On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Dan Tri electronic newspaper, we had a conversation with Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Doan - former Vice President, currently President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education . As the person who directly led the governing body of Dan Tri electronic newspaper during the special period, she shared many stories, perspectives and expectations about a journalistic journey associated with the mission of "improving people's knowledge, training human resources, and nurturing talents".
Two "brands" ahead of their time of Dan Tri newspaper
Dear Professor, during the period when Dan Tri electronic newspaper was still an agency under the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education, what policies and orientations did the Association have to develop the newspaper, especially in spreading the spirit of promoting learning and talent?
- I started working as Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education in 2016, when the newspaper had been operating for a while. Until 2020, when the newspaper was still under the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education, in the new period, we inherited and continued to emphasize the directions for the newspaper to implement.
First of all, the newspaper must be responsible for fully propagating the Party's policies and the State's laws oneducation , encouraging learning, encouraging talents and building a learning society. This is the top priority.
President of Vietnam Association for Promoting Education, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Doan (Photo: Hai Long).
Second, the newspaper needs to promptly disseminate typical learning examples - from teachers, students at all levels, workers in various fields to those working in education promotion - to encourage, motivate and replicate typical examples, of course with a spirit of fairness and objectivity.
Third, through the two above-mentioned propaganda tasks, the further goal is to improve people's knowledge, train human resources, and foster talents. That is the Association's long-term strategic orientation in the context of digital transformation.
Fourth, newspapers play a very important role in calling on the whole society to support teachers, especially good teachers, as well as mobilizing resources to help teacher training colleges - where the future generation of teachers is trained.
In addition, another major task is that the newspaper needs to organize well the Vietnam Talent Award - an award of national scope and international influence, especially in the field of information technology.
Finally, the task is to build and develop the Charity program. Under the direction of the Association, the newspaper has done a great job of connecting charitable hearts, helping poor students, patients in difficult circumstances, building bridges, houses, schools, etc.
And of course, the newspaper must also do a good job of disseminating economic, political and social information at home and abroad, thereby encouraging patriotism, raising awareness and promoting emulation movements to encourage learning and talent, and building a learning society nationwide.
It can be seen that the Vietnam Talent Awards and the Humanity Program are outstanding “legacies” from the period when the newspaper belonged to the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education. How do you evaluate the significance and vitality of these two “brands”?
- Yes, these are two very important highlights of Dan Tri electronic newspaper, contributing to increasing the reputation of Vietnam Association for Promoting Education.
The Vietnam Talent Award represents a vision ahead of its time by the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education and Dan Tri electronic newspaper. Since 2005, when information technology had not yet exploded as it is now, Dan Tri electronic newspaper was assigned to organize an award to encourage scientific research, technological innovation, and promote innovation.
The person who laid the foundation and successfully organized this award was journalist Pham Huy Hoan - at that time the Editor-in-Chief. He organized the award with a very clear goal, scientific process, creative approach, attracting the participation of scientists from many fields: information technology, environment, medicine, agriculture...
This is not a formal award. The award is profound, it evaluates the right people, the right talents, and honors the right places. Many products and projects honored here have been applied in practice domestically and some have been applied abroad. The award creates an environment for young scientists to be passionate about research, igniting the desire to innovate for the country.
What I find valuable is that the value of this award remains intact after nearly 20 years, and is even spreading more and more. Up to now, the directions that the Association assigned to the newspaper since 2005 such as organizing the "Self-study to become talented" award, "honoring scientists" ... have now become major policies of our Party and State.
At that time, the Association had very dedicated people in the Standing Committee of the Association such as the late Professor, Doctor of Science Nguyen Huy Hieu, Professor, Doctor Pham Tat Dong... Those people gave very correct and sufficient directions, ahead of their time.
Regarding the Humanitarian program, this is a program rich in humanity, operating transparently according to the motto "one dong comes, one dong goes". Every week, the newspaper publicly announces the amount of money readers donate and transfers it to difficult circumstances. Many patients have been saved, many children have the opportunity to go to school thanks to the touching articles in this column.
The Bridge of Humanity, the House of Humanity, the School of Humanity… are all beautiful “footprints” that perhaps not many newspapers have maintained and developed programs for such a long time.
During your time working for the newspaper, do you have any special memories of the newspaper and especially of journalist Pham Huy Hoan - Editor-in-Chief at that time?
- Before I joined the Association for Promotion of Education, I paid close attention to the Dan Tri electronic newspaper. Columns such as Education, Vietnamese Talents, Bright Mirrors - Promotion of Education, Humanity... all left a deep impression. The articles were sharp, honest, reflected reality, had depth and created emotions. Especially the articles in the Humanity section, many of which moved me.
From those articles, I thought that the Dan Tri reporters must be capable, combative, honest and passionate about their job. Later, when I had the opportunity to meet and work with Dan Tri reporters, I realized that my initial assessment was not wrong.
Regarding Mr. Pham Huy Hoan, he is a journalist I admire very much. When he was Editor-in-Chief, he was brave, decisive, sharp and had vision. There were meetings where no one dared to speak up, he was the one who dared to speak up, dared to protect the interests of Dan Tri newspaper and other newspapers. He was truly the one who laid a solid foundation for Dan Tri electronic newspaper to develop strongly as it is today.
The newspaper is a pioneer in digital transformation and brand building.
As an agency that used to be affiliated with the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education, Dan Tri has always paid special attention to the field of education - which is the focus of its mission of "improving people's knowledge, training human resources, and nurturing talents". How do you evaluate the way Dan Tri has demonstrated its role in accompanying the policy of promoting education, promoting talents, and building a learning society through educational content?
- Education is a field closely related to the life of the whole society, it is not easy to report on education in a profound, honest and responsible way. But Dan Tri can do it.
It can be said that the education section of Dan Tri electronic newspaper actively participates in policy criticism. I have followed and seen that whenever a new policy, document or program in the education sector is issued, Dan Tri immediately has an article analyzing, commenting, and reflecting public opinion in a very timely manner.
Not extreme criticism or trend following, but well-founded, thoughtful and far-sighted criticism, which means both honest and constructive. That is extremely important in education, where every policy, no matter how small, can affect millions of students, teachers, and their families.
In addition to critical thinking, I appreciate the role of spreading positive values in articles about education. Dan Tri does not forget to honor dedicated teachers in remote areas, or poor, studious and determined students. These stories have contributed to nurturing a love of learning and arousing respect for knowledge in the community.
The newspaper also integrates educational goals very well into the Humanity program. The newspaper not only writes about difficult situations but also directly campaigns to build schools, award scholarships, and help children have the opportunity to continue going to school.
I have visited schools that Dan Tri and readers have joined hands to build, scholarships that have supported poor students… and I was truly moved. Because education not only needs a critical voice, but also practical actions to support dreams.
Looking back at the 20-year development journey of Dan Tri electronic newspaper, what is your assessment of the recent important changes of the newspaper, especially in the context of digital transformation taking place very strongly?
- I appreciate the pioneering and early digital transformation of Dan Tri - a step that demonstrates the long-term vision of generations of newspaper leaders. Among them, we cannot fail to mention the role of the current Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Pham Tuan Anh. Mr. Pham Tuan Anh is a man of innovation, bold in changing direction and has a brand mindset.
Currently, Dan Tri is one of the leading newspapers in digital transformation, building its brand through the quality of information.
Thanks to this orientation, Dan Tri has not only stood firm in the digital environment but also risen to become one of the prestigious electronic newspapers with a profound influence across the country. The Dan Tri brand today is a strong brand thanks to its profound content, sharp criticism, and spirit of dedication to the community that the newspaper has consistently maintained over the years.
President of the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Doan, worked with the Party Committee, Editorial Board, and staff of Dan Tri electronic newspaper in February 2020 (Photo: Huu Nghi).
Besides, the strength that makes up the identity of Dan Tri is also the team of journalists. Over the past two decades, Dan Tri has built a team of reporters and editors who are skilled, have professional ethics, are dedicated and have a very high fighting spirit.
Dan Tri needs to continue to take care of the human factor, invest in training the team, create a good working environment to attract talent. Only with good people can there be good content. And good content can maintain the trust of readers - the greatest asset of a newspaper.
From the perspective of the former leader of the agency managing Dan Tri electronic newspaper, what do you expect from the newspaper in the upcoming development stage?
- I always expect Dan Tri to continue to maintain its pioneering, creative and innovative spirit, especially in programs with great social influence such as ESG forums, grassroots sports tournaments, and even journalism areas that are in great need of insight such as public finance or state governance.
I also hope that the newspaper will continue to affirm its own identity by developing content related to the four pillars of national development today: promoting science, technology and innovation, international integration, developing the private economy, and innovation in law making and enforcement. These are not only important areas, but also the responsibility of modern journalism if it wants to truly accompany the nation.
Dan Tri newspaper being directly under the Ministry of Home Affairs is a positive turning point, and I hope that this will be a solid, long-term home for the newspaper's development. Wherever it is, I hope Dan Tri will still maintain its original character: a newspaper for the people's intelligence, for the talents of Vietnam, and for the fates that need to be supported. That is what I always keep in mind, and I believe many readers also feel it.
Thank you very much!
In April 2005, the Dan Tri electronic news site was born as a special page of the Khuyen Hoc and Dan Tri newspapers - starting the journey to build a pioneering electronic newspaper.
In the same year, the Vietnam Talent Award was launched, contributing to discovering hundreds of innovative talents for the country.
On July 15, 2008, Dan Tri was officially licensed as an independent electronic newspaper.
In 2020, the newspaper transferred to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and from March 1, 2025, it became the mouthpiece of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Through two decades of constant innovation amid the wave of technology and media, Dan Tri has maintained its identity of “for people’s livelihood – for knowledge – for the community”, attracting more than 162 million global readers in the past year.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/hai-thuong-hieu-di-truoc-thoi-dai-cua-bao-dien-tu-dan-tri-20250714094954475.htm
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