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Amid the increasingly blurred boundaries between truth and falsehood in the digital world, safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation begins with protecting the truth and preserving the people’s trust.
Back in mid-2025, when the policy on administrative restructuring and the merger of Hai Phong City and Hai Duong Province was being implemented, I received many phone calls and messages from friends and relatives. They all shared similar questions: Would people have to change all personal documents after the merger? Would policies and benefits be altered? Among these questions, many expressed concern and confusion. All of this stemmed from unverified rumors and social media posts. They turned to me, trusting that as a journalist, I would have access to official and accurate information.
While I guided them toward official communication channels and authorities who were actively disseminating and explaining the policy, a large volume of unverified information continued to spread rapidly, causing public confusion, including among officials and Party members.
Subsequent reality showed that most of these rumors were unfounded. Once the new administrative system came into operation, people’s daily lives continued as normal, administrative procedures were still processed, and production and business activities were not disrupted. What remained after the period of “online turbulence” was not only a lesson in information literacy, but also a reminder of an increasingly significant challenge in the digital age: how to protect the truth and maintain public trust amid the overwhelming mix of real and fake information on cyberspace.
This is also one of the urgent requirements in safeguarding the ideological foundation of the Party in the current context.
If in the 20th century wars were recognized by gunfire and bombs, in the 21st century many confrontations take place silently in cyberspace. The targets of hostile forces are no longer merely territorial borders, but the perceptions, psychology, and trust of people.
The development of artificial intelligence has made this struggle even more complex. Within minutes, AI software can generate an image of something that never existed, fabricate an audio recording of any voice, or create a video that makes it extremely difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood. As technology advances, the boundary between real and fake information is increasingly determined by the ability of the receiver to recognize it.
What is particularly concerning is that today’s misinformation no longer appears crude. It is often disguised as seemingly objective analyses, professionally edited videos, or emotionally charged narratives. Some actors exploit social issues of public concern—such as administrative reform, anti-corruption efforts, economic development, education, healthcare, or land clearance—to distort facts, thereby sowing doubt and dissatisfaction.
Looking deeper, it becomes clear that the ultimate goal of these actions is not merely the spread of fake news. What hostile forces seek is to erode public trust in the Party, the State, and the political system. Throughout all revolutionary periods, the people’s trust has always been the most fundamental foundation of national strength.
History shows that trust cannot be built through slogans. It is formed through real-life practice, through changes that people can see, feel, and verify through their own experiences.
Looking at Hai Phong today, this becomes clearly evident.
From a traditional port city, Hai Phong is steadily transforming into a modern industrial, logistics, and service hub in northern Vietnam. New bridges spanning the Cam River, expanding transport networks, the Lach Huyen international gateway port increasingly asserting its position, and industrial zones continuously attracting large-scale projects—all reflect this transformation. Following its merger with Hai Duong, the new Hai Phong City now has a population of over 4.6 million people and 114 commune-level administrative units, opening up a broader development space for the entire region.
These changes are not only reflected in economic reports. They are present in people’s daily lives in very concrete ways.
Workers gain more job opportunities in high-tech industrial zones. Farmers have better access to markets thanks to improved transport infrastructure. Businesses save time and costs through online administrative procedures. Residents in newly formed communes and wards have easier access to public services thanks to the city’s accelerating digital transformation. In 2025, Hai Phong ranked among the national leaders in digital transformation and achieved very high levels of satisfaction among citizens and businesses.
These everyday realities are the most convincing evidence of the effectiveness of development policies and guidelines.
While a distorted article online can attract thousands of interactions within hours, it cannot negate the bridges that exist, the factories that are operating, or the employment opportunities people are benefiting from every day.
However, practice also reveals an important lesson: in the digital age, truth that arrives late can be disadvantaged compared to misinformation.
Many rumors spread rapidly not because people lack trust, but because they lack timely official information. When a socially significant issue has not yet been fully explained, the information vacuum is easily filled by speculation or distorted narratives.
Therefore, safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation in the current period is not only about refuting false viewpoints, but also about proactively providing timely, transparent, and accessible information. This is the responsibility of the entire political system, the press and media agencies, as well as every cadre and Party member.
In the intense competition with social media, the greatest value of journalism lies in accuracy, objectivity, and social responsibility. Every carefully verified piece of information, every truthful reflection of reality, and every voice that defends the truth contributes to strengthening public trust.
At the same time, every citizen must also become a “shield” in cyberspace. One click can spread misinformation widely, but each individual’s vigilance can also stop it. Faced with shocking information, what is needed is not immediate sharing but verification. Faced with distorted narratives, what is needed is not emotional reaction but rational judgment based on facts.
History has shown that throughout the revolutionary journey, the Party has always placed the interests of the people at its core and used reality as the measure of leadership effectiveness. This has created the strength that enabled the country to overcome war, poverty, and continue rising in the era of integration.
The AI era will undoubtedly bring even deeper changes. Technology may transform how people work, learn, and communicate, but it cannot replace the foundational values that constitute national strength. Among those values, public trust holds a particularly important position.
Ultimately, safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation is about protecting that trust. It is not only the task of authorities but the shared responsibility of the whole society—not only a struggle against misinformation, but a continuous effort to defend the truth, spread positivity, and strengthen social consensus. When trust is maintained, the nation will have greater strength to move forward on its path of development, despite all challenges of the digital age.
Ngan Hanh
