In late 1953, in response to the demands of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, the forward editorial office of the People's Army Newspaper at the Dien Bien Phu Front was established and put into operation. With only five staff members, braving bombs and bullets, 33 issues of the People's Army Newspaper were published continuously from December 28, 1953, to May 16, 1954.
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Staff of the Documentation Department of the People's Army Newspaper cherish 33 issues of the People's Army Newspaper published at the Dien Bien Phu Front in 1954. |
On yellowed paper, 33 issues of the newspaper are presented with printed text in black or reddish-brown ink. Some maps and illustrations in the newspaper are printed in red, brown, light yellow, and green... Over time, the pages have faded, and the text and images show signs of blurring. Sharing about the preservation of this valuable artifact, Major Nguyen Thi Bach Duong, a staff member of the Documentation Department of the People's Army Newspaper, said: “The 33 issues of the People's Army Newspaper published at the Dien Bien Phu Front in 1954 are the only complete collection of battlefield newspapers still preserved at the People's Army Newspaper. The issues are preserved in moisture-proof boxes, placed on a specialized shelving system. The storage facility is regularly protected against termites and equipped with systems such as air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and vacuum cleaners... to keep the issues safe and stable.”
To minimize distortion or degradation of the authenticity of the artifacts, in 2024, the People's Army Newspaper, in coordination with the Archives Department and the Central Party Office, implemented measures to restore and preserve 33 issues of the newspaper. According to Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Xuan Dung, Head of the Documentation Department of the People's Army Newspaper: “The restoration and preservation process of the issues was strictly followed according to the archival restoration procedures of the Archives Department, carried out by experienced specialists using specialized tools and materials from the stage of assessing the condition of the documents to deciding on restoration methods. The 33 issues were restored using Japanese dó paper with a certain degree of transparency, large size, and uniform surface, helping to maintain the lifespan of the documents for up to 100 years under standard conditions.”
Considered a treasure of the People's Army Newspaper, with all due respect and gratitude, the newspaper is determined to continue its plan to archive and preserve the 33 issues of the People's Army Newspaper according to the proper procedures for preserving ancient paper documents, upgrading the specialized storage system to modern standards, handling the artifacts with specialized gloves; and building a digital database of the artifacts. We hope that relevant agencies will continue to provide support and investment for the archiving and preservation of the 33 issues of the People's Army Newspaper published at the Dien Bien Phu Front in 1954, so that the artifacts can be protected, preserved, and their value can be sustainably promoted.
Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/nang-niu-trang-bao-di-san-1045239










