Connecting hearts
One of the impressive things in the concert "Fatherland in the Heart 2026" opening on the evening of August 23rd in Ho Chi Minh City was the national anthem performance of about 70,000 spectators during the Flag Raising Ceremony.
According to Lao Dong reporters' records, when the program officially started, heavy rain suddenly poured down on the organizing area, but in the audience area, the atmosphere that was bustling turned to calm. Many people stood straight facing the National Flag. On stage, artists and performers put their hands on their chests together. Under the stands, tens of thousands of people sang the National Anthem in unison amidst the heavy rain.
The image of tens of thousands of people singing the National Anthem in unison has become a familiar image in many major cultural and sports events. Every time the Vietnamese national football team plays away or at home, the National Anthem sounds as if adding motivation to the players. Especially at home, tens of thousands of spectators sing together to evoke national pride.
Mr. Hoang Son, 75 years old in Ha Dong ward, said: "When the Vietnamese team played the second leg match against the Malaysian team at My Dinh Stadium, my grandchild and I went to the stadium to watch. It was truly touching and proud when the National Anthem sounded, my grandchild and I sang with tens of thousands of other people, the feeling was truly special. I think this is also an opportunity for young people like my grandchild to love their Fatherland and their country more.
Not only with the people, artists themselves also have special emotions when singing and recording the National Anthem.
Singer Tung Duong shared with Lao Dong: "I think the National Anthem is the most familiar, emotional, and closest song to anyone. When singing the National Anthem, each of us clearly feels the sacredness and national pride. Everyone can sing the National Anthem very well, no need to be a singer. Everyone can sing the National Anthem according to their own emotions, personal love, and personal pride.
From the perspective of workers, singing the National Anthem and saluting the flag at the beginning of the week in many localities and businesses has become a cultural feature. For many years, the Nghe An Provincial Labor Federation has launched the movement to sing the National Anthem at the beginning of the week, Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial Labor Federation Kha Van Tam shared: "The sound of the National Anthem echoing in the production workshop not only reminds of the heroic history of the nation, but also adds motivation for each worker to deeply understand their role in the development of businesses and the country. Through this activity, workers see themselves not just as individual individuals, but as a part of the great national family, together building a powerful Vietnam.
To promote the value of the National Anthem and foster patriotism
In the new context, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism pointed out that: "Through practical organization and implementation, it shows that the use of the National Anthem still has some limitations and inadequacies. The National Anthems and Quoc Thieu songs exploited and used in practice are not really unified; there are still differences in harmony, arrangement, speed, duration, sound quality and expression methods. In some cases, there is still confusion in distinguishing between singing the National Anthem, performing Quoc Thieu, using recordings or live performances; the rituals performed at some events are not uniform, not really unified in standards.
In particular, the rapid development of the network environment, digital platforms, multimedia communication and artificial intelligence gives rise to many new ways of using the National Anthem. Posting, sharing, editing, formatting conversion, changing speed, pitch, orchestration or incorporating the National Anthem into digital products can distort, deform or affect the solemnity and symbolic value of the National Anthem.
2 years ago, a Miss performed a livestream and modified the lyrics of the song "Tien Quan Ca" - Vietnam's National Anthem, this action immediately caused strong reactions from the community. After the incident was discovered, functional agencies had a working session with the Miss and decided to impose administrative sanctions for the violation. This further shows that there is a need for more specific regulations on the use of the National Anthem, especially in digital space.
In the draft Decree being consulted, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stipulates the use of the National Anthem in the online environment, digital platforms and in media products: "The use must ensure correct music, correct lyrics; no distortion or editing that distorts the National Anthem; no association with content that violates the law; no loss of solemnity of the National Anthem; no misunderstanding about the official version. At the same time, it is not allowed to use technology, artificial intelligence or technical means to create fake content of the National Anthem; edit lyrics, edit music; distort, distort, insult the National Anthem; fake official harmony and arrangement.
Protecting and promoting the value of the National Anthem is also contributing to educating patriotism, revolutionary tradition, civic responsibility and national pride.
