Speech by Comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia at the 100th Anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day

Dear Comrade To Lam, General Secretary of the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam !

Dear leaders and former leaders of the Party, State and Vietnam Fatherland Front !

Dear veteran journalists, comrades, international journalist delegations and delegates!

Comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Propaganda and Education Commission.

Today, the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam Journalists Association, together with press agencies and journalists nationwide are excited and proud to solemnly celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 - June 21, 2025). This is a milestone of special significance, affirming and honoring the glorious tradition of 100 years of serving the Party's revolutionary cause, serving the Fatherland, serving the People of the Vietnamese revolutionary press.

Dear comrades and delegates!

On June 5, 1911, the patriotic young man Nguyen Tat Thanh - Nguyen Van Ba left his homeland to find a way to save the country and the people. In 1918, he joined the French Socialist Party. In 1919, under the name Nguyen Ai Quoc, he and other Vietnamese patriots, including Vice-Chancellor Phan Chau Trinh and Doctor Phan Van Truong, drafted and sent the "Demand of the Annamese People" consisting of eight points, written in French, to the Versailles Peace Conference. At the end of 1920, he became a party member, founder of the French Communist Party and the first communist of Vietnam. In 1921, he participated in the founding of the Colonial Union.

In 1922, he presided over the publication of the newspaper Le Paria. In the first issue, he affirmed the newspaper's mission as "liberating people". In mid-1923, Nguyen Ai Quoc secretly left France for the Soviet Union. Here, he was deeply imbued with Lenin's views on the press, which were: "In today's era, without a political newspaper, there can be no political movement",... "what we need first of all is a newspaper, without it we cannot systematically conduct a very principled and comprehensive propaganda and agitation"; "The press is a collective propagandist, collective agitator, collective organizer, collective leader".

In November 1924, Nguyen Ai Quoc left the Soviet Union for Guangzhou. He selected active members of the Tam Tam Xa organization to train and form the Communist League, and from there, founded the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association.

On June 21, 1925, he founded Thanh Nien Newspaper - the mouthpiece of the Association, contributing to the dissemination of Marxism-Leninism in Vietnam, preparing ideologically, politically and organizationally for the establishment of the Communist Party of Vietnam 5 years later. On August 22, 1926, Thanh Nien Newspaper (No. 61) published an article by Nguyen Ai Quoc under the pen name "Dieu Huong" affirming: "Only by establishing a Communist Party in the style of Lenin's Bolsheviks will our country's revolution be successful." The newspaper was secretly printed and distributed in 400 to 500 copies per issue, shipped back to the country by sea or road.

Right from those early difficult days, Thanh Nien Newspaper attracted the attention of many people, many patriotic and revolutionary organizations in Vietnam and Vietnamese patriotic activists in China, France, Thailand, Laos, etc. Thanh Nien Newspaper exposed the crimes of invasion and brutal exploitation by colonialists and feudalists; reflected the miserable and extreme life of the poor; proposed directions and measures to fight for national liberation, class liberation, and human liberation; aroused the spirit of patriotism, solidarity, and unanimously rose up to overthrow the invading French colonialists and feudal lackeys, gain independence and freedom, and build a good, democratic, rich, and prosperous society.

Through Thanh Nien Newspaper, Leader Nguyen Ai Quoc skillfully combined the dissemination of Marxism-Leninism with the national salvation and people's path according to the new requirements of the Vietnamese revolution at that time; gradually escaping the deadlock in the national salvation path of the patriotic mandarin class and literati in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As of February 14, 1930, Thanh Nien Newspaper had published 208 issues, both as propaganda and study materials and as documents sent back to the country to enlighten the people.

In the following years, Leader Nguyen Ai Quoc participated in directing, encouraging, and writing articles for revolutionary newspapers in the country such as: Red Magazine, Hammer and Sickle, Struggle, People... In 1941, as soon as he returned to the country, he established, directed, and wrote articles for the newspapers: Vietnam Independence, National Salvation, Liberation Flag, Truth... Those were revolutionary newspapers born in 20 years of revolutionary movement and struggle, contributing significantly to the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam on February 3, 1930; for the revolutionary struggles of 1930-1931, 1936-1939, 1939-1945, making the great August 1945 revolution, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the first democratic and people's state in Southeast Asia.

Comrade Hoang Quoc Viet, a senior cadre of the Party, recalled: “The youth generation of the 1930s like us were extremely excited every time we read a book, even an article by Marx, Engels, Lenin, or Nguyen Ai Quoc. The Thanh Nien newspaper was founded by Uncle Ho and he wrote many articles. Every time we brought it back to the country, we passed it around to read until it was worn out, then copied it over and over again until we knew it by heart. At that time, although we had not met Uncle Ho, through his books and newspapers, we learned a lot from him. We learned about his revolutionary ideals and how to make a revolution. We learned about how to organize a group. We learned about patriotism, love for the people, and hatred for parasites and exploiters. The first lesson Uncle Ho taught us was the lesson of “The character of a revolutionary”.

Dear comrades and delegates!

The solemn 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day is an opportunity for all of us to review, increase our pride, respect, and infinite gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh - the genius leader, the great teacher of the Vietnamese Revolution, the national liberation hero, the world cultural celebrity, the exemplary international communist soldier, the close friend of peace-loving and social progress-loving peoples around the world. He was the founder, leader, trainer, and great teacher of Vietnam Revolutionary Press.

We are forever proud and grateful to our leaders, revolutionary soldiers, and outstanding, exemplary senior journalists such as: Huynh Thuc Khang, Nguyen Van Cu, Phan Dang Luu, Truong Chinh, Pham Van Dong, Vo Nguyen Giap, Xuan Thuy, To Huu, Hai Trieu, Hoang Tung, Luu Quy Ky, Hong Ha, Tran Lam, Huu Tho, Dao Duy Tung, Ha Dang, Thep Moi, Tran Van Giau, Quang Dam, Tran Cong Man, Tran Bach Dang, Nguyen Thanh Le, Ly Van Sau, Phan Quang, Huynh Van Tieng...

We will forever remember generations of journalists who directly fought and heroically sacrificed their lives during the resistance war against French colonialism and American imperialism, such as: Tran Kim Xuyen, Nam Cao, Tran Dang, Thoi Huu, Hoang Loc, Tham Tam, Hong Nguyen, Nguyen Thi, Nguyen My, Le Anh Xuan, Duong Thi Xuan Quy, Truong Thi Mai, Nguyen Thi Thanh Xuan, Luong Nghia Dung, Nguyen Ngoc Tu, Tran Viet Thuyen, Pham Minh Tuoc, Truong Cong Nghia, ... and hundreds of other journalists and martyrs.

We are forever grateful for the contributions of generations of journalist-soldiers who raised high the Party's ideological banner, propagated, encouraged and implemented the 1943 Vietnamese Culture Outline; the motto "Culturalizing resistance, culturalizing resistance", "all-people comprehensive, long-term resistance"; the will "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom"; the spirit "Splitting Truong Son to save the country/ With hearts full of hope for the future"; the determination to overcome the heavy consequences of war and natural disasters, firmly protecting the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland.

We appreciate and honor the achievements and lessons that journalism during the Renovation period has created, which have deepened the functions, tasks, principles, and purposes of revolutionary journalism with Party, People, Science, Democracy, and Humanity; demonstrating the level, capacity, and thinking about journalism management and practice, professional capacity, and professional ethics of journalists.

We sincerely thank all classes of people who have protected, sheltered, helped, encouraged, motivated, and accompanied the press agencies and revolutionary journalists over the past 100 years.

The press is making strong strides in organizing its apparatus, personnel structure, digital transformation, journalistic thinking, developing types of journalism, journalism economics, journalism technology; paying more attention to the journalism ecosystem and the role of the press public and public opinion. Many journalistic works discover, encourage, and contribute to the replication of new factors, advanced models, good people and good deeds; analyze and criticize society, contributing to the building, supplementing, and perfecting mechanisms, policies, and laws; persistently and courageously fighting against corruption, waste, and negativity; participating in building a clean and strong Party and political system; actively and proactively protecting the Party's ideological foundation, fighting and refuting false and hostile information and arguments; attaching importance to foreign information, protecting the sovereignty of the sacred borders and islands of the Fatherland.

Many press awards are organized seriously and scientifically, contributing to improving the level, capacity and prestige of press agencies and journalists, such as: National Press Award; Press Award on Party building named Golden Hammer and Sickle; Press Award on National Assembly and People's Council named Dien Hong Award; Press Award for the cause of great national unity; Press Award on preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity; Press Award on the topic of studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style...

Reaching the threshold of 100 years, not only is it a glorious tradition, a revolutionary mark, proud stories of the past, but also the position and appearance of a press industry, with nearly 800 press agencies and a team of 41,000 journalists with professional expertise, steadfast character, mastering modern press technology, being the nation's key press agencies, press agencies trusted by the public and reaching regional and world levels.

Dear comrades and delegates!

Our country is standing at the threshold of a new stage of development, with opportunities and challenges intertwined. Revolutionary journalism is facing changes of a turning point and breakthrough nature. The goals, tasks, and strategic solutions that the entire Party, the entire people, the entire army, and the entire political system are determined to carry out to bring the country steadily forward in the new era are the topics, goals, and tasks of press agencies and the team of journalists.

It is a revolution in the organization of the political system, the arrangement of administrative units and the organization of two-level local governments to clear bottlenecks, promote decentralization, decentralization, and create new development spaces. It is a revolution in breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation, and national digital transformation, creating new growth drivers and global competition. It is a new height of deep, proactive, and active international integration. It is a heavy responsibility in the task of building and defending the Fatherland early and from afar, avoiding passivity and surprise, ensuring a peaceful environment for development. It is protecting the freedoms, democracy, and human rights of every citizen according to the Constitution, laws, and international standards that Vietnam recognizes and signs.

That context and goal require each press agency and journalist in the country, first of all, to renew their thinking, awareness and practical actions so that the press becomes more revolutionary, more professional, more modern, more humane, worthy of the glorious 100-year tradition of building, fighting and growing of the Vietnamese revolutionary press, founded, led and trained by President Ho Chi Minh; cared for, led, guided and encouraged by the Party and State; and trusted, helped and accompanied by the people.

Our Party and State always affirm that: The Vietnamese Revolutionary Press is an inseparable part of the entire ideological and cultural work of the Party, and of the cause of building and defending the Fatherland. Our press takes the interests of the nation, the people, the happiness and prosperity of the people as the ultimate goal, all for a rich people, a strong country, democracy, fairness and civilization.

Every revolution begins with a change in production methods, workforce, productivity, quality and efficiency. The challenge of digital transformation puts enormous, even fierce, pressure on the press. Traditional journalistic values still need to be nurtured, promoted and fueled alongside modern information transmission methods and platforms. Artificial intelligence cannot replace the courage, character, soul and commitment of the press to the community. Technology gives the press a new breath, a new look, a new way of working, but it cannot replace thinking, personalization, stylization, for people, for people and the community.

The new era, the new revolutionary period requires new, advanced, humane methods of information, knowledge, and thinking, which revolutionary journalism must undertake. The press public not only needs to provide fast, attractive information, but also needs accuracy, humanity, verification, orientation, analysis, commentary, constructive solutions, and multi-dimensional forecasts. The old way of thinking that has allowed press agencies to survive for a long time needs to change to create new development momentum. Technology platforms and digital transformation revolution will fundamentally change the way journalism works. Every international movement is organically linked to domestic life, when cyberspace is limitless, the nation is linked to the region and the world, in the integration and connection, identity, individuality, and uniqueness are necessary values in the human community. The press informs and propagates policies and guidelines, but also needs courage and responsibility to debate and exchange in order to move towards the truth and good cultural values of the nation; towards Truth, Goodness, and Beauty; to resolutely fight against evil, degradation, manifestations of corruption, waste, and negativity. That vivid reality requires every journalist, every editorial office, every local or central association to change and improve themselves.

The 100-year journey of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press has marked the efforts, achievements, lessons, challenges, ups and downs, and aspirations to move forward. In today's solemn ceremony, we, the revolutionary journalists, are honored, proud, and can affirm that over the past century, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has always been steadfast, loyal, and devoted to the noble revolutionary cause of the Party, the nation, and the people. We will enter the next 100-year journey with great aspirations, determination, and efforts to excellently fulfill the role and mission entrusted to us by the Party, the State, and the People, contributing to bringing the country into a new era, for a Vietnam of "peace, independence, democracy, prosperity, civilization, happiness, and steady progress toward socialism", standing shoulder to shoulder with the world powers, as President Ho Chi Minh wished and the burning aspiration of the entire nation.

I would like to wish Comrade General Secretary To Lam and other leaders and former leaders of the Party, State, Vietnam Fatherland Front, veteran journalists, international journalist groups, and distinguished delegates good health, happiness, and success.

Thank you very much!

According to Nhan Dan

Source: https://baobacgiang.vn/phat-bieu-cua-dong-chi-nguyen-trong-nghia-tai-le-ky-niem-100-nam-ngay-bao-chi-cach-mang-viet-nam-postid420487.bbg