From the heroic history
During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh once affirmed: "To lead the people to make a great cause, there must be leadership. That leadership is not just of a few people, but arises from the cooperation of thousands, tens of thousands of people...". The birth of Revolutionary Journalism is precisely to contribute to creating "the cooperation of thousands, tens of thousands of people", making "thousands, tens of thousands" of Vietnamese people have "the same will", "pursuing the same purpose". That will is national pride, determined not to lose the country, determined not to be a slave to foreign invaders; that purpose is to drive out colonialists, imperialist invaders, overthrow reactionary feudalism, gain independence and freedom for the nation, bring prosperity and happiness to the people.
In the process of development over the past 101 years, the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press has been loyal to the principles and goals set from the beginning, becoming a sharp weapon, accompanying the nation from the arduous, sacrificial struggle, overthrowing the domination of the French colonialists, driving away the powerful invading armies of the Japanese fascists, the American imperialists, for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland, as well as in the cause of building and developing the country for the happiness of the people, both encouraging the new, the progressive, and resolutely protecting the ideological foundation, protecting national and ethnic interests and the legitimate rights of the people. Along with that, before the love that creates glorious, very proud pages of history. In particular, in the 40-year renovation journey, revolutionary press has become a weapon of war, a "tool for propaganda, mobilization, organization and leadership" of the Party's revolution, as President Ho Chi Minh affirmed in the process of promulgation.
The creative labor, dedication for the sake of love for the profession, tireless struggle, and acceptance of sacrifice for revolutionary ideals of journalists in 101 years of revolutionary journalism history has become a bright milestone in the common history pages of the nation, becoming a bright example for generations of journalistic and media activities to learn and follow.
Prof. Dr. Ta Ngoc Tan - former member of the Party Central Committee, former Standing Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council - summarized: "The creative labor, dedication to the profession, tireless struggle, and acceptance of sacrifice for revolutionary ideals of journalists in 100 years of revolutionary journalism history have become a bright milestone in the common history pages of the nation, becoming a bright example for generations of journalistic and media activities to learn and follow".
Inspiring order, protecting social trust
Speaking at the Ceremony to commend outstanding Party cell secretaries and announce and award the 10th Golden Hammer and Sickle Award in 2025 held on February 3, 2026, General Secretary To Lam (now General Secretary, President) reiterated the requirement for the press and media: "Information and propaganda work must truly be an inspiring "firecracker", a "battle drum" to encourage the entire Party, people and army to maximize the spirit of "autonomy, confidence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, national pride", and successfully implement the Resolution of the 14th Party Congress.
The two images of "firecrackers" and "battle drums" are not only evocative, but also contain a very clear action spirit. "Battle orders" is an opening signal, a stimulus, awakening will and responsibility. "Battle drums" is a sound of encouragement, gathering forces, creating a spirit of unity to step into major tasks. A noteworthy point in this speech is that General Secretary, President To Lam emphasized the values of "autonomy, confidence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, national pride". A country that wants to break through, besides material resources, needs to have spiritual bravery, belief in its development path and the aspiration to rise of each citizen.
In the era of information technology explosion and to meet new requirements, the press is not only a channel for reporting, but also a force to discover problems, explain policies, reflect reality, spread good models, encourage new factors and fight against manifestations of stagnation, formality, and negativity. To become an "oath" and "empty battle", the press must be both quick-witted and accurate; both inspiring and in-depth; a new bridge, the press and media of Vietnam are also responsible for security issues in the region. Speaking at the opening session of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue on May 29, 2026, General Secretary and President To Lam proposed that "protecting information space and raising awareness" should be considered an important strategy.
The General Secretary and President stated: "Protecting peace in the new era also requires protecting the truth, strengthening social trust, improving strategic communication capacity, educating digital citizens, promoting the responsibility of technology platforms and international cooperation in combating misinformation. A society capable of distinguishing right from wrong, maintaining consensus in the face of changes and not being led by fear, hatred or manipulation will be an important foundation of sustainable security.
Building a "society capable of distinguishing right from wrong, maintaining consensus in the face of changes and not being led by fear, hatred or manipulation" as the General Secretary and President said, needs responsibility from many parties, needs multinational cooperation. In which there is political, social and professional responsibility of the press in the digital age.
The National Assembly's passage of the revised Press Law, effective from July 1, 2026, creates an additional legal basis for the press and media to better play the role of building social trust. On May 12, 2026, the Government issued Decree 148/2026/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 72/2015/ND-CP on managing foreign information activities, effective from July 1. The Decree focuses on updating regulations on network security, providing information in cyberspace and promoting the image of Vietnam. The Decree sets requirements: "When deploying foreign information activities in cyberspace, social networks and online platforms, it is necessary to ensure compliance with the principles of information security; verifying information sources; controlling content according to the provisions of law; ensuring information security, network security and preventing the dissemination of fake news and false information about Vietnam".
Protecting peace in the new era, as stated in the speech of the General Secretary and President at the opening session of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, Vietnamese press and media need to affirm their leading role. When the press plays a good role in verifying, explaining, and orienting with truth and humanity, society will have more resistance to fake news. The goal is to make people believe in legitimate sources of information, and at the same time be calm enough to distinguish right from wrong, and maintain consensus in the face of changes. That is the important foundation of sustainable security and development of the country as well as the region.
