Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School: The 'Fire' That Lights Up Revolutionary Journalism

In the middle of the Viet Bac resistance zone, in 1949, a special journalism class was born in the flames of the resistance war. Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School was not only the place to train the first team of journalists of the young Democratic Republic of Vietnam, but also the cradle that formed a generation of writers who "wrote like fighting". More than 76 years have passed, the spirit of that class still spreads strongly in every journalistic work today.

Báo Thái Nguyên•30/05/2025

In 1949, when the resistance war against French colonialism entered a fierce phase, information and propaganda became a sharp weapon on the ideological front. Faced with the urgent need to train revolutionary journalists, President Ho Chi Minh directed the Viet Minh General Department and the Resistance Press Corps to establish the first journalism class in our country, named Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School - the name of a patriotic scholar, former President, and a person respected by Uncle Ho.

The school was built in the middle of the Viet Bac forest, in Bo Ra hamlet, Tan Thai commune, Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province. The roof was simple, the chairs were made from tree trunks, the desks were hastily assembled planks, but this place gathered elite people from central agencies, war zones, and fronts. The first class had 42 students, who were propaganda officers, information and propaganda officers, and press officers working in the resistance war.

The school is organized with a modern and systematic model, like a true journalism school. The Board of Directors includes prestigious journalism and revolutionary activists: Mr. Do Duc Duc as Director, journalist Xuan Thuy as Deputy Director, and Messrs. Tu Mo, Do Phon, and Nhu Phong as members.

The three-month program covers topics ranging from political theory, resistance policies to practical journalism skills. Subjects include: “What is journalism?”, “Purpose of revolutionary journalism”, “News - articles - reports - sketches - satirical paintings - poetry - short plays”, how to publish a newspaper, printing techniques, distribution...

In particular, the 29 teachers teaching in that class were leaders with rich political experience, rich in theory and practice, such as Truong Chinh, Hoang Quoc Viet, Vo Nguyen Giap, and many great intellectuals and artists such as Tran Huy Lieu, Nam Cao, Xuan Dieu, Nguyen Huy Tuong, Nguyen Dinh Thi, To Huu... Not only did they teach their students a profession, they also instilled in them the flame of patriotism, the spirit of dedication and the courage to hold a pen.

That advice not only shows his strategic vision for journalism, but is also a sacred command sent to writers of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

After completing three months of intensive training (from April 4, 1949 to July 6, 1949), 42 students were scattered throughout the battlefields and important areas of the Fatherland. They firmly held their pens and guns, rushing to the front lines to write propaganda articles, encourage people to resist, and participate in the fight to protect the Fatherland.

The thatched roof school in the middle of the mountains and forests has trained the main writers of Nhan Dan Newspaper, People's Army, Literature and Arts..., the first "seeds" of revolutionary journalism such as: Thep Moi, Tran Kien, Ly Thi Trung, Mai Cuong; directors Bang Chau, Tran Vu; writers Huu Mai, Hai Nhu, Tu Bich Hoang... They are the main writers of Nhan Dan Newspaper, People's Army, Literature and Arts...

General Secretary Truong Chinh, when writing in the guestbook on June 22, 1949 for the course, assessed Huynh Thuc Khang School as "a successful experiment". From this foundation, the Vietnamese revolutionary press will train many writers to "fight the enemy with their pens and guide public opinion" more and more effectively.

Since that milestone, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has grown steadily. If in 1949, the whole country had only about 10 newspapers with about 300 journalists, today the country's press has developed remarkably with hundreds of press agencies and tens of thousands of professional writers. Generations of indirect "students" of Huynh Thuc Khang School have been and are continuing this glorious career.

Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School completed its historic mission and ceased operations. After 70 years, the old school gradually disappeared under the forest canopy. However, those who studied there - even if only for one course - still yearn for the day when the school will be restored as a symbol of revolutionary journalism.

In 2017, the Vietnam Journalists Association coordinated with Thai Nguyen province and the Vietnam Press Museum to implement the Project to restore the Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School. Many surveys and searches for documents were carried out. Museum staff traveled to meet the last witnesses who studied at the School, collecting each photo and precious document page.

That passion has inspired the whole team. The relic dossier was quickly completed and on March 28, 2019, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a decision to rank the Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School as a National Historical Relic. This is a milestone marking the complete and solemn "revival" of the "school in the middle of the forest" in the memory space of the country's press.

To be worthy of the historical significance of the Relic, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Journalists Association has mobilized social resources and coordinated with the People's Committee of Thai Nguyen province to implement the restoration and embellishment project. The project was started in early 2024 and inaugurated and handed over on August 9, 2024, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the School's founding.

The relic site is located in the planning area of Nui Coc Lake National Tourist Area, with an area of nearly ^900m2 with the following items: Memorial stele house, traditional stilt house, exhibition room, area to recreate journalism practice class and a bas-relief depicting 48 portraits of the Board of Directors, lecturers and students of the first course.

Entering the simple and rustic exhibition space, visitors can see with their own eyes the precious artifacts of the resistance press that have been restored and preserved: a typewriter, a pen, zinc plates, yellowed issues of the newspapers Cuu Quoc, Su That, Nhan Dan... In particular, in the solemn position is a 24x42cm printing machine weighing more than 600kg, a newspaper printing antique from the early 1950s, donated by Tuyen Quang province.

Journalist Phan Huu Minh recounted: When he learned that this printing machine was still preserved in Tuyen Quang, the leaders of the Vietnam Press Museum went directly to work and were immediately handed over by the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee of Tuyen Quang Province. In April 2024, the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuyen Quang Province personally traveled 80 kilometers to "request" the machine to be placed in the stilt house of the Relic Site, in time for the inauguration ceremony.

Since its opening, Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School has become an emotional destination for journalists nationwide. Many veteran journalists have returned to this place as a pilgrimage to their roots. Press agencies and journalism faculties of universities have brought students here to visit and learn from the real world.

The Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School relic is promoting its value in the present as a place for professional activities of the press community, a destination for journalism students to study, and a place for students to learn about history.

Comrade Trinh Viet Hung, alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of Thai Nguyen Provincial Party Committee, affirmed: The coordination with the Vietnam Journalists Association to restore, embellish, manage and preserve the Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School Relic is not only a responsibility but also a source of pride for Thai Nguyen - the place that used to be the cradle of revolution and resistance journalism. The relic has been, is and will continue to be a destination of great significance, included in the list of red addresses in the journey to explore the "Capital of Thousand Winds".

76 years have passed since the special class under the canopy of Bo Ra forest, the values that Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School created are still meaningful and increasingly shining. The relic is not only a place to commemorate a historical event of the press, but has become a symbol of the spirit and ethics of Vietnamese journalists. Current and future generations of journalists will continue to extend the mission of the previous generation with integrity, courage and creativity so that the revolutionary flame in the profession will never be extinguished.