've ever written that's as pointless as those for the spring issue." Despite saying that, Dê Húc Càn still wrote a long, rambling piece, true to its title, " Rambling, Nonsensical!"

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doc-la-bao-xuan-xua-18526022010294468.htm