"Journalist Nguyen Duc Canh and the Revolutionary Press of Vietnam"

This is a meaningful program commemorating the 95th anniversary of the first issue of the Red Trade Union Magazine (now the Labor and Trade Union Magazine) (October 1, 1929 – October 1, 2024), with Comrade Nguyen Duc Canh as Editor-in-Chief. The program is also part of a series of activities leading up to the 100th anniversary of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press Day (1925 – 2025).

Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Ngo Duy Hieu speaks at the seminar.

The seminar aimed to honor the immense contributions of Comrade Nguyen Duc Canh to the revolutionary Vietnamese press; and at the same time, provide more information and new discoveries about the life and revolutionary career of Comrade Nguyen Duc Canh, especially in the field of journalism.

Comrade Nguyen Duc Canh (1908-1932) was one of the pioneering revolutionary leaders of the Party, a staunch communist, and also a great journalist of the Vietnamese revolutionary press.

Recognizing the importance of the press in revolutionary movements, Comrade Nguyen Duc Canh used the press as a sharp weapon in the struggle, actively directing and promoting propaganda and mobilization of workers to unite in the class struggle.

He made significant contributions to the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam ; he was also the interim President of the General Confederation of Trade Unions of Northern Vietnam and the first Editor-in-Chief of the Labor Newspaper and the Red Trade Union Magazine (now the Labor and Trade Union Magazine).

To date, based on published documents, it can be affirmed that the Red Trade Union Magazine (first issue published on October 1, 1929) was the first research-oriented and theoretical magazine in the history of revolutionary journalism. The birth of the Red Trade Union Magazine was a milestone in the history of Vietnamese revolutionary journalism, revealing the horizon and prospects of the proletariat and the revolution. This demonstrated the immense political determination and propaganda of the General Red Trade Union of Northern Vietnam and the Indochinese Communist Party, with Nguyen Duc Canh as its leader.

The Labor and Trade Union Magazine presented a bust of Comrade Nguyen Duc Canh to the Vietnam Press Museum.

The purpose of the Red Trade Union Magazine is summarized in the manifesto: "The proletariat must have a proletarian press." The magazine's guiding principle, established from the outset, was "The organ for disseminating the Red Trade Union's theory among the Vietnamese working class."

The first issue of the Red Trade Union Magazine (October 1, 1929) had four sections: Essays; Experiences in Struggle; Correspondence; and News; the second issue (November 1, 1929) had four sections: Politics; Theory of Struggle; Correspondence; and News.

The decision to publish the Red Trade Union Magazine (of which only the first two issues remain preserved to this day) reflected the theoretical and journalistic level of the Indochinese Communist Party and the General Red Trade Union of Northern Vietnam, represented by leader Nguyen Duc Canh. It can be affirmed that Nguyen Duc Canh and his comrades intended to create the first revolutionary magazine, even if it was initially limited to the Red Trade Union organization.

As part of the program, the Labor and Trade Union Magazine donated a bust of Comrade Nguyen Duc Canh to the Vietnam Press Museum to supplement the exhibits in the room showcasing the press period of 1925-1930.

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