Sai Gon Giai Phong steadily disseminates Vietnamese values

Attending the event were Head Duong Anh Duc of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and his deputy Tang Huu Phong, Deputy Director Nguyen Ngoc Hoi of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, Deputy Head Vu Van Chuc of the Central Youth Union's Youth Affairs Department and Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Nhu Y of the Ho Chi Minh City Press Center.

SGGP upholds the mission of revolutionary journalism in the digital age

At the ceremony, journalist Nguyen Khac Van, Acting Editor-in-Chief of Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper and Head of the Organizing Committee of the 2025-2026 Shining Vietnamese Values contest, reflected on the proud tradition of Vietnam's revolutionary press over more than a century.

One hundred and one years ago, on June 21, 1925, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc founded Thanh Nien Newspaper, laying the foundation for Vietnam's revolutionary press. Over the past century, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, revolutionary journalism has accompanied the nation in its struggle for independence, nation-building and national defense. It has served as an important force on the ideological and cultural front, helping connect Party policies with public aspirations, strengthen public trust and inspire the country's development ambitions.

SGGP holds a special place in that history. The newspaper published the first edition on May 5, 1975. Over 51 years of development, it has fulfilled its role as the official publication of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and the voice of the city's Party organization, government and people, while accompanying the development of a dynamic, innovative, civilized, modern and compassionate city.

Throughout the reform period, SGGP has focused on improving content quality, developing media-related economic activities and organizing a range of influential social programs. From a traditional print newspaper, it has gradually transformed into a multimedia, multi-platform news organization while maintaining meaningful initiatives and awards, including the Nghia Tinh Truong Son program, the Nguyen Van Huong Scholarship, the Ton Duc Thang Award, the Vietnam Golden Ball Awards, Thap sang niem tin - Vuot kho den truong (Lighting Faith – Overcoming Hardship to School) and Ao am den truong (Warm Coats for School) programs.

Journalist Nguyen Khac Van said Vietnam is entering a new stage of development that places increasingly high demands on revolutionary journalism. On June 18, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam published an article emphasizing the requirements facing Vietnamese media organizations in the digital era.

In the article, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam called on news organizations to build a new workplace culture characterized by professionalism, discipline, responsiveness, openness to innovation and a willingness to experiment without compromising standards. Media organizations should continuously retrain their workforce, focusing on digital audiences, data security, multi-platform journalism, AI ethics and compliance with intellectual property laws.

According to journalist Nguyen Khac Van, these requirements also apply to every reporter, editor and employee at SGGP as the newspaper enters a new phase of development. Staff members must maintain professional integrity, embrace innovation, master technology and continue providing accurate, reliable, humane and useful information to the public.

On the occasion, 16 members of the Vietnam Journalists Association working at SGGP received the “For the Cause of Vietnamese Journalism” commemorative medal.

Contest inspires dedication and social contribution

Building on previous writing contests honoring exemplary individuals and good deeds, SGGP and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee have jointly organized the Shining Vietnamese Values contest since 2023.

The contest aims to identify and honor individuals dedicated to serving the community, as well as projects, initiatives and creative products that showcase Vietnamese intelligence, resilience and innovation. Through these stories, the contest seeks to spread positive values, foster national pride and inspire a spirit of contribution.

For the 2025-2026 edition, organizers received more than 500 written entries and nearly 100 video submissions. Contest entries generated nearly 3 million views and interactions across SGGP's digital platforms, highlighting both the appeal of the topic and the strong public interest in positive social values.

Among hundreds of entries, the work titled Hanh trinh 25 nam di tim dong doi (A 25-year journey to find comrades) by authors Quoc Hung, Minh Khoa and Phuc Van received the highest score from the judging panel. The work vividly portrayed charitable activities and community contributions while honoring Vietnamese values.

The organizing committee also awarded 14 consolation prizes, two third prizes, two second prizes and one first prize across the written and video categories.

At the event, SGGP and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee officially launched the 2026-2027 Shining Vietnamese Values contest.

For the new edition, organizers plan to further innovate the competition format, enhance the evaluation process and expand the promotion of entries across digital platforms.

The organizing committee said it hopes to continue receiving journalistic works that demonstrate creativity and strong reporting skills, honor ordinary yet remarkable individuals, highlight practical initiatives and celebrate achievements that reflect Vietnamese ingenuity, thereby strengthening public trust, social responsibility and aspirations for national development.

During the program, Professor Hoang Van Kiem, the subject of the second-prize winning entry "Two Generations, One Flow of AI," shared his message to the younger generation about success, aspirations, and dedication. He belongs to the pioneering generation that laid the first bricks for the computer science and artificial intelligence industry in Vietnam.

Professor Hoang Van Kiem shared that each era presents different challenges, but what matters is that subsequent generations maintain the aspiration to thoroughly investigate these questions. Success or awards are not as important as each individual's contributions to serving the country and affirming Vietnamese intelligence on the world map of science and technology.