The history of the People's Army Newspaper began with “The Sound of Guns”, a handwritten newspaper of the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army, published on December 27, 1944. Without typewriters or ink, the team members hand-copied each copy on student paper and paper, and distributed it to all units. Each of those small newspapers was a voice of faith, encouraging soldiers to go to war for national independence.

From “The Sound of Guns”, that fire spread through the newspapers: Liberation Army, Victory, Golden Star, National Defense Army, Guerrilla Army - newspapers born in the smoke of the resistance war, reflecting the breath of the battlefield, contributing to encouraging the fighting spirit of our army and people. The journalists at that time, most of them were soldiers who were also reporters, editors, printers... marching, writing, and printing newspapers by hand crank in the Viet Bac forest. Many people fell on the way to perform their duties such as: Hoang Loc, Tran Dang... leaving behind shining examples of revolutionary soldiers and journalists.

Reporters, editors and soldiers of the People's Army Newspaper visit the Newspaper's Traditional Room. Photo: PHAM HUNG

In July 1950, in Quang village (Dinh Bien, Dinh Hoa, Thai Nguyen ), the two newspapers Ve Quoc Quan and Quan Guerrilla merged into a unified newspaper of the people's armed forces. Uncle Ho named it the People's Army, because "it is an Army born from the people, serving the people".

On October 20, 1950, the People's Army Newspaper published its first issue in Khau Dieu village, Dinh Bien Thuong commune, Dinh Hoa (now Khau Dieu village, Binh Yen commune, Thai Nguyen province). In a letter to the editorial board, President Ho Chi Minh pointed out: "Speak things that are truly practical, in line with political guidelines, less jokes, write short, simple, easy to understand, present clearly, and do not go to another page." That advice became the motto of activities, shaping the journalism style of generations of cadres and reporters of the People's Army Newspaper.

From a thatched house in the middle of the war zone, the People's Army Newspaper has grown up with the nation, becoming the voice of ideals and of the soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army in all regions of the country. Standing in the Traditional Room today, flipping through the pages of old newspapers, I seem to see the silhouettes of journalists of the past with faded shirts, hands smelling of ink, eyes shining in the midst of hardship. Generations of fathers and brothers have done journalism with the heart of journalists twice soldiers, using faith as pen, using truth as weapon.

Now, in peacetime, when the People's Army Newspaper continues on its journey of innovation and modernization, today's generation of journalists increasingly appreciate the word "responsibility" - the responsibility to maintain the identity of a soldier holding a pen, to write correctly, to write truthfully, to write to protect the Party's ideological foundation, to spread faith and patriotism among the entire people and army.

From “The Sound of Guns” to the People’s Army Newspaper, over the past 8 decades, it has been a journey of writing with the intelligence, sweat, tears and ideals of many generations of revolutionary journalists. Between the pages of the newspaper, I gently touched the endless source of faith that brought the People’s Army Newspaper from the deep jungle of resistance to today’s heights, forever worthy of being the voice of the armed forces and heroic Vietnamese people.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/chao-mung-ky-niem-75-nam-ngay-thanh-lap-bao-quan-doi-nhan-dan/tu-tieng-sung-reo-den-bao-quan-doi-nhan-dan-885663