Former Editor-in-chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper Hoang Tung (fifth from right) and delegates visit Khuon Tat Shack where Uncle Ho assigned tasks to General Vo Nguyen Giap ahead of the Dien Bien Phu campaign (Phu Dinh, April 20, 2005).

This meeting to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Nhan Dan’s first issue and award the State’s highest order is held solemnly, demonstrating that the mouthpiece of the Party Central Committee has received great credibility and proper accreditation.

As the voice of the Party, State and people of Vietnam; a propaganda agency of the Party Central Committee; and a leading newspaper in the country’s revolutionary mass media system, Nhan Dan has always tried to fulfill its duties, contributing significantly to the great cause of the Party, disseminating guidelines and policies; cultivating patriotism, revolutionary spirit and the desire for independence and freedom; and guiding the actions of the entire Party, army and people in the resistance wars against foreign invaders. It is a revolutionary newspaper that inherits the precious traditions of Thanh Nien (Youth) Newspaper founded by Uncle Ho – its main editor, as well as its predecessors Co Giai Phong (Liberation Flag) Newspaper and Su That (Truth) Newspaper.

Like the previous mouthpieces of the Party Central Committee, Nhan Dan Newspaper had always been directed by Uncle Ho, the Party General Secretaries and other leaders. Uncle Ho and comrade Truong Chinh, who directed Nhan Dan directly, wrote thousands of articles for the newspaper. Leaders at all levels and sectors; officers and soldiers of the armed forces; compatriots in various areas; intellectuals; writers; and poets have been the very enthusiastic collaborators of Nhan Dan.

The staff of the newspaper are hard-working, loyal and dedicated, but must rely on the assistance of the entire Party, people and army to be able to attain the significant achievements that have been recognised and applauded by the Party and State.

Nonetheless, the newspaper still has many shortcomings that need to be addressed. Its intellectual stature should be higher, while its format and topics should be more diverse and attractive. Loyalty to the fatherland’s cause and the power of the Party's ideology is a quality that must be constantly ensured, but such loyalty must be reflected through a spirit of dynamism and creativity, as well as through the reflection and synthesis of the intellect and creativity of the whole Party, people and army in revolutionary actions. The revolution of our people is a highly creative cause, a development of the spirit of independence and self-reliance, a great struggle in the history of the nation, and a great development period of national culture. The newspaper still has a significant gap with the reality and wisdom of our Party and people in this rare revolutionary struggle.

Regarding the countries’ struggle for peace, national independence, democracy, and social progress, along with the heroic struggle and combat experiences of our nation, Nhan Dan has also contributed its part, but sometimes the spirit of proactivity and creativity has not kept up with the tasks at hand. There have been moments when people want to know Vietnam’s view on newly emerging events in international life, but we are absent or our stance is not expressed profoundly enough. The newspaper’s prestige and strength not only lie in its position as the organ of the Party Central Committee, but must also be shown through the ideology of guiding and orienting public opinion towards proper action. That strength has not been promptly promoted compared with our readers’ expectations.

Nhan Dan’s contributions are quite outstanding. According to the Party’s directives, the newspaper has in turn launched and organised many educational and revolutionary campaigns on a large scale, contributing to fostering a great revolutionary will, action and spirit, and constantly cultivating revolutionary spirit in the whole society. It has also played a part in the cause of raising our people’s intellectual level and maturity.

In particular, a great honour of the newspaper was to make active contributions to the victory of the resistance wars as a fighting unit, and most recently in the Doi Moi (Renewal) process, thereby making an important step forward and gradually rising to become a modern newspaper. In any period of the history, the mouthpiece must remain a pioneering soldier on the ideological front.

Certainly, in the new period, Nhan Dan will open a great development period associated with the great development period of our Vietnamese nation – a period of national industrialisation and modernisation, and a building of the country’s prosperity and the people’s happiness according to the path outlined by our beloved Uncle Ho.