Technology-integrated journalism has become a dominant model in newsrooms across the globe in the digital era. Digital transformation in journalism means placing technology at the heart of development strategies—leveraging it to craft compelling content, engage new readerships, optimise content distribution, and expand revenue streams.

Digital transformation begins with journalism’s core values

Globally, The New York Times once boasted one of the largest daily print circulations. Despite deriving over two-thirds of its revenue from print, the newspaper identified digital transformation as a vital strategy for future development. With its core strength rooted in an expansive content repository, paired with modern journalism technologies in both production and distribution, The New York Times led the way in digital transformation with its core values.

In Viet Nam, media organisations have undertaken major reforms in their digital transformation journeys. Even local newspapers have made remarkable progress in developing converged newsroom models, actively incorporating technology into content production, management systems, and multi-platform distribution strategies.

At Nhan Dan, early steps toward embracing technology and digital transformation were taken in the early 2000s. Guided by the newspaper’s leadership, preparations were made in staffing and in improving both content and format for Nhan Dan’s online edition. This was accompanied by the launch of digital versions of Nhan Dan Monthly, Nhan Dan Weekend, and Thoi Nay. Journalistic works featuring multi-genre integration and enhanced interactivity were systematically developed, drawing readers’ attention and laying a solid foundation for future creative breakthroughs.

In 2021, Nhan Dan established a digital transformation plan, outlining a roadmap to become a leading multimedia news organisation. The daily print edition continues to be the newspaper’s most important product.

Nevertheless, in the face of an expanding digital-native generation, Nhan Dan is adopting a fresh strategic approach to ensure its policy communication efforts and information dissemination remain effective and impactful.

Expanding multimedia platforms to shape public discourse

As part of its digital transformation roadmap, Nhan Dan Newspaper has recently developed a series of special information pages, combining official, reliable content with technology and creative ideas to deliver vivid and engaging communication on the policies of the Party and the state.

The way readers consume and interact with news is changing. As a result, the boundaries between journalism genres are becoming increasingly blurred, giving way to new types of media projects and journalism products.

On the occasion of the 132nd birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 2022), Nhan Dan Newspaper launched a special information page titled “Ho Chi Minh and His Thought of Taking People as the Root”, available at http://hochiminh.nhandan.vn.

Built on a modern technological platform with an intuitive design, the page has digitised a unique archive of over 1,000 articles written by President Ho Chi Minh and published in Nhan Dan between 1951 and 1969. It offers readers an authentic and immersive experience of historically valuable works from over half a century ago.

Continuing its digital innovation, in 2023, Nhan Dan unveiled another special page: “Nguyen Van Linh and ‘Things to Be Done Now”, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the late Party General Secretary’s passing (April 27, 1998–2023).

This page, built on a state-of-the-art platform, serves as a valuable digital resource for officials, Party members, the public, researchers, and international friends. It highlights the continuing relevance of Linh’s reform-oriented spirit and the enduring vitality of the “Things to Be Done Now” campaign in present-day Viet Nam.

With the slogan “Every question has an answer”, In-depth Knowledge is a standout product of Nhan Dan, spearheading the trend of data journalism. It delivers authoritative, comprehensive, and well-researched content in a dynamic, multimedia-rich format. The publication has produced over 200 entries across five thematic categories — events, issues, figures, locations, and organisations — and has earned widespread praise on social and interactive platforms.

In 2022, to support implementation of six new Politburo resolutions on socio-economic development and national security through 2030, with a vision to 2045, Nhan Dan became the first press agency nationwide to pioneer special coverage for each socio-economic region.

Its online platform hosts dedicated multimedia pages for the Northern Midlands and Mountainous Region, the Mekong Delta, the Central Highlands, the Southeast, the North Central and Central Coastal Region, and the Red River Delta.

Through the effective application of science and technology, these sections offer accessible and informative insights tailored to regional development goals. The launch of these supplements and special pages for the six socio-economic regions is a bold move that affirms Nhan Dan’s role as the voice of the Party.

Special impact from media coverage of major political events

Recognising its responsibility as the leading Party newspaper of Viet Nam’s revolutionary press in popularising major political events of the country, Nhan Dan continues to innovate with many impactful new media products that resonate strongly with readers. By integrating traditional journalism with modern digital platforms, it has attracted a wide readership, especially among those engaged through digital channels.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 – May 7, 2024), Nhan Dan Newspaper has launched a special information campaign, beginning with the introduction of the special electronic page “Dien Bien Phu Campaign”. This is the first time the Dien Bien Phu Campaign has been presented in the form of a campaign diary in a comprehensive, easy-to-understand and vivid manner.

The highlight of this special information campaign was the supplement of the Nhan Dan Daily edition on May 7, 2024, which included a four-page summarising the 56-day-and-night campaign in diary format, published in both Vietnamese and English.

The remaining four pages featured the entire panoramic painting “Dien Bien Phu Campaign”, depicting over 4,500 characters, which is currently on display at the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum.

Readers could cut out these pages to assemble a 3.21-metre-long panorama of “Dien Bien Phu Campaign” — a record-breaking printed newspaper product — to hang in their living rooms or public places, or to take photos and share on social media using hashtags such as #chienthangdienbienphu and #dienbienphu.

Alongside its special journalistic products, Nhan Dan Newspaper also organised an interactive panoramic exhibition titled “The Dien Bien Phu Campaign”, which opened simultaneously on May 6, 2024, at two locations: the headquarters of Nhan Dan Newspaper at No.71 Hang Trong Street, Ha Noi, and the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum in Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Province.

Visitors can admire a circular panoramic painting with a diameter of 5.5 metres and a height of over 3 metres, and experience augmented reality technology through a 360-degree panoramic model. Many schools have used the Nhan Dan Newspaper’s panorama supplement as a valuable resource for teaching history.

Five months after creating a domestic fever, on 8 October 2024, in Vienna (Austria), Nhan Dan’s “Dien Bien Phu Campaign” panorama supplement was honoured at the Print Innovation and Sustainable Development Awards in the category of Best Product for Young Readers. The judging panel praised the uniqueness and creativity of the panorama supplement, describing it as “an example of world-class print newspaper innovation”.

In November 2024, Nhan Dan Newspaper’s communication campaign marking the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory was awarded the Gold Prize in the “Best in Newspaper Marketing” category at the 2024 Asian Media Awards organised by WAN-IFRA.

Conveying history in a fresh and creative way and connecting younger generations with the nation’s history, Nhan Dan Newspaper has continued to launch unique information pages and supplements such as “Ha Noi Flag Tower” on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Capital’s Liberation Day (October 10, 1954 – October 10, 2024), and the special supplement “Famous Battles and Legendary Generals” to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Viet Nam People's Army (December 22, 1944 – December 22, 2024).

To mark the 135th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s birth (May 19, 1890 – May 19, 2025), Nhan Dan launched a special information campaign across its publications and digital platforms. The highlight was a special edition of the Nhan Dan Weekend, issue number 1890.

Readers were gifted a two page special supplement featuring an image of President Ho Chi Minh reading Nhan Dan Newspaper, alongside his immortal quotes. QR codes on the pages linked to some of the most moving and iconic songs about Uncle Ho, as well as rich and engaging multimedia content about his life and ideology across Nhan Dan’s digital platforms.

In parallel, the newspaper also organised a special exhibition titled "Radiance of Uncle Ho’s name", in which advanced technology and artificial intelligence were fully utilised to attract younger audiences.

To attract readers in today’s digital age, it is essential to maintain high-quality content, professional presentation, and a distinct identity amid a sea of information. And to be distinct, there is no other way but to innovate continuously and apply new technology. Bold thinking and bold action can lead to breakthroughs, meeting the increasingly high expectations of readers, enhancing communication effectiveness, and guiding public opinion.

The way readers receive and interact with news is changing. Accordingly, traditional boundaries between journalistic genres are being blurred and replaced by new forms of journalistic and media projects.