Official information must come first.

Experts believe that for political and ideological work to lead the way, official information must be one step ahead, concise, easy to understand, address the concerns of young people, and appear simultaneously on multiple platforms.

Báo Thanh niên•15/05/2026

On the afternoon of May 15th, in Hanoi , Thanh Nien Newspaper , in collaboration with relevant agencies, organized a seminar on the theme " Political and ideological work leading the way in the new era".

Attending the workshop were Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet, Alternate Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Permanent Secretary of the Central Committee of the Youth Union, President of the Vietnam Student Association; Ms. Dinh Thi Mai, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department; Mr. Ngo Van Cuong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and Central mass organizations; and many experts and scientists .

Official information must come first - Image 1.

Delegates attending the workshop

PHOTO: DINH HUY

At the seminar, Mr. Nguyen Thai An, Member of the Standing Committee of the Central Youth Union, Deputy Head of the Central Youth Union's Youth Affairs Department, presented a paper emphasizing the need for comprehensive reform of political and ideological work for young people in the context of digital transformation, the explosion of artificial intelligence, and the rapid changes in the modern media environment.

A strong shift from one-way communication to multi-way interaction.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thai An, the world is entering an unprecedented phase of digital technology development. In Vietnam, the number of internet users has reached 85.6 million, and there are approximately 79 million active social media accounts. Among them, young people are the largest group using digital technology.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thai An, Vietnam currently has approximately 21.6 million young people, accounting for over 20% of the population. This generation of "digital citizens" has early access to science and technology, possesses creative thinking, a strong spirit of integration, and a desire to contribute to the country. However, this is also the target group that hostile forces focus on influencing and undermining in cyberspace.

Official information must come first - Image 2.

Mr. Nguyen Thai An presented his paper at the conference.

PHOTO: TUAN MINH

Based on his experience in youth union work, Nguyen Thai An believes that political and ideological education needs to be reformed according to the motto "steadfast in its foundation, modern in its methods, multi-dimensional in its interaction, and with youth at the center."

Accordingly, there needs to be a strong shift from one-way communication to multi-way interaction; from campaign-based dissemination to continuous education within the digital ecosystem; and from focusing on content dissemination to measuring the effectiveness of awareness and behavioral change among young people.

Promoting digital transformation in political education.

One of the solutions emphasized is to promote the digital transformation of political education. Recently, the Central Committee of the Youth Union has implemented the study and testing of political theory knowledge and resolutions of the Party and the Youth Union on the Vietnam Youth application, and simultaneously issued online certificates to union members.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thai An, the application of digital platforms helps make the learning process more proactive, substantive, and convenient for management.

Official information must come first - Image 3.

Young people attending the workshop

PHOTO: TUAN MINH

In addition, competitions exploring history and politics have been reformed to better suit the tastes of young people. From 2021 to the present, the Central Committee of the Youth Union has pioneered the organization of online competitions combined with livestreaming on social media, attracting a large number of union members and young people to participate and interact in real time.

"Historical and theoretical knowledge, which is often dry and rigid, becomes more engaging when presented in modern language with social interaction and a clear mechanism for recording results," shared Nguyen Thai An.

Another important point mentioned by Mr. An is improving the quality of monitoring and guiding public opinion among young people. According to Mr. Nguyen Thai An, in the age of big data, understanding public opinion should not only be done through traditional reports but also by combining rapid surveys, monitoring social media, applying AI and big data to identify trends early, predict situations, and proactively guide information.

Nguyen Thai An believes that public opinion guidance needs to shift from a mindset of "explaining only when necessary" to proactively providing information, engaging in dialogue, and addressing concerns. "Official information must be one step ahead, concise, easy to understand, and address the concerns of young people, appearing simultaneously on multiple platforms to reach them more effectively," Nguyen Thai An shared.

Developing the digital ecosystem

Furthermore, the Central Committee of the Youth Union has identified the development of a digital ecosystem as a key task in the new phase. In this ecosystem, the Vietnam Youth application plays the role of a central infrastructure for connecting and gathering young people; the system of fanpages and community groups acts as "communication arms"; and the Youth Union's AI serves as a tool to support Youth Union officials in creating content and handling operational tasks.

According to Nguyen Thai An, recent media campaigns like "Peace is Beautiful" or "Proud of Vietnam" demonstrate that when political messages are transformed into emotions, images, music, and community challenges, their impact on young people is immense.

Official information must come first - Photo 4.

Delegates attending the workshop

PHOTO: TUAN MINH

Notably, Mr. Nguyen Thai An emphasized that despite the strong development of digital technology, direct education still plays a particularly important role. According to him, the Youth Union needs to pull young people away from simply "watching" and "commenting" online and encourage them to "participate" and "act" through practical activities such as trips to historical sites, meetings with historical witnesses, volunteer work, or dialogue forums.

To enhance effectiveness, youth movements should be organized according to the "3 easy - 3 clear - 3 measurable" formula, which includes: easy to understand, easy to remember, easy to do; clear goals, clear responsibilities, clear deadlines; and measurable inputs, outputs, and impacts.

Another important requirement mentioned by Mr. Nguyen Thai An is to improve the quality of the staff working in propaganda and education. In the new context, Youth Union officials not only need to know how to organize activities but also need to be able to read data, use AI, manage digital platforms, produce short content, and handle media crises.

"If we want to educate young people with a spirit of innovation, first and foremost, the officials must be innovative themselves; if we want to unite young people with inspiration, the officials must be idealistic, capable, and influential," Mr. Nguyen Thai An emphasized.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thong-tin-chinh-thong-phai-di-truoc-mot-buoc-185260515095148679.htm