Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s media landscape has come a long way over the past century, evolving from the handmade pages of Thanh Nien in 1925 to a tech-savvy ecosystem powered by artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and data analytics.
Once a clandestine tool for spreading revolutionary ideology, Vietnamese press now competes globally, leveraging digital innovation to hook readers.
A revolutionary beginning
The story began on June 21, 1925, with Thanh Nien, launched in Guangzhou, China, by Nguyen Ai Quoc, later known as President Ho Chi Minh.
As the clandestine messenger of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League, the newspaper, printed in Vietnamese, Chinese, and French on basic hand-operated presses, was all about sparking patriotic and Marxist-Leninist fervor.
Back then, revolutionary journalism often operated in the shadows, using leaflets and hand-copied materials, often printed abroad to dodge colonial crackdowns, said Tran Kim Hoa, former Director of the Vietnam Press Museum.
Over time, press printing, publication, and related activities in Vietnam have grown and caught up with global trends.
A digital domination in three waves
Assoc. Prof. Truong Thi Kien from the Academy of Journalism and Communication broke down Vietnam’s digital media evolution into three phases. It all started in 1992 when the Chicago Tribune went online, kicking off global digital journalism. Vietnam jumped in with Que Huong Online, launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, becoming the country’s first digital news outlet. Now, all Vietnamese newspapers and broadcasting TV stations have a digital footprint, pumping out real-time updates, interactive content, and stories in multiple languages.
The second wave hit in 2016 with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, bringing big data, cloud computing, and AI into the game. Newsrooms went wild with multimedia setups, attractive infographics, podcasts, and e-magazines, pulling readers in like never before.
Since 2018, it has been all about AI, with automated news curation, personalised recommendations, and data-driven strategies. VR and augmented reality (AR) are also cash cows, spinning immersive stories that bring in the bucks.
VietnamPlus sets the pace
VietnamPlus, the online arm of the Vietnam News Agency, is leading the charge. Editor-in-Chief Tran Tien Duan said the outlet has been all-in on reader-focused innovation since its launch, rolling out 360-degree visuals, drones, interactive infographics, and mobile-first reporting. It is also diving into mega stories, data journalism, chatbots, and curated newsletters.
“AI integration in news production is now popular,” Duan said. “Smart newsrooms and AI-driven recommendations tailor content to what readers want, while VR and AR are opening new revenue streams”.
Data-driven strategies, he noted, enable targeted ads and subscription models that keep the cash flowing.
Journalist Vu Trong Lam, Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Su That (Truth) National Political Publishing House, pointed to a broader mindset shift. “Media outlets are investing heavily in infrastructure, talent, and tech,” he said. “It is already paying off.”/.
