+ On January 18, 2024, the Vietnam Journalists Association started construction of the project to restore and embellish the National Monument of Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School in Tan Thai Commune (Dai Tu) and on August 9, the project will be officially inaugurated. Completing a project of high artistic, cultural and historical significance in a short period of time, and with socialized funding, this must be a very high determination, great effort and hard work of the Vietnam Journalists Association. Could you please tell us more about the journey to realize this very meaningful project?

- Journalist Le Quoc Minh : On March 28, 2019, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 1182/QD-BVHTTDL, ranking the Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School as a National Historical Relic in the area demarcated as a Relic in plot 32, map sheet 47, Tan Thai commune, Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province. On that basis, on April 4, 2019, the Vietnam Journalists Association coordinated with Thai Nguyen province to inaugurate the National Historical Relic Site Stele on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School.

The Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School Relic Site with the first journalism class of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam has special significance and importance to the press and journalism training institutions nationwide, and is an important historical milestone of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press. With the desire to promote the historical value of the relic, helping the national historical relic of Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School become a destination for the press public in general and journalists in particular, meeting the expectations of generations of journalists nationwide, contributing positively to the propaganda and historical education work for the younger generation, the Vietnam Journalists Association coordinated with the People's Committee and functional agencies of Thai Nguyen province to plan to build a memorial and exhibition area at the Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School National Historical Relic Site in Tan Thai commune, Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province.

Of course, this meaningful wish and plan cannot come true without funding. This is the biggest concern and worry of the leaders of the Vietnam Journalists Association. Fortunately, we have the support of the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam). After receiving information about this extremely important project, the leaders of Petrovietnam decided to provide the Vietnam Journalists Association with financial support, enough to cover most of the project costs. The acceptance procedures were also implemented very quickly at the end of 2023 to start construction in time with the goal of inauguration in mid-2024 and consider this as one of the first events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Vietnam Revolutionary Press.

+ In addition to the records, documents and artifacts painstakingly collected and prepared by the Vietnam Press Museum, with the great determination of the leaders of the Vietnam Journalists Association, the project to restore and embellish the National Monument of Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School has also received the attention of the Party committees, authorities and people of Thai Nguyen province and the cultural sector. Could you elaborate on this extremely positive coordination?

- Journalist Le Quoc Minh: Without the very active and enthusiastic coordination of both the leaders of Thai Nguyen province and Dai Tu district, the progress of the project could not have been so fast. The People's Committee of Dai Tu district issued Document No. 1491/UBND-TNMT from July 12, 2023 on coordinating the implementation of the investment project "Construction of a Memorial Area at the National Relic Site of Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School" in Tan Thai commune at the request of the Vietnam Journalists Association; the district is also the place that grants the construction permit for the project and later receives and manages the relic. Dai Tu district has closely coordinated with the investor, the Vietnam Press Museum, during the implementation of the project, from the initial procedures, to the policy and the commencement and construction stages....

Thai Nguyen Province issued Decision 3415/QD-UBND dated December 28, 2023, approving the project and assigning the Vietnam Press Museum as the investor. This is the most important basis from which the province directs agencies and departments to provide close support, including the Department of Culture - Sports - Tourism, Department of Construction, Department of Natural Resources and Environment... I know that there are meetings related to this project that are even held very late in the evening to report to the provincial leaders in time and issue legal documents soon.

+ According to many researchers, the Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School National Monument after its inauguration will be a miniature Viet Bac journalism museum. Could you tell us more about the scale and important items of the project?

- Journalist Le Quoc Minh : We carried out the project planning process very systematically, coordinated with reputable units, including the design unit, and are really satisfied with the design of this project. It not only recreates history but also ensures high aesthetics as well as necessary functions.

The Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School project has basically completed the main items. In addition to the National Historical Site Stele erected in 2019 that has been renovated and embellished, there are also the following components: 1/ Miniature museum of Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School, in the form of a 4-level house of 80 m2 built on a high hill, modeled after recorded documents and some remaining documentary images, formerly a bamboo house, now a wooden frame house, with a fireproof artificial thatched roof; 2/ Stilt house - miniature museum of the Viet Bac Resistance Journalism 1946 - 1954, 80 m2 wide, modeled after the stilt house of the Viet Minh Headquarters, where resistance journalism activities were directly directed; 3/ Relief with 48 portraits of members of the Board of Directors, lecturers and students of the School; 4/ Auditorium in the hill can serve conferences, seminars and other activities, with a capacity of about 150 people; 5/ Mini square for event organization, 200 m2 wide. Surrounded by small gardens with fresh green trees in a very airy space.

+ Not only a miniature Viet Bac journalism museum, the Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School National Monument is also an important relic in the entire system of revolutionary historical relics about President Ho Chi Minh, the Central Committee, the Government, the Viet Bac resistance base and above all, the "red address" of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press, a place to remind and educate generations of journalists about their roots. What plans does the Vietnam Journalists Association have to widely spread the precious historical value of this relic?

- Journalist Le Quoc Minh: We plan to coordinate with the authorities to include the Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School relic in the list of tourist attractions of the "Windy Capital" - the capital of the country during the resistance war against the French colonialists (including Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, Bac Kan), in which Thai Nguyen holds a particularly important position, the central position of the "Resistance Capital". We will also step up propaganda to local journalist associations, branches and branches of journalist associations nationwide with the hope that all journalists will clearly see the importance of this relic, thereby considering it a red address for journalists, especially young journalists, to turn to the source, to learn about the heroic history of journalism, listen to stories of generations of predecessors and build for the future of the country's journalism.

The Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School relic site can also be a place to organize conferences and seminars on journalism, organize short-term training programs, or be a place to issue membership cards to the Vietnam Journalists Association, and award regional and local journalism awards...

We believe that journalists' associations and press agencies will pay due attention and will have many exciting activities, helping this place to be regularly visited by many people and participate in meaningful events for the journalism profession.

+ The project to restore and embellish the Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School National Monument is one of the activities towards the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day. In the coming time, what will be the key activities of the press in general and the Vietnam Journalists Association in particular to prepare for this important event, Mr. Chairman?

- Journalist Le Quoc Minh: The Central Propaganda Department has issued very early instructions on activities towards the 100-year milestone of the Vietnam Revolutionary Press, and the Vietnam Journalists Association has also issued very specific instructions to its member units. We know that some local journalists' associations and press agencies have also begun to make their own preparations.

From now until June 2025, there will be many diverse and practical activities, from the central to local levels, from large-scale multimedia press agencies to press agencies with a small number of staff. On the occasion of June 21, we called on all press agencies, journalist associations, and journalist branches and sub-associations nationwide to build their own emulation movements, making efforts to promote expertise to create high-quality press products, while continuing to build a cultural environment in press agencies and thoroughly implementing journalistic ethics. We also encourage the organization of regional and cluster-level activities to strengthen connectivity, solidarity and cooperation.

The Vietnam Journalists Association is coordinating with departments, ministries and branches to develop a national commemorative program, the National Press Festival as well as the National Press Awards Ceremony next year will certainly be very large in scale with many innovations. We also have plans to organize many professional activities as well as sports, cultural and artistic activities, and activities to honor journalists and martyrs, including a plan to call for support to build a memorial stele for 512 revolutionary journalist martyrs at Da Pagoda (Au Lac Co Tu) in Vinh City, Nghe An Province.