As an important part of the Vietnamese revolutionary press, in the country’s historical periods, the military press has always been a vanguard force on the Party’s ideological - cultural fronts, making significant contributions to the cause of national liberation, construction, and protection. In the new era, the military press continues affirming the pioneering role of a “special corps”, accompanying the entire Party, people, and Military in the era of the nation’s rise.

In the past 100 years of the Vietnamese revolutionary press, the military press has unceasingly developed and made a worthy contribution to the Party’s revolutionary cause and the country’s development and international integration process. In any circumstances, the military press has always remained steadfast in the goal of national independence and socialism, staying absolutely loyal to the Party, Fatherland, State, and people, accompanying cadres and soldiers in their training, combat, and work process, acting as a vanguard force in protecting and maintaining the Party’s ideological - cultural foundation within the entire Military and society.

Military press agencies join the National Press Festival of 2024 (photo: qdnd.vn)

Commencing their operations in the resistance war against the French, being imbued with President Ho Chi Minh’s teachings: “Journalists are also revolutionary soldiers; pen and papers are their sharp weapons”, military journalists showed their fearlessness in the face of danger and sacrifice; they were always present across battlefields to disseminate our Party’s all-people, all-round, self-reliant resistance war line among troops and citizens. Articles directly produced from front and rear lines, in-depth analyses of the war situation in our country and the Indochina, typical examples in combat, military - civilian unity, and comradeship were spread by military journalists to opportunely enable troops and citizens to be fully aware of the goal, motto, methods, and spirit of the resistance war against foreign aggressors. Those efforts contributed to encouraging all people to provide material and human resources for the front line, guiding public opinion, fighting the enemy’s distortions and psychological warfare, and cementing the people’s faith in victory of the resistance war. Notably, during Dien Bien Phu Campaign, People’s Army Newspaper established a front-line newsroom to publish its issues right in the trenches, thereby contributing to cementing troops’ faith, combat morale, and absolute loyalty to the Fatherland, Party, State, and people, encouraging troops to readily, strictly comply with orders and realise the operational motto under the spirit of “digging mountains, sleeping in tunnels, eating rice balls in the pouring rain”, winning Dien Bien Phu Victory that “resounded across the five continents and shook the globe”.

In the resistance war against the US for national salvation, military journalists continued promoting their role as the main force on the Party’s ideological - cultural fronts within the Military, contributing to summarising realities, developing theories, widely and deeply disseminating the Party’s all-people, all-round resistance war line, clarifying the justice of our resistance war, conducting diplomatic struggle, and affirming our people and troops’ fighting resolve towards the ultimate victory. The military press opportunely propagated the Party’s resolutions and directives and the Government’s policies and laws, fostering the spirit of resilient resistance, reflecting the development of military thinking, people’s war art, and people’s war posture across the three strategic regions (mountainous, rural plain, and urban ones). Based on ideological orientations, propagation work was always aimed at raising public awareness and opportunely serving the building of increasingly strong three-category armed forces. “Holding both pens and weapons”, military journalists stayed close to combat units, opportunely producing pieces of news about battles and typical examples in the emulation movement of annihilating enemy troops and achieving feats of arms, bolstering the noble virtues of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers”. At the same time, the military press widely spread revolutionary action movements, stimulating patriotic emulation within the entire Military and among the people, contributing to gathering and increasing the strength of the political - spiritual factor, under the spirit of “splitting Truong Son mountain range to save the nation”, “all for the beloved South, all for victory over US invaders”. From front to rear lines, military journalists made contributions to fostering all people and troops’ faith and willpower as the basis for the Great 1975 Spring Victory, completely liberating the South, unifying the country.

In the period of socialism building and national renewal initiated and led by our Party, the military press has proved its core role on ideological - cultural fronts, facilitating the cause of national renewal, construction, and protection. Thanks to the robust development of military press agencies, the Party’s major lines and the State’s laws and policies on defence, security, the building of the armed forces, and other aspects of socio-economic life, especially the line of all-people national defence, the Strategy for Fatherland Protection in the New Situation, the Resolution on organising the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) in the period of 2021 - 2030 and beyond, and the building of a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern VPA have been opportunely, widely, deeply conveyed to cadres, soldiers, and people from all walks of life.

The military press has focused on reflecting troops’ training, combat readiness, exercise, regularity building, and discipline management operations across the VPA, highlighting the outcomes of military - defence tasks and defensive zone construction within localities. It has provided political - ideological orientations, encouraging the Determined to Win Emulation Movement and the building of a healthy cultural environment across the VPA, detecting and praising typical examples and new factors, contributing to raising troops’ political steadfastness, fighting morale, and readiness for any missions. At the same time, there have been many in-depth articles on defence diplomacy and the VPA’s participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations, thereby contributing to affirming the Military’s role in cementing strategic trust, promoting international cooperation, and maintaining peace and stability for national development.

Furthermore, the military press has sufficiently reflected the VPA’s significant contributions to socio-economic development, particularly in remote, isolated, border, sea, island areas. It has emphasised the role of economic - defence units, military businesses, and offices and units in realising the Party’s line on closely, effectively combining socio-economic, cultural development and diplomacy with defence and security and vice versa. At the same time, it has widely, deeply propagated the process of building and developing a modern, dual-purpose defence industry of Vietnam capable of meeting the requirements of Fatherland protection and socio-economic development.

The military press has always played a core role in propagating mass mobilisation work, opportunely reflecting the VPA’s support for the people in hunger eradication, poverty reduction, natural disaster and epidemic response, new-style rural area building, and removal of temporary and dilapidated houses, spreading the noble image of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers”, cementing the close-knit bond between the Military and the people. Many columns and articles have spread aspirations for national development, stimulating self-reliance and self-strengthening, consolidating national great unity, fostering the Determined to Win Emulation Movement, creative labour, and new lifestyle building. The military press has really become a bridge between the Party, the State, and the people, acting as a forum for troops and citizens to take part in national development, supervision, and social criticism, encouraging troops and citizens to successfully fulfil revolutionary tasks, contributing to building a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds”.

The military press has always acted as a core force in encouraging all troops and citizens to study and follow Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle as well as campaigns on building and rectifying the Party and political system. It has played a pioneering role in combating wrong viewpoints and protecting the Party’s ideological - cultural foundation within the entire VPA and society. It has been active in reflecting the country’s achievements in socio-economic development, international integration, social welfare, political stability and social order and safety assurance, VPA building, defence consolidation, and Fatherland protection.

Amid the rapid development of modern media and the 4^th industrial revolution, military press agencies have always adhered to their political missions, remaining proactive, creative, and steadfast in their principles and purposes, unceasingly improving their operational quality. A lot of new programs and columns have been designed to meet the information needs of troops and citizens. Multi-platform, multi-media models have been gradually formed and developed to expand the reach of information access, promptly, correctly guide public opinion in response to a complex flow of multidimensional information, and affirm the position and prestige of military press agencies within the national press.

Currently, our country is ready to enter a new era of development with higher requirements of Fatherland building and defence; many major revolutionary lines are being drastically executed. There are rapid, complex changes in the world and the region; hostile, reactionary, politically opportunistic forces are stepping up their sabotage efforts, particularly in ideological, cultural, communications fields. The robust development of science and technology, particularly digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and social media are profoundly transforming modes of production, distribution, consumption, and information use. Against that backdrop, in order to continue promoting military press agencies’ role and enabling the military press to make a worthy contribution to the development of our VPA and country, it is necessary to adopt several measures as follows.

First, enhancing the Party’s leadership and the State’s management towards the press and journalistic operations within the VPA. This is a consistent principle aimed at ensuring that the military press will always remain politically steadfast and loyal to the Party’s goal and ideal, national interests, and the people’s happiness. Thus, it is vital to maintain and strengthen the close, uniform, timely leadership and direction of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the Ministry of National Defence (MND), and the General Department of Politics (GDP) over the military press. Military press agencies should comply with orientations by the Central Commission for Information, Education, and Mass Mobilisation as well as state management work by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. They should grasp and realise the Party’s resolutions and directives on journalistic work in the new situation, especially the CMC’s Directive 03-CT/QUTW, dated 2 January 2019, on “further leading and managing journalistic and publishing work within the VPA”. They should conform to the Press Law, Circular 03/2019/TT-BQP, dated 10 January 2019, by Minister of National Defence on management of the press within the MND, other relevant statutory regulations, and their own operating, reviewing, and editing procedures to avoid mistakes about the Party’s views and lines. Due attention should be paid to resolutely preventing commercialisation of journalism so as to maintain military press agencies’ political identity and combativeness. It is essential to closely manage military press agencies’ operations, especially independent operations of military journalists and representative offices. Besides, it is important to continue building strong party organisations within military press agencies in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organisation, and personnel, making them capable of effectively, comprehensively leading propagation activities in the new situation. Great value should be attached to well performing the work of internal political protection, especially within military press agencies having a large number of contract employees. Criteria for key cadres of offices in charge of press management should be maintained to improve governance quality and tighten discipline within the military press.

Second, promoting military press agencies’ role as the core, vanguard force in propagation and ideological orientation, creating strong consensus within society, contributing to ushering the country into a new development era. Currently, when the entire Party, people, and VPA are striving to realise the goals of national development under the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress and making preparations for the 14^th National Party Congress, the military press should affirm its position as the core force in widely, deeply, comprehensively, systematically propagating major strategic lines and policies, such as the streamlining of the political system’s apparatus, 2013 Constitution amendment, local military force adjustment, science - technology development, innovation, and national digital transformation. The military press should clarify the goal, content, vision, necessity, urgency, and positive impacts of those strategic lines and policies upon Fatherland construction and protection in the new development era, while confirming the sound leadership and direction of the Party, CMC, and MND in the process. In response to the country’s fundamental transformations, the military press must be a vanguard force on ideological - cultural fronts to contribute to building and cementing the people’s faith, arousing aspirations for national development, innovation, self-reliance, and self-strengthening, and promoting the entire nation’s internal strength. In addition to guiding public opinion, the military press should honestly reflect public concerns and expectations, encourage a sense of responsibility among troops and citizens in the execution of resolutions and directives, and widely spread creative, effective approaches and models in practice. The military press should focus on lighting up the faith, fostering willpower, and providing spiritual motivations for innovation and breakthrough development within the entire society. A part from accompanying the country in its development process, military press agencies should disseminate strategic visions to contribute to realising aspirations for building a prosperous, civilised, happy Vietnam. This is a glorious political mission of revolutionary “journalists - soldiers” who are responsible for protecting the Party’s ideological - cultural foundation within the VPA, enabling the entire Military and people to firmly enter the era of the nation’s rise.

Third, continuing to renew modes of communications and digital transformation. This is an inevitable trend and urgent requirement today. Military press agencies should grasp and strictly execute Prime Minister’s Decision 348/QĐ-TTg, dated 6 April 2023, on approving the Strategy for digital transformation of journalism towards 2025, with orientation towards 2030, Plan on realising the Strategy for digital transformation of journalism towards 2025, with orientation towards 2030 within the MND after the reorganisation of the military press system according to the CMC Standing Board’s conclusion. It is necessary to actively implement the Project on building People’s Army Newspaper into a key multi-media agency towards 2030, with a vision towards 2045 and raise the quality of Vietnam National Defence TV Channel worthy of a crucial TV channel of the country. It is vital to be fully aware that digital transformation is not only an unavoidable trend, but also an important incentive to raise the effectiveness of propagation, extend the influence, and affirm the pioneering role on ideological - cultural fronts in the new situation. Thus, it is essential to synchronously develop types of journalism in an integrated, inter-connected way and take advantage of each platform’s strengths to meet the increasingly diverse information needs of troops and citizens. There should be a close combination of modern technology application and adherence to realities of the VPA and social life. Technology is only a supporting tool; it can’t replace journalists’ political zeal and revolutionary humanism; it proves effective only when being used to facilitate press agencies’ political tasks and genuine, timely reflection of units’ training, combat readiness, regularity building, discipline management, socio-economic development, and natural disaster and epidemic response operations. Hence, propagation work by the military press must be aimed at encouraging and spreading good things, conveying the message about the willpower and noble virtues of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the new period. It is vital to ensure that each military journalistic product will be truly profound, vibrant, and capable of meeting the information needs and guiding public opinion properly. It is necessary to develop more multi-media products, raise the quality of digital interaction, and proactively apply popular technologies, especially AI in content creation and distribution. Significance should be attached to designing a converged, integrated, modern newsroom model, exploiting digital technology in information management, production, publishing, and distribution, and boosting a connection between specialised components to create a flexible, effective operating process. This requirement is of urgency to improving military press agencies’ adaptability, professionalism, and rapid response in digital communication environment. Doing so will lay a foundation for the military press to promote its core, pioneering role in strategic propagation work of the Party and VPA and make a worthy contribution to the cause of Fatherland construction and protection in the new era.

Fourth, building a corps of military journalists with political steadfastness and great professional expertise as the vanguard force on ideological - cultural fronts. Military press agencies should develop a pool of “both red and expert” journalists with political steadfastness, pure ethics, and absolute loyalty to the Party, Fatherland, State, and people as instructed by Uncle Ho: “all journalists (all who are involved in the writing, printing, editing, and publishing process) must maintain a firm political stance; politics must play a key role; proper political orientations will ensure that other activities are proper”. At the same time, journalists must have great professional expertise, sharp thinking, and rapid, flexible response to flows of information in the digital era. Training and retraining work must be carried out scientifically, with a combination of occupational ethics training and specialised training in multimedia journalism. Importance should be attached to studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s journalistic style, staying close to troop life and political tasks, and maintaining readiness to venture into front-line, remote, isolated, border, sea, island areas. It is necessary to detect and effectively employ collaborators as well as design mechanisms for coordination between military press agencies and other offices and units to develop reliable, diverse human resources. Due attention should be paid to enhancing exchange programs between press agencies both inside and outside the VPA, applying technology in training work, and organising specialised refresher courses relevant to modern journalistic trends. In any circumstances, military journalists must demonstrate their political responsibility, occupational ethics, and absolute loyalty to the Party’s ideal and the nation’s revolutionary path. Each reporter, editor, and collaborator must keep improving their political qualities, morality, and lifestyle, heighten self-examination and self-correction, and uphold the professional dignity and noble image of “Journalists - Soldiers”. Each journalistic product must be based on the truth, justice, objectivity, and political orientation; it must serve the goal of national development and protect the people’s interests. Besides, “Journalists - Soldiers” must bravely, resolutely combat wrongdoings and violations of occupational ethics. Party organisations within military press agencies should strengthen their leadership over political - ideological education for cadres, reporters, and editors, opportunely rectify misconceptions, strictly handle negative practices, and build a highly combative, healthy, pure journalistic environment. At the same time, great weight should be added to fostering the ideal, tradition, and pride of the revolutionary press. This requirement is of urgency to protecting the noble title of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers”, preserving and spreading military press agencies’ values in the nation’s rapid, sustainable, comprehensive development era.

Fifth, promoting military press agencies’ pioneering role in fighting to protect the Party’s ideological foundation. Amid complex changes throughout the world and in the region as well as hostile forces’ sabotage efforts, the military press should continue affirming its role as the core, vanguard force on ideological - cultural fronts, proactively fighting wrong viewpoints, firmly protecting the Party’s ideological foundation. It is not only an urgent requirement, but also a special political duty of the military press in the new situation. Therefore, it is necessary to continue adhering to the 13^th Politburo’s Conclusion 89-KL/TW, dated 25 July 2024, on grasping and further implementing the 12^th Politburo’s Resolution 35-NQ/TW, dated 22 October 2018, on “enhancing the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation and the fight against wrong, hostile viewpoints in the new situation”, proactively identifying and correctly forecasting hostile forces’ plots and artifices. Emphasis should be placed on stepping up propagation work via highly combative journalistic products, closely combining “building” with “fighting”, confirming the revolutionary and scientific nature of Marxism - Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, and the Party’s lines, disseminating Vietnam’s achievements in socio-economic development, defence, security, democracy, human rights, ethnicity, and religion. It is vital to proactively identify and effectively combat hostile forces’ distortions of our Party and State’s current major revolutionary lines and policies, such as the re-organisation of all-level administrative units and the building of a two-tier local government model, the building of a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern VPA, the era of the nation’s rise, and all-level party congresses towards the 14^th National Party Congress. Simultaneously, specialised pages and columns on “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation” prevention and combat should increase their reasoning, topicality, and persuasiveness based on realities in order to facilitate the struggle for protecting the Party’s ideological foundation. Doing so will also help improve the people’s intellectual standards, cement the people’s faith, bring into play cultural - spiritual values, and maintain the Party’s ideological - cultural foundation within the entire VPA and society.  

Bringing into play its glorious tradition, the military press will continue carrying out a drastic, all-round reform, raising the quality and effectiveness of its propagation work, remaining steadfast in revolutionary goal and ideal, adopting new technologies, and affirming its core role on ideological - cultural fronts to contribute to building a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern VPA capable of firmly protecting the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland in the new development era.

Lt. Gen. TRUONG THIEN TO

Deputy Director of the GDP of the VPA