Nhan Dan Newspaper introduces special information about Dien Bien Phu Victory

On the morning of March 21, in Hanoi, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2024), Nhan Dan Newspaper organized the introduction of a special information session about the Dien Bien Phu Victory on publications and platforms of Nhan Dan Newspaper.

Attending the event were Party Central Committee members: Le Quoc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, President of the Vietnam Journalists Association; Senior Lieutenant General Trinh Van Quyet, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army; Tran Quoc Cuong, Secretary of Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee; Comrade Vu Manh Ha, Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of Lai Chau Provincial Party Committee.

Also attending were representatives of leaders of central departments, ministries and branches, Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces; representatives of military units, news agencies, press...

In particular, the event also had the presence of two historical witnesses: Lieutenant General Dang Quan Thuy, Hero of the Armed Forces, former combat officer of the General Staff of the Dien Bien Phu campaign and Major General Nguyen Tu, Hero of the Armed Forces, former medical officer of the 316th Division, the division that attacked the eastern wing of Hill A1. These are two of the three generals who were Dien Bien Phu soldiers in the past who still remain today.

THE LARGEEST, COMPREHENSIVE AND LONGEST INFORMATION COVERAGE IN THE PRESS TO DATE ABOUT THE DIEN BIEN PHU VICTORY

On this day 70 years ago, our army had just successfully completed the first phase of the attack on the Dien Bien Phu stronghold, which was considered an "impregnable fortress" by the French colonialists and the Western military, with the intention of crushing the young Viet Minh army.

In just the first five days, we destroyed the Him Lam resistance center, took down Doc Lap hill, forced Ban Keo to surrender, and completely controlled the northern sector of the stronghold. Our troops began digging 100km of trenches, creating a noose to strangle the “porcupine” Dien Bien Phu.

In the atmosphere of remembering those heroic days, as the main multimedia press agency of the revolutionary press, Nhan Dan Newspaper has deployed a special information campaign about the Dien Bien Phu Victory on all its publications and press platforms, especially emphasizing on“Fifty-six days and nights of digging mountains, sleeping in tunnels, constant rain, rice balls/ Blood mixed with mud/ Liver not shaken/ Will not worn out!”of seven decades ago.

Sharing at the event, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper Le Quoc Minh said that the entire apparatus of Nhan Dan Newspaper participated in this special information campaign, from the specialized departments of the print press and the system of permanent agencies in the country and abroad, to the printed, electronic and television publications. This is the largest, most comprehensive, richest and longest information campaign in the press to date carried out by Party journalists about the Dien Bien Phu Victory.

After many months of careful preparation, starting from March 13, 2024, Nhan Dan Newspaper launched an Internet product with an unprecedented approach - a special page.Dien Bien Phu Victory(at https://dienbienphu.nhandan.vn), with the important highlight beingCampaign Progress Logfor 56 days and nights, from the opening match on March 13, 1954 to the victorious end on May 7, 1954.

The diary includes all the daily developments at the Dien Bien Phu front and on other fronts and localities across the country related to the Dien Bien Phu campaign; the struggle on the diplomatic front and international public opinion about the battle at Dien Bien Phu.

WithCampaign Progress Log, partOverviewincludes categories:Documents; International public opinion; Dien Bien today; Questions and answers about the Dien Bien Phu campaign and MultimediaPosting TV clips with many valuable images produced by Nhan Dan Television. “Up to now, there have been hundreds of articles by experts posted on this special page, the content presentation is very creative and high-class, bringing a unique experience to viewers”, said comrade Le Quoc Minh.

He also said that in the coming time, the partCampaign progressEnglish, French, Spanish, Chinese and Russian versions will continue to be added in the hope of bringing authentic information about the Dien Bien Phu Victory to international friends, especially young readers.

In addition, in parallel with Nhan Dan e-newspaper, on the publications Nhan Dan daily, Nhan Dan weekend, Nhan Dan monthly, Thoi Nay newspaper, Nhan Dan Television will have a series of reports, comments, news, analysis, interviews with historical witnesses, introduction of articles, literary and artistic works about Dien Bien Phu past and present with a very new and especially interesting overview.

“The heroic stories of the Dien Bien Phu victory will continue to be told by today’s generation to future generations, forever. And the articles, television reports, as well as the special page of Nhan Dan Newspaper that we are witnessing today, also serve that purpose,” Comrade Le Quoc Minh affirmed.

BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATION IN PROPAGANDA WORK

Speaking at the event, Senior Lieutenant General Trinh Van Quyet, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, affirmed that the special information campaign about the Dien Bien Phu Victory on publications and platforms of Nhan Dan Newspaper is the first activity in a series of propaganda activities about the historic Dien Bien Phu victory.

Assessing this as a breakthrough initiative in propaganda work, he expressed his belief that in the coming time, Nhan Dan Newspaper will have many vivid and rich articles about the victory that "resounded throughout the five continents and shook the world" 70 years ago; thereby helping compatriots, cadres, soldiers, and international friends understand more deeply the will and aspirations of the Vietnamese people; contributing to strengthening the people's trust in the Party and the Army; building national pride and self-esteem, towards realizing the goal of building a prosperous and happy country.

Expressing his emotion and excitement to attend the meaningful event, especially with the presence of historical witnesses of Dien Bien Phu, comrade Tran Quoc Cuong, Secretary of Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee, sincerely thanked Nhan Dan Newspaper in particular and press agencies nationwide in general for giving Dien Bien special attention on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory.

He said that Dien Bien province is coordinating with central ministries, branches, units and localities of the Northwest to urgently complete construction items to successfully organize the upcoming Celebration.

He emphasized that the People's Newspaper's organization of introducing page 56 of the Dien Bien Phu Victory Day and Night is also an event that helps people across the country and the world understand more deeply and fully the victory that "resounded throughout the five continents and shook the world" 70 years ago.

Colonel Le Thanh Bai, Deputy Director of the Institute of Military History - General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army - affirmed that building an accurate historical data warehouse plays a very important role, especially in the current context.

He affirmed that as soon as he received the cooperation request from Nhan Dan Newspaper, the Military History Institute mobilized forces, developed a specific plan, and assigned tasks to each group on a weekly basis to ensure accuracy and the highest level of interaction.

Also at the event, Lieutenant General Dang Quan Thuy, former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly and a veteran of Dien Bien Phu, shared his most memorable moment during the resistance war. That was the moment before the attack began, the leaders ordered a change, delaying the attack time. The sudden change created many difficulties such as moving the artillery, however, the entire army had a unified mindset, trusting the orders from above to launch a successful attack.

During the press conference, Mr. Le Quoc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, answered questions about the difficulties in implementing the special page, especially in finding, filtering and evaluating a huge amount of data.

"In journalistic works, there has never been a daily memoir like this. Luckily, our campaign lasted for a long time but the focus was only on 56 days and nights, so we tried to release it on March 13. The electronic page is just one of the products of the information campaign," said comrade Le Quoc Minh.

He said that the process of screening and selecting information was carried out carefully and thoroughly. Nhan Dan Newspaper coordinated with the Ministry of National Defense and the Institute of Military History to collect data and build a systematic information set. The Institute of Military History supported the verification of information and summarized the most concise content. In addition, the Newspaper has a long-standing technology partner, from which they exchanged to create an attractive interface and interaction on the specialized page.

According to the Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, this information release is just the first step in the process of building the most complete database on the Dien Bien Phu victory. Over the coming years, the data set will become more complete and have more additional features.

Talking to reporters, Comrade Tran Quoc Cuong, Secretary of Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee, also informed about the preparations for the 70th Anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory; the specific and special policies that the province has been implementing to honor the historical witnesses and remaining Dien Bien soldiers today.

On the side of the Ministry of National Defense, comrade Trinh Van Quyet, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, said that the Ministry was assigned to preside over the preparation and coordination of the parade; organize propaganda activities and scientific seminars on the historic Dien Bien Phu Victory; study new theoretical and practical contributions of the Dien Bien Phu Victory associated with the cause of national construction and defense; and carry out activities to pay tribute to Dien Bien Phu soldiers and former youth volunteers...

Within the framework of the event, comrade Le Quoc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper and comrade Trinh Van Quyet, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army presented souvenirs to Dien Bien Phu veterans attending the program.