The invaluable contributions of leader Nguyen Ai Quoc-Ho Chi Minh to the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press

(Chinhphu.vn) – Ho Chi Minh's contributions as the founder, organization, and direction of building and developing Vietnam's revolutionary journalism as well as as a writer directly for nearly half a century are enormous. The legacy of journalism that he left for future generations is the legacy of the Vietnamese revolution, the legacy of Vietnamese culture.

Mastering the theory and practice of revolution, applying the right opportunity, on June 21, 6, in Guangzhou - China, Nguyen Ai Quoc founded the newspaper. Youth – the mouthpiece of the Vietnam Youth Revolutionary Association – the predecessor organization of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Newspaper Youth was born, opened a new line of journalism in our country: Vietnam's revolutionary press. As a leading army in ideological and political work, with the function of propagandizing, agitating, and organizing the people to stand up for the revolution for independence and freedom, associating national independence with socialism, the revolutionary press has become an extremely harmful revolutionary weapon.

Continue to report YouthMany other revolutionary newspapers were born and operated in the same direction. Researcher Nguyen Thanh has made a list (not exhaustive) of Vietnam's revolutionary press, which was born after Thanh Thanh newspaper until August 8, including 1945 titles. Especially blooming was the period after the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 256) to May 2 (1930 newspapers). Even in the most difficult years after the outbreak of the Second World War, when the French colonialists had the opportunity to further tighten the repressive machine in Indochina, until August 5, 1936 revolutionary newspapers and magazines were born. Among them were the newspapers directly curated by the Party's leaders, which had a very strong impact on the pre-insurrection movement, such as: Independent Vietnam (1941) Saving national (1942) Liberation Flag (1942)

With the success of the August Revolution, the newspapers of National Salvation, Liberation Flag, etc. continued to be published in Hanoi capital with rich resources, beautiful forms and a wider distribution area. Many new newspapers were born in the capital and some big cities. Only five days after the Declaration of Independence (September 2, 9), under the decision of the Central Committee and the direct direction of Uncle Ho, the Voice of Vietnam Radio (September 1945, 7) and a few days later, the Vietnam News Agency was established (September 9, 1945), with the scale and tasks of the national mass media.

In the territory of Vietnam, "the truth has become a free and independent country", the revolutionary press is published publicly and legally, warmly welcomed by the people of the country, has a profound impact and has an increasing influence on public opinion. Revolutionary press by newspaper Youth pave the way, gradually move forward become the mainstream in the national press.

The nationwide resistance war broke out, the revolutionary press was narrowed down at the central level, but on the contrary, it was expanded in many areas throughout the country. In addition to the newspapers which are the central agencies that publish and circulate mainly in Viet Bac, the inter-zones III, IV, V, Northeast, the left bank of the Red River, the southernmost region of Central and South Vietnam all have newspapers. Some places like the South Central and the South have established radio stations. In 1950, the Vietnam Journalists Association was born in Viet Bac. These achievements are thanks to the leadership of the Party and the great merits of President Ho Chi Minh.

During the arduous days of the resistance war as well as in peace building, President Ho Chi Minh always paid attention to directing and building the press, paying special attention to the training and retraining of journalists. He praises and commends journalists who have good jobs and good works as well as criticize and correct shortcomings and inadequacies of the press. The person who always identifies himself as a person "have a predestined relationship with the press". In two national congresses of the Vietnam Journalists Association, held in 1959 and 1962, President Ho Chi Minh visited and gave thoughtful and thoughtful instructions.

Ho Chi Minh – A tireless lifelong journalist

As the highest leader of the Party and State, President Ho Chi Minh not only cares about building and directing the press, giving the press much favor, he also directly writes newspapers. Ho Chi Minh is a tireless lifelong journalist. Even during his time in charge of leading the country, with heavy tasks and limited time, Uncle Ho still regularly wrote newspapers. Only newspaper People, from the first issue of this newspaper (in 1951) until he went away (1969), he published about 1.200 articles of Uncle Ho, an average of 60-70 articles per year. In half a century, from the date of publication of the first article until his death, Uncle Ho wrote no less than 2.000 articles.

Domestic and foreign researchers, looking back at President Ho Chi Minh's journalistic career, all agree: "After the world war, Nguyen Ai Quoc was the journalist who wrote the most to denounce the colonial regime, the strongest defender of the rights of oppressed peoples to regain their dignity and freedom, operate and organize the most to rally, in Paris, in Guangzhou, peoples were deceived by Wilson and the people of Versailles (Asia-Africa Presidents) just once again by Wilson and the Afro-American factions.[1]. “You are a journalist in the truest sense of journalism. Not paying attention to his own name and career, but only interested in the sacred goal and using the pen to serve the revolution.”[2]. “Nguyen Ai Quoc is the Vietnamese journalist with the most elaborate training, and in fact the highest achievement in the Vietnamese journalism profession. An international journalist who writes in French, Russian, and Chinese. A journalist whose articles are exemplary in terms of language, eloquent in reasoning, and awakening in the results. A journalist whose articles attract people's attention, always new, always close to immediate needs and attractive to viewers."[3]. “Today, rereading his articles (published in French newspapers) is still very interesting… Nguyen's style is the style of a talented polemicist.”[4], etc…

The journalistic thinking of President Ho Chi Minh comes from a deep awareness of the role of the press in the cause of struggle for social reform and construction., but the focus for the Vietnamese people in the first half of the twentieth century was to break the chains of oppression and exploitation of the colonialists and feudalists, and gain independence and freedom for the country. Therefore, wherever he works, he is first and foremost interested in the founding of the press and directly involved in journalism work himself. After coming to France for a few years, he has been a collaborator of a number of major newspapers such as Humanity (Humanitarian), LaVie Ouvriere (The Life of a Sailor), the Popular (Common people)… The founder of the newspaper The Pariah and prepare for debut Vietnam soul. Going to Russia, he wrote for the Soviet press and the press of the Communist International. About China, The newspaper collaborator Save the Daily News (Chinese), Canton Gazette (Guangzhou Newspaper – English), Rosto Soviet News Agency and founder of the newspaper Youth. Arriving in Thailand, he introduced overseas Vietnamese papers Sincerely, Dong Thanh. Returning to the country, Newspaper publisher Vietnam Independence… Having just regained independence, he established the National Radio Station and the National News Agency…

President Ho Chi Minh's journalistic thinking is consistent with his views on culture: Culture is a front, a basic front of society. He pointed out that in the construction of the country, there are four issues that need to be paid attention and considered equally important: Politics, economy, society, and culture. The press is both a cultural component and a means of cultural expression and cultural policy implementation. The press is the leading army in ideological and cultural work. Journalists are soldiers. Pen and paper are weapons. The article is a revolutionary pamphlet. In any revolutionary period, the revolutionary press retains its role and shock position. As society develops, science and technology are advanced, the role of journalism will continue to increase, not decrease.

According to Ho Chi Minh, The mission of the press is to serve the people, to serve the revolution. That's the core, the first thing that needs attention. In a letter to a writing class called Huynh Thuc Khang (1948), he pointed out: “The task of the newspaper is to propagate, agitate, train, educate and organize the people to bring them to a common goal. The goal is resistance war and nation building."

Uncle Ho reminded journalists to always keep this in mind. Speaking at the Second National Congress of the Vietnam Journalists Association (1959), he went straight to the main issue: "Let's ask the question: Who does the press serve?"[5]. And he always replied: "Our press needs to serve the working people, socialism, the struggle for national reunification, and world peace."[6]. At the next Congress of the Association, Uncle Ho once again emphasized: "The mission of the press is to serve the people, to serve the revolution".

Ho Chi Minh always fights for press freedom

He considers freedom of the press as a fundamental right of the nation and people. From the first articles written in French, he persistently fought for freedom of the press, for colonialism to abolish censorship, for the French authorities in Vietnam to strictly comply with the Press Law passed by the French Parliament in 1881, so that Vietnamese people could publish newspapers in their names.

He asserted: “Our regime is a democracy, thoughts must be free. What is freedom? On all issues, people are free to express their opinions, contributing to finding the truth. It is a right and also an obligation of everyone. When people have expressed their opinions, have found the truth, then freedom of thought becomes freedom to submit to the truth"[7]. In Uncle Ho's journalistic thinking, the right to freedom of the press is not only the right of journalists or those who intend to do journalism, but the press must be an important channel, an open forum for everyone to exercise their right to freedom of thought, to find the truth together to submit to the truth. Ho Chi Minh's journalistic thinking today is codified in the Press Law with the phrase The press is the forum of the people.

Ho Chi Minh always upholds The role and power of the press in the political, economic, cultural and social life of the country. The press is the means and weapon of the people in the struggle for liberation, defense, construction and development of the country, aiming at a rich people, a strong country, a society, democracy, justice and civilization. If the press does well and is accepted by the people, it can have great authority and power. But that is the power entrusted by the people, that is the power of the people. Ho Chi Minh attaches great importance to and upholds the role of the press. He thinks that "journalism is important and glorious", "journalists are soldiers", but he often emphasizes more on responsibility of the press.

To show his full power, The press must be highly combative, have a clear tendency, always towards a steadfast goal - that goal is also the goal that the people's revolutionary cause is aiming for. Due to its nature and function, revolutionary journalism always keep the vanguard, hold the flag high go ahead and pave the way in spreading progressive ideas and knowledge. The article is revolutionary pamphlet to propagate, encourage and organize mass struggle; must promote the creativity of the masses, discover, praise and introduce good examples for everyone to follow; at the same time point out and criticize to overcome and prevent the bad ones.

An issue that Ho Chi Minh cares about is purpose and audience of journalism. The person who told journalism class student Huynh Thuc Khang about the newspaper's audience must be the majority of the population. A newspaper word that is not liked by the majority is not worthy of a newspaper. Visiting the Congress of Journalists (1959), he advised: “Our press is not for a few people to see, but to serve the people…so it must have mass nature and fighting spirit"[8]: Journalists shouldn't think about "writing articles for people", writing "to save the ancient name". At the next Congress of the Association of Journalists (1962), he kindly advised: “Every time you write an article, ask yourself: Whom do you write for? Writing for what?"

journalistic ethics, in Ho Chi Minh's journalistic thinking, expressed first of all in the spirit of a journalist as a soldier. Journalists must consider themselves as revolutionary soldiers, striving all their lives for the cause of the people, for independence and freedom for socialism. Person specified: “Journalists must take a firm political stance. Politics must be mastered. If the political line is right, everything else will be right.”[9]

To do well as a soldier, a journalist must fight overcome individualism. Must think "writing is like everything else"; journalism is doing revolutionary work, not something terrible; Writing a newspaper is not for the purpose of saving one's name for thousands of generations.

Journalism ethics requires journalists to "close to the masses", "go deep into reality, go deep into the working masses" to write for practicality; overcome the habit of bragging, formalism, and patients using foreign words. Journalists must be honest. Uncle Ho always requires journalists to respect the authenticity of the work. He repeatedly reminded journalists who had the opportunity to follow and serve his work "careful" to every detail, every data cited in the article. To preserve the purity of the Vietnamese language, "an extremely old and extremely precious treasure of the nation".

Journalists especially must “always try to learn, always need to improve”, “must study constantly and always be humble”. Journalist "must have will, don't hide ignorance", "if you don't know, you must try to learn, but if you try to learn, you will definitely learn". At the same time “must have the will to be self-sufficient and independent; in the face of difficulties, one must win against difficulties, not give in to difficulties; must overcome difficulties, fulfill the task". That is the right path for journalists "Improve the level of culture, go deep into the profession", constantly accumulating knowledge and living capital, creating a foundation and extensive cultural character for the journalistic profession, making a journalist and a culturist, indeed a culturalist.

Ho Chi Minh – Journalist, great cultural house

Ho Chi Minh performed his journalistic as well as literary works excellently. He created his own style - Ho Chi Minh's style, stable but changing with literary nuances, rhetorical arts and very diverse professional skills, always changing in accordance with the context, the subject of the work and the audience that the author always aims for. It seems that every time he holds a pen, he clearly sees the reader appearing before his eyes - not the general "reader" as an abstract concept - but the specific reader, the people of flesh and blood… Uncle Ho wrote to those people. People who talk to those people. He tries to write in such a way that these particular people are perceptive of the ideas he intends to express and sympathize with his intense feelings.

We all know that, during the war against the French and even after returning to Hanoi, every time he finished writing an article, Uncle Ho often brought it out and read it to a few comrades who served close to the audience first. Most of them are ordinary workers, not highly educated. Where they find it difficult to understand, correct it immediately. However, the essays and skits written in foreign languages ​​for major newspapers are exemplary works in both content and language, still surprising many prominent writers and journalists.

Commenting on Uncle Ho's writing style, Comrade Truong Chinh wrote: "Ho Chi Minh's way of speaking and writing has very unique features: the content is affirmative, penetrating, going deep into people's emotions, conquering people's hearts and minds; images are vivid, simple, easy to understand, rich in ethnicity and people's character".

As an experienced journalist and writer, every time Ho Chi Minh holds a pen, he is always aware of who he is writing for. Before writing, he always considers every word, word, and punctuation mark. The person told journalists: “The enemy is very attentive, you are very interested in the press in our country. Therefore, journalism must be very careful in terms of form, content, and writing style.

Ho Chi Minh always advises journalists "journalism must be popular", right “How to write in a way that is easy to understand, concise and easy to read”. However, those teachings should not be construed to mean that Uncle Ho accepted a reduction in content or tolerated the tendency to be vulgar and easy in form. Trainers of Journalists: “Writing must be written for literature… The reader finds it good, and when he sees literature, he will read it.”.

In all aspects, Nguyen Ai Quoc – Ho Chi Minh is an exemplary journalist. He is not only credited with founding and directing the construction and development of Vietnam's revolutionary journalism, but also an outstandingly talented writer directly, leaving behind a massive and diverse volume of works. Ho Chi Minh is an exemplary journalist, a shining example, becoming the pride of Vietnamese journalism today and forever in the future.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Duy Quat

Former Deputy Head of the Central Committee for Thought and Culture

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