100th Anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 - June 21, 2025): "The loyal secretary of the era"

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - After a century of establishment and development, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has always stood side by side with the nation through every historical turning point. Then, in the era of the country's rise, with its glorious tradition, the press will continue to affirm its position as "the loyal secretary of the times", to convey a strong message about a self-reliant and prosperous Vietnam!

Digital content production at Thanh Hoa Newspaper and Radio - Television Station. Photo: document

From “pioneer”...

During his years of revolutionary activities abroad, President Ho Chi Minh always considered the press a sharp tool of struggle. He especially criticized the “formal press” established by the French authorities in Indochina for the purposes of ruling and poisoning the people. He wrote: “In the middle of the 20th century, in a country with 20 million people, there is not a single newspaper! Can you imagine that? Not a single newspaper in our mother tongue. The reason is as follows. The French authorities decided that no newspaper in Annamese could be published without the permission of the Governor General, that they would only allow it on the condition that the manuscript for publication must be submitted to the Governor General for approval first and that they could revoke the license at any time. That is the spirit of the decree on the press.”

The colonial government's harshness towards the press also stemmed from the danger that progressive newspapers, which fostered patriotism and inspired the people's fighting spirit, could undermine the ruling regime. However, despite the authorities' efforts to ban and obstruct them, many progressive newspapers from abroad were still brought back to the country (such as Le Paria of the Colonial Union; L'Humanite of the French Communist Party...). At the same time, patriotic activists attached even more importance to the development of progressive newspapers, in order to serve the revolutionary struggle in the country.

Grasping the role of the press, having gained experience in journalism in Europe and especially when realizing the rapid change of the revolutionary situation in the country, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc advocated publishing Thanh Nien Newspaper (issue 1, June 21, 1925 in Guangzhou, China). Thanh Nien Newspaper had two development periods: the first period (from issue 1 to issue 88) was directly directed by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc in editing, printing and publishing. In April 1927, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc went into secret operation, leaving Guangzhou, so Thanh Nien Newspaper also began its second period and was directed by the General Department of the Youth Association.

The mission of Thanh Nien Newspaper in particular and the theoretical, ideological and political activities of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association in general is to resolutely and thoroughly oppose reformism, affirming that only the path of revolutionary struggle can liberate the nation. In Thanh Nien Newspaper No. 2, dated June 28, 1925, there was an article emphasizing: “Revolution is the whole of actions by which an oppressed nation becomes free and prosperous. The history of other countries teaches us that only through revolution can people have a better government and a better education.”

To overthrow the enemy's rule, revolutionary violence must be used. After clearly pointing out the suffering of our people, Thanh Nien Newspaper No. 63 had an article with a call to action: "The suffering of the people of Annam is already very severe, no other country has such suffering". "My compatriots! Freedom is given by God, if you don't have freedom, you'd rather die. Wake up, wake up, break the cage that keeps you locked up". "My compatriots! Will you endure being locked up like chickens or pigs forever? Only chickens and pigs will endure being locked up forever, if you were a human, you would find a way to break out of the cage"...

It can be said that Thanh Nien Newspaper meets all the criteria of the first revolutionary newspaper of the proletariat and the Vietnamese people. Because from the beginning, this newspaper has operated according to the Marxist method of journalism: collective propagandist, collective agitator, collective organization. Through its long history of establishment and development, Thanh Nien Newspaper has become a milestone for a whole new line of journalism, the revolutionary journalism of our Party. In other words, Thanh Nien Newspaper has become the "pioneer" for the revolutionary journalism of the new Vietnam.

...to a glorious century

After a full century of existence and accompanying the nation - from the time when it was still under the control and oppression of the colonial regime, until the country was completely independent and unified, it can be said that the history of the Vietnamese revolutionary press is closely linked to the history of the nation. The mission of the Vietnamese revolutionary press since its inception has been explained simply but greatly: to propagate so that the class knows the purpose of the struggle. That is why when talking about the glorious history of the Vietnamese revolutionary press, we can proudly affirm that the journey that the press has gone through is always associated with the brightest milestones of the nation's history.

Delegation of officials and reporters of Thanh Hoa Newspaper (now Thanh Hoa Newspaper and Radio - Television Station) on a working trip to Dien Bien province in 2024.

That was contributing to the process of mobilizing the establishment of the Party, training cadres, preparing the theoretical, political, ideological and organizational foundations for the establishment of the Communist Party of Vietnam on February 3, 1930. That was trying to encourage the People to create the revolutionary high tide of 1930-1931, the democratic movement of 1936-1939 and moving towards the General Uprising to seize power in August 1945. And also from this foundation, the press continued to become a sharp weapon of struggle on the political and ideological front, together with the entire Party, the entire people and the entire army entering the long-term, arduous resistance wars of 30 years to defeat the French colonialists and American imperialists, unify the country and lead the whole country to socialism.

The Vietnamese revolutionary press is an inevitable product of the long and arduous struggle of our people and is a forum for the people. In other words, the Vietnamese revolutionary press represents the diverse will and aspirations of all classes of people in the country, as well as of Vietnamese people abroad. Thereby, it attracts the intelligence of the entire people into policy making; attracts talented people to contribute their talents to the country. Or it is a forum to speak out against the plots, tricks, and false arguments of hostile forces; corruption, waste, negativity... In particular, through the press forum, the people exercise the supreme right to supervise all the work of the country, exercising their right to mastery.

Revolutionary press is under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and takes serving the people as its noble goal. The ideal, goal and highest principle of revolutionary press is to contribute to the struggle to overthrow colonial and feudal domination, eliminate all forms of exploitation; gain national independence, bring freedom and happiness to the people; build, protect and develop the country in the direction of socialism. In other words, the general task of the press today is to serve the goal of national independence associated with socialism, to realize a rich people, a strong country, a fair, democratic and civilized society. Therefore, the press not only needs to increasingly meet the people's information needs, but also must contribute to raising people's knowledge, promoting social development, and expanding international exchanges.

To fulfill this glorious mission, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has not only promoted its glorious historical tradition to create a large, comprehensively developed press; but has also gradually advanced to modernity and expanded exchanges and cooperation with many presses in the world. In particular, imbued with the teachings of President Ho Chi Minh that journalists are soldiers on the ideological front, the team of Vietnamese journalists has continued to use their responsible and humane pens to contribute to building a rich, civilized, and happy socialist Vietnam.

Article and photos: Khoi Nguyen

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ky-niem-100-nam-ngay-bao-chi-cach-mang-viet-nam-21-6-1925-nbsp-21-6-2025-nbsp-nguoi-thu-ky-trung-thanh-cua-thoi-dai-252774.htm