Speech by General Secretary To Lam at the 100th Anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day

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

Dear veteran journalists and Vietnamese revolutionary journalists,

Dear delegates, readers and audiences nationwide,

Today, in a sacred, emotional and proud atmosphere, we solemnly celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 - June 21, 2025) - a century of accompanying the nation, a glorious journey written with the intelligence, the national soul, with the spirit of revolutionary attack, with the noble sacrifice and the tireless efforts of Vietnamese revolutionary journalists. On behalf of the leaders of the Party, the State, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front, I respectfully send to the leaders, former leaders of the Party, the State, distinguished delegates, and generations of journalists my deepest gratitude and best wishes.

I also warmly congratulate the Vietnamese revolutionary journalists on receiving for the second time the noble award from the Party, State and People: " Ho Chi Minh Medal" for their many contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

Dear comrades, delegates,

On the journey to find a way to save the country, imbued with the national spirit and the desire to bring a prosperous and happy life to the people, our Uncle Ho encountered Marxism-Leninism. The patriotic young man Nguyen Tat Thanh soon realized the particularly important role of the press in the cause of national liberation and people's liberation. Revolutionary Nguyen Ai Quoc founded Thanh Nien Newspaper, the mouthpiece of the organization "Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association". On June 21, 1925, Thanh Nien Newspaper published its first issue, marking the birth of the Vietnamese revolutionary press, sowing the red seed for a press line with the mission of national liberation, awakening the revolutionary will and spreading the light of Marxism-Leninism to the patriotic movement. This was not only the opening event for a new press, but also a historic turning point for the Vietnamese Revolution, one of the important preparations for the birth of the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1930.

From that first "seed", with the guidance of Journalist Nguyen Ai Quoc, along with the strong development of the revolutionary movement, Vietnamese revolutionary journalism has grown continuously. Revolutionaries and journalists such as Nguyen Van Cu, Ha Huy Tap, Le Duan, Truong Chinh, Vo Nguyen Giap, Phan Dang Luu, Nguyen Van Linh, Xuan Thuy... and later the late journalist, late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and leaders, propagandists, journalists who are comrades leading the Party and State, left a deep impression through profound, theoretical articles about communism, patriotism, revolutionary inspiration, national pride, thereby propagating theories, encouraging movements, organizing revolutionary forces, turning the press into a sharp weapon in the struggle for national liberation, creating earth-shattering revolutions, the peak of which was the August Revolution in 1945 - breaking the shackles of colonialism and fascism, ending the remnants of the backward feudal regime, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, opening an era of national independence associated with Socialism, bringing our people from slavery to the people. become the master of the country and position Vietnam on the world political map.

The 100-year history of Vietnam's revolutionary press is a vivid testament to the great role of the pen in the struggle for national independence, building and defending the socialist Fatherland. When there was no Party or Government, the press was the spiritual flame that guided and oriented ideology and policies, the light that pointed to the future; gathered the masses, built the political party, and built the state. In the fire of war, the press was a sharp weapon, stronger than bullets, bombs, tanks, and cannons, conveying the spirit of resistance, courage, and the desire for independence, calling on the entire nation to fight for national liberation and unification. In building, defending, and developing the country, the press was the bridge between the Party, the State, and the people, the trusted forum of the people, the strength, the source of inspiration for the entire nation on the path towards a prosperous, prosperous, independent, free, and sustainable future.

From hand-printed newspapers in the middle of the war zone to today's multimedia press agencies, from handwritten articles under bombs and bullets to modern means applying information technology and artificial intelligence, Vietnamese revolutionary journalists have affirmed their mettle, intelligence, dedication, creativity, and steadfastness to their ideals, always sticking close to real life, blending in with the breath and rhythm of life of the people.

Throughout the process of national renewal initiated and led by our Party, the press has not only been a witness but also a direct force promoting the process of reform, openness and international integration. The press has made an important contribution to the formation and development of a democratic, civilized society with multi-dimensional and truthful information, contributing to raising people's knowledge, creating social consensus and strengthening control over power, linking the People with the Party, the Party with the People.

In recent years, our country's press has proactively innovated its content, form, technology and journalism mindset. With nearly 800 press agencies, tens of thousands of journalists, reporters, editors, and journalists, the team of journalists has been constantly innovating and strongly applying digital technology, artificial intelligence, and advanced scientific and technological achievements to create a new, modern, humane and popular appearance, tone and journalism content.

The press is also the main force in promoting the image of the country and Vietnamese people to the world, demonstrating Vietnam's solidarity and responsibility towards friends, progressive forces and the development of the world; the press is a means to spread national cultural values, arouse patriotism, the desire for development and affirm the cultural identity of Vietnam in the integration era. As a cultural product, the press arouses the beauty of life, discovers and honors examples of good people, good deeds, creative models, effective ways of doing things, and multiplies positive values in society. Through humane works, the press contributes to shaping public thinking, promoting a beautiful lifestyle, spreading the spirit of responsibility and the desire to contribute, building Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable national development.

Phát biểu của Tổng Bí thư Tô Lâm tại Lễ Kỷ niệm 100 năm Ngày Báo chí Cách mạng Việt Nam ảnh 1

In the context of a rapidly changing, complex and multi-dimensional world, the revolutionary press has always maintained its role as a pioneering force in maintaining political stability, strengthening social consensus, firmly protecting national sovereignty, proactively fighting against erroneous and hostile viewpoints, and protecting the Party's ideological foundation. As a sharp ideological weapon of the Party, the press has responsibly participated in and actively propagated the Party's policies and guidelines on digital transformation, sustainable development, environmental protection, preservation of national cultural identity and comprehensive and extensive international integration. In particular, in recent years, on the front of fighting against corruption, waste and negativity, the press has made outstanding contributions. Many investigative reports and analytical articles have clarified the truth, contributing to supporting authorities in handling violations, strengthening people's trust in the strictness of the law and the political determination of the Party and State. This field of journalism has become one of the sharp "spearheads", courageously bringing the truth to light, protecting the right, preserving the good, and fighting uncompromisingly against the wrong, the bad, and the evil. During natural disasters and epidemics, especially the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the press has become the "front line of information", spreading compassion, encouraging the spirit of overcoming difficulties and belief in victory.

It can be affirmed that the Vietnamese revolutionary press has been fulfilling its noble mission - creating trust, building consensus, spreading the desire for development, contributing to realizing the goal of building a strong, prosperous and happy Vietnam in the new era.

On behalf of the Party and State leaders, I warmly commend and respectfully acknowledge the important contributions of the Vietnamese revolutionary press throughout the 100-year journey of construction and growth. The achievements of the Vietnamese revolutionary press under the leadership of the Party are the crystallization of ideals, tireless creative work, and the spirit of dedication to the Fatherland and the People of generations of Vietnamese journalists.

Dear comrades and delegates,

The new era of the nation is opening up new horizons for development, while also posing new revolutionary requirements with high determination and great aspirations to build a strong and prosperous country. In that context, the Vietnamese revolutionary press must further affirm its revolutionary mettle, its pioneering role on the ideological and cultural front, be an ideological pillar, a shock force in creating trust and consensus in society; contribute significantly to multiplying humanistic and progressive values, strongly spreading the spirit of innovation and creativity, inspiring learning, working and dedication. The press must constantly innovate itself to develop commensurate with the stature of the times, with the development of the country, truly becoming a professional, humane and modern press, serving the cause of the Party, the State and the People on the journey of building and developing the country.

To meet that requirement, I suggest that press agencies and journalists focus on performing well the following key tasks:

Firstly, in the new era of the Vietnamese nation, press agencies and journalists need to be deeply aware of their particularly noble political and social responsibilities to the Party, the State and the People. Revolutionary press must be the voice of the Party, the State, socio-political organizations, a trusted forum for the People, a bridge connecting the Party's will and the people's hearts; perform well the task of bringing the Party's and State's policies and guidelines to the people; create an environment for the people to participate in press activities, reflect their legitimate thoughts and aspirations to the Party and the State, ensure the ideological, combative and popular nature of the press; mobilize the people's strength to participate in building the Party and the political system to be increasingly clean and strong.

As soldiers on the ideological and cultural front, journalists must be exemplary in professional ethics, steadfast in ideology, political stance and courage, loyal to revolutionary ideals, truly professional, good at expertise and profession, bravely fight against negative manifestations, and have the strength to resist temptations; journalists must be prestigious social activists; people doing propaganda and mass mobilization work; actively participating in people's foreign affairs activities. In all circumstances, it is necessary to put political responsibility, social responsibility and professional ethics first and foremost; each journalistic work must perform well the function of providing accurate, objective, honest, humane and useful information. Journalists of the new era must constantly learn, hone their skills, and integrate modern technology.

Second, the revolutionary press is an inseparable part of the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation. It must have a revolutionary offensive spirit, know how to bravely fight, eliminate the bad, the stagnant, the backward; actively promote and encourage the new, the progressive; be a pioneer, brave in the face of the country's big, new issues; not avoid or compromise with manifestations that hinder the revolutionary cause. It must truly become a leading flag, inspire creativity, encourage the spirit of innovation and the desire to contribute in cadres, party members and the whole society. In the current revolutionary period, the press needs to breathe new life, arouse determination, patriotism, and the spirit of contribution in the whole society, creating a great, lasting spiritual motivation for the cause of national development in the new era.

Third , as an important component of cultural life, the press must clearly affirm its role in the construction of an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity; must actively participate in the cultural revival and development of modern Vietnamese people rich in identity. Each journalist and each press agency must be a symbol of behavioral culture, ethical standards and the spirit of serving society; contribute to preserving and promoting traditional humanistic values, spreading goodness and beauty; actively promote the image of the country and Vietnamese people to international friends; proactively receive the quintessence of human culture to enrich the national cultural identity.

Fourth , in the face of the digital transformation wave and fierce competition in the global media space, the press must quickly adapt, pioneer in strongly innovating thinking, mastering technology, and making breakthroughs in journalism and information transmission methods. Strengthen the presence of revolutionary journalism on social networking platforms, maintain the information and propaganda front in the face of the development of cross-border platforms. This is an inevitable requirement for the press to be able to master the information and communication front in cyberspace and enhance the value of each press agency. Key press agencies such as Nhan Dan Newspaper, Communist Magazine, Vietnam News Agency, Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam Television, and a number of electronic information portals of central agencies need to focus on digital transformation, strengthen cooperation and integration, play a good forecasting role, perform well the information orientation function, and be worthy of being "lighthouses" for the country's revolutionary press system.

Fifth , innovate the thinking of leadership, direction and management of the press in the direction of building and creating an operating environment for the press to best promote its revolutionary nature and mission of serving the country and the people. Clearly define the functions and tasks of each agency, resolutely not to do things for them or to direct them. Institutionalize the Party's policies and perfect the legal system on the press to ensure consistency, transparency, modernity and efficiency. Continue to effectively implement the planning and arrangement of press agencies in the direction of streamlining, compactness, efficient, effective and efficient operations. Have solutions to overcome the overlapping of functions and tasks between press agencies; Resolutely remove from the press team journalists who have lost their fighting spirit, have faded revolutionary ideals, have violated professional ethics, and violated regulations of agencies and organizations... Strengthen the application of science and technology, big data to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information, contributing to improving the quality of information orientation according to the motto of being proactive, timely, convincing, effective, and close to reality. Build a public and transparent ordering mechanism, and provide targeted support for press agencies to perform well their political tasks, especially in key areas, strategic areas, and sensitive areas. Develop key national press agencies and groups that have the role of information orientation; have appropriate mechanisms to develop the revolutionary press career.

Dear comrades and delegates.

Promoting the glorious tradition of 100 years of formation and development, the Vietnamese revolutionary press must continue to rise strongly, affirming its pioneering role on the ideological and cultural front, serving the cause of national development. Vietnamese journalists must truly be shock troops, possessing a strong political stance, a spirit of innovation, a desire to contribute and devote themselves to the common cause of the nation. The press must become a force that creates trust, encourages aspirations for development, and contributes to realizing the goal of building a strong, prosperous, and everlasting Vietnam in the era of national development.

I wish journalists and delegates health, happiness and success!

Thank you very much!

Source: https://baobackan.vn/phat-bieu-cua-tong-bi-thu-to-lam-tai-le-ky-niem-100-nam-ngay-bao-chi-cach-mang-viet-nam-post71533.html