Festival of Grassroots Information Workers

Minister Nguyen Manh Hung: Grassroots information is a form of communication different from journalism, because it is closer to the people, and is a force that creates strength with flexibility and adaptability in all situations.
Also attending the Conference were Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Lam and representatives of leaders of Central Committees, Ministries and branches; representatives of leaders of a number of units under the Ministry of Information and Communications , Vietnam Information and Communications Trade Union, leaders of 63 Departments of Information and Communications, and typical advanced collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in grassroots information activities.
Grassroots information is a unique communication activity of Vietnam, a communication system that directly reaches the people.
Speaking at the Conference, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung affirmed that grassroots information is a unique communication activity of Vietnam, a communication system that directly reaches the people, using information types from simple ones such as oral propaganda, visual agitation, to modern, multimedia, multi-platform information types to disseminate and provide information close to the needs of the people, effectively serving the direction and administration of grassroots Party committees and authorities.

Minister shares with national advanced models in grassroots information activities

Grassroots information is a form of communication that is different from the press, because it is closer to the people, a force that creates strength with flexibility and adaptability in all situations. The strength of grassroot information is the information to each person, each household through many different propaganda methods, thereby creating a fundamental difference compared to other forms of communication.

The Minister emphasized the important role of the grassroots information force in the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic in recent years and recently, Typhoon No. 3 Yagi . In those difficult times, the grassroots information workers did not mind the hardships and difficulties day and night, using the simple, familiar voices of local people on the radio system, to convey messages about disease prevention and urgent information about storms, floods, and inundation. They traveled "to every alley, knocked on every door, met every person" following the motto "listen to people, speak so that people understand, make people believe" to propagate, disseminate, mobilize people, and join with the government to solve many problems of people's livelihood at the grassroots level.

Minister Nguyen Manh Hung, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Lam and delegates visited the exhibition area of products and technological solutions related to grassroots information activities.

The Minister highly appreciated the efforts and dedication of those working in the grassroots information sector. Despite having to take on many jobs and having limited allowances and salaries, they still always do well and complete their tasks excellently with enthusiasm and passion for their work, not afraid of difficulties and hardships.
The Minister of Information and Communications pledged that the Ministry is responsible for uniting the grassroots information team into a great material and spiritual strength, so that the Party committees and authorities can see their own strength, the role of grassroots information, and the effectiveness that grassroots information brings to the government and local people.
For the first time, honoring typical collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in grassroots information activities
2024 is also the first year that the Ministry of Information and Communications organizes a conference to commend and honor typical collectives and individuals nationwide with outstanding achievements in grassroots information activities to recognize the contributions of outstanding collectives and individuals, promptly encourage and disseminate typical examples in patriotic emulation movements of the Information and Communications sector.
120 typical advanced collectives and individuals are exemplary models, representing hundreds of thousands of people working in grassroots information work across all regions of the country. The advanced models, whether collectives or individuals, of different ages, different jobs, all shine with patriotism, responsibility and dedication to work, representing the will, determination and aspiration to contribute to the community and the country.
In addition, the Minister also acknowledged the contributions and active participation of digital technology enterprises and telecommunications enterprises in digital transformation, modernization of grassroots information, and promotion of grassroots information development. A centralized database, a set of digital working tools, and a virtual assistant to support grassroots information work are top priorities in the grassroots information sector. Community digital technology teams in villages are also effective digital technology supporters for those working in grassroots information work.

Mr. Sung A Tua and Ms. Tran Thi Kim Quyen share about grassroots information work

The Minister requested Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Lam and Director of the Department of Grassroots Information Nguyen Van Tao to work with digital technology enterprises to find solutions to reduce costs and increase the quality of grassroots broadcasting systems.
According to the Minister, the Information and Communications sector has a great mission, creating wings for Vietnam to fly up with one side being the material strength created by digital technology and the other side being the spiritual strength - the press and media play an important role in providing basic information to arouse the aspiration for a strong and prosperous country, creating trust and social consensus.
The Government has issued Decree No. 49/2024/ND-CP, which is the first state legal basis for the field of grassroots information, opening a new page for grassroots information, affirming the legal status of grassroots information alongside published press. Party committees and authorities at all levels need to effectively implement Directive No. 07-CT/TW and Decree 49/2024/ND-CP, considering grassroots information as a regular and important task.

Mr. Vo Van Teo, Ms. Nguyen Duy Thi Minh Thu, representatives of MobiFone and VTC Digital shared at the discussion

At the same time, emulation and reward work needs to be focused on, especially rewarding outstanding collectives and individuals in grassroots information activities in difficult areas such as mountainous, border and island areas.
Next, the delegates watched the video clip "Grassroots information - communication reaching the entire population" affirming the important role of grassroots information work in providing official information to people in each village, hamlet, and residential group, and at the same time being a "bridge" between grassroots Party committees and authorities and people in grassroots information work.
Go to every alley, knock on every door, meet every person
At the Conference, typical advanced collectives, individuals and exemplary enterprises with many contributions to the development of the field of grassroots information discussed, exchanged and interacted.
Mr. Sung A Tua, born in 1991, Vice Chairman of the Fatherland Front of Phinh Ho commune, Tram Tau district, Yen Bai, is the one who sowed the seeds of tourism development, is an active grassroots propagandist, and is also a pioneer in promoting local culture on TikTok. Mr. Tua said that poor and near-poor households in Tram Tau account for 30%, and only a small number of people have access to information. Therefore, to propagate and mobilize people, it is necessary to have methods and choose the right time. According to Mr. Tua, digital transformation in the locality faces many difficulties because many families do not know how to use social networks, and many areas do not even have phone signals. At the same time, he expressed his desire to continue to improve himself and continue to build his personal TikTok channel (currently with 200,000 followers) to help people sell agricultural products and local products.
Ms. Tran Thi Kim Quyen (born in 1990), Secretary of the Ha Let village Party Cell, Tan Thanh commune, Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province, has made many contributions to preserving and promoting the unique cultural values of ethnic minorities. She participated in establishing the Ha Let village weaving and broom club, both creating jobs for people and promoting the traditional values of the nation.
Mr. Vo Van Teo, born in 1958, has 45 years of experience in grassroots radio broadcasting in Long Vinh commune, Go Cong Tay, Tien Giang province. He has witnessed many changes in radio broadcasting activities from the early days until Long Vinh commune invested in MobiFone's smart radio broadcasting system in 2021. This system helps modernize radio broadcasting, reduce workload and improve the efficiency of information communication to people, especially in remote areas.
Ms. Nguyen Duy Thi Minh Thu, Deputy Director of the Center for Culture, Information and Sports of Quoc Oai district, Hanoi, has applied technology and effectively used modern equipment to produce multimedia communication products broadcast on the radio system of the district, communes and towns in the district, the district's Electronic Information Portal and the Center's Fanpage. Especially during the recent storm No. 3, the Center has made many flood warning bulletins with a very high frequency, sometimes there is a bulletin every hour. The district has dykes and dykes, many of which are overflowing, so warnings about evacuating assets and people are very important. The Center regularly has video clip reports sent by reporters working at the scene, which are highly appreciated by the people.
MobiFone and VTC Digital are typical enterprises, making important contributions to grassroots information work. MobiFone provides equipment and smart broadcasting solutions, and has provided 15,000 devices to provinces and cities. MobiFone's leadership representative pledged to implement the Minister's direction on producing more compact, durable, and lower-cost devices to serve grassroots information work more effectively.
VTC Digital representative said that they have built a central and provincial information source system, bringing many benefits to grassroots information activities. VTC Digital's system helps grassroots information workers remotely monitor whether the equipment is working or not, and at the same time, supports the production and editing of radio programs.
Listening to the sharing of advanced models in grassroots information work, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said that through the stories of people like Mr. Sung A Tua, we can see that many people in remote areas still do not have smartphones and do not know about the free conversion programs to 4G phones when the State deploys to turn off 2G waves. The Minister directed the Director of the Telecommunications Department and the Director of the Grassroots Information Department to immediately discuss the communication of these policies to 200,000 people working in grassroots information work to provide this information to people, especially in remote areas. The Public Telecommunications Service Fund is deploying coverage in remote areas, so to determine the signal depressions, the only way is to rely on 200,000 people working in grassroots information.
The Minister directed Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Lam to replicate successful grassroots information workers like Mr. Sung A Tua so that in the next 1-2 years, 11,000 communes nationwide will have 11,000 Mr. Sung A Tua. In the digital transformation era, successful initiatives must be popularized nationwide to be meaningful.
The Minister also directed the Department of Grassroots Information to synthesize technological solutions such as smart speakers, cheap solar panels, etc. so that grassroots information workers can not only communicate but also provide information about cheap digital tools to households in remote areas, helping them sell and promote products, contributing to economic development.
*At the Conference, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung awarded the Minister's Certificate of Merit to 10 collectives of the Department of Information and Communications at the provincial level; 48 collectives of the Center for Culture, Information and Sports at the district level; 62 individuals who are grassroots propagandists and people in charge of commune-level radio stations with outstanding achievements in grassroots information activities in 2024.

Some images of the Minister awarding Certificates of Merit to collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in grassroots information activities in 2024:

Source: https://mic.gov.vn/ngay-hoi-cua-nhung-nguoi-lam-cong-tac-thong-tin-co-so-197241008183413226.htm?gidzl=6t307PEMaJKVQSCRaekPD1bjoHY9YPvW3cpCGDAEp3nTFfSTrDR6CWmrmn-BXy8sKpB07Z2-qMCPb96QFG