This is what all newspaper readers expect the newspaper to further promote, especially in the context of social life that is changing strongly and rapidly in many aspects, including new means and methods of information and the diverse needs of soldiers and people.

General Secretary Do Muoi reads the People's Army Newspaper, No. 181, 1993 (now the People's Army Newspaper Weekend). Photo: Archive

“One twenty one” and...

“Let’s go together, Red Army. Let’s march together as one. Don’t let the enemy escape. We are determined to sacrifice...” The march “Let’s go together as one, Red Army” by musician Dinh Nhu reminds us that “One twenty one” began right from the first steps of the Red Self-Defense Army, the first revolutionary armed organization under the leadership of the Party, born in the first revolutionary movement of the Nghe Tinh Soviet (1930-1931). “Let’s march together as one” is the first basic requirement and action for people of different backgrounds to become unified, disciplined, and united to form an armed unit. That was the beginning of our Army and will always be so.

That is why writing about soldiers in peacetime life is really difficult when almost every unit is the same, repeating strict discipline, methodical work, study, training, routine activities, daily life... Even eating, sleeping, listening, reading, watching, singing... are the same. A special collective organization in society, if not unified and strict, has no strength. It is not surprising that many writers still say to each other: Writing about soldiers is difficult to find something new, difficult to be attractive, easy to become dry. That is the reality, a challenge for all journalists. Although the perspective is mentioned and approached from culture, the writers of the Weekend People's Army Newspaper always have to face this challenge and it is gratifying that at each stage, at each stage, the brothers, sisters and collaborators near and far have all had successes.

“One twenty one” is dry and monotonous. That’s right, but when soldiers overcome it, their stories are not dry. Seeing the footsteps, the faces, the eyes looking straight ahead… all in a row on the daily training ground or especially the parades and military reviews on the country’s solemn holidays, every citizen finds it beautiful and proud. But only journalists can let the public know what they have gone through in the rain and sun, through the difficulties and hardships.

Soldiers on the anti-aircraft artillery field of Regiment 213, Division 363, Air Defense - Air Force read the People's Army Weekend Newspaper. Photo: PHU SON

How many aspects of the soldier are depicted in the Weekend People's Army Newspaper? It is impossible to tell them all. Detailed reports on the hard work of helping people and the initiatives to organize life, grow vegetables, trees and flowers, sports matches, military-civilian art nights... of officers and soldiers in remote border and island areas. The hard training, the passion for learning to master military science and technology, master tanks, cannons, warships, airplanes and modern weapons. The bewilderment and innocence of young soldiers in front of girls, their joy when going through villages and streets, talking and confiding with grandparents, brothers and sisters, taking care of and playing with children...

What is the quality of a soldier, the quality of Uncle Ho's soldiers? It is the steel quality of will and courage, the pure youthful quality full of ambition, desire to love and dedicate... The newspaper QĐND Cuoi Tuan has contributed to spreading and highlighting those qualities and that is the foundation for adapting and promoting in the changes.

The sky of beauty

Writing about and writing for soldiers are two major tasks of the newspaper, so the question of what soldiers need and expect always urges writers. With the newspaper QĐND Cuoi Tuan, the responsibility and also the advantage is to approach culture, discover and bring beauty, a top need in the perception and soul of soldiers, to themselves. Why did Uncle Ho's soldiers become a model of a new person in life and a noble image in the country's literature and art if they were not the embodiment of the distillation and development of the quintessence of national and human culture?

Remember, right in the first days of its launch, the QĐND Weekend newspaper mentioned each block, each work and detail of the nation's enormous cultural heritage treasure. What are the habits and customs of traditional agricultural society, festivals, folk song and dance regions, art forms of cheo, tuong, cai luong... left behind and how are they preserved and developed in today's life, along with the waves of modern culture, literature and art? The classic works, immortal poems and literary works in the thousand-year history of the nation and humanity, the contributions and achievements of literature and art in the sacred resistance wars of the nation in the 20th century. The unique features of Vietnamese and world military culture, trends, events, new phenomena, new works... All are reviewed, affirming their value and suggesting for the present and the future. In the newspaper, the issues and works mentioned are not only introduced and analyzed with a new perspective but also have in-depth exchanges and discussions. Recently, the multi-part forum on the topic "Literature and art contribute to building the character and personality of Uncle Ho's soldiers" was a success, useful and interesting.

Looking back at the work and achievements, we can see that the newspaper is completely and confidently able to innovate and further improve the quality of all aspects in the basic direction it has chosen. In general, that is so, but going into specifics, there are so many new and difficult things to do and to renew and improve ourselves. We can be closer and younger to today's soldiers; at the same time, we must be more mature in our role of leading them. That is, in political ideology and aesthetics, in working style and expression, we need to clearly define new directions and ways of doing things. In the era of multimedia journalism, we need to take advantage of and compete with social networks, so we cannot help but be more dynamic and flexible with more initiatives. For example, we need more concise and vivid articles. Types of entertainment or directly referring to the cultural industry, including entertainment, are also needed more. Also in the trend of the technology era, should we organize forms of interaction between readers and the newspaper...

We all know that journalism is about constant innovation, aiming for the new, not being new, not being lively is being far from life and readers. We also know that journalism is about organization, here it is about exploiting the great treasure from experts, writers with deep knowledge and sharp, sensitive pens, and more broadly, people, soldiers who write and make newspapers together.

I love the newspaper so I would like to boldly express the wishes of a long-time reader and writer for the Weekend People's Army Newspaper.

The Weekend QĐND Newspaper is one of the publications of the People's Army Newspaper, which published its first issue under the name of the Saturday QĐND Newspaper on July 7, 1990, size 29x42cm, 12 pages, printed in 4 colors, distributed nationwide. In response to the requirements of political tasks in the new situation, on January 7, 1996, the Saturday QĐND Newspaper published a new series called the Weekend QĐND Newspaper. The newspaper increased to 16 pages. With the motto "orientation, depth, entertainment", over the past 35 years, under the leadership and direction of the Party Committee and the Editorial Board of the People's Army Newspaper, the Weekend QĐND Newspaper publication has constantly improved, innovated and enhanced the quality of content and form to meet the increasing demands of readers.

MANH HUNG

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/nuoi-duong-van-hoa-bo-doi-cu-ho/to-tham-them-ve-dep-nguoi-linh-835553