The way leads to the Liberation Press Agency's headquarters in Base D in Mã Đà Commune, Đồng Nai Province. VNA/VNS Photo Công Phong

HÀ NỘI — In the dense jungles of southern Việt Nam, far from typewriters and printing presses, a vital voice for the revolution was born. Since its founding on October 12, 1960 in the Chang Riec forest of Tây Ninh Province, the Liberation Press Agency (LPA) played a pivotal role in the country’s struggle to liberate the South and reunify the nation.

Operating under constant threat from enemy forces, the LPA relocated dozens of times to protect the secrecy of its operations and safeguard its journalists. One of its most critical bases was at Base D in Mã Đà Commune, Đồng Nai Province, where it was headquartered between 1961 and 1962.

From this hidden hub, the agency published key bulletins and carried out what many described as an exceptional mission on the information front — keeping the voice of resistance alive, even in the darkest hours of the war.

Legacy of the Liberation News Agency

"This is a sacred land," said Nguyễn Thị Thủy, a guide at the Base D Culture-History Centre. Through her story, she shared that thousands of soldiers had rested in peace in Base D, most of them young. Their youth, bravery, aspirations for national reunification and their blood soaked into this land.

Here, Thủy said, there is currently a cemetery, a memorial monument, a temple for martyrs and 12 stela commemorating various departments and agencies. Among them, the stele for the Liberation Radio Station and Liberation Press Agency of South Vietnam was completed in 2014. This structure serves to preserve the legacy of the LPA's activities during the struggle against US imperialism for national salvation.

The stele clearly states that in October 1961, the first session of the Central Office for South Vietnam decided to establish the Liberation Radio Station and Liberation Press Agency of South Vietnam – the official organ of the Party and people of the southern region. At 6.30pm on February 1, 1962, in Base D, the Liberation Radio Station and Liberation Press Agency of South Vietnam broadcast its first programme.

It played a crucial role in spreading the Party’s policies, guidelines and strategies; exposing the imperialist aggression of the US and the reactionary nature of the US-puppet regime in the South; uniting various classes of the southern people in the struggle against US imperialism and the puppet government while gaining the sympathy and support of progressive people around the world.

In the context of the war, the information provided by the Liberation Press Agency was almost the only and fastest source, becoming a sharp revolutionary weapon that boosted the morale of soldiers and helped the people trust and follow the Party.

The relic site welcomes an average of over 50,000 visitors each year.

Red address for history education

According to Deputy Director of the Base D Culture-History Centre Bùi Văn Toàn, the relic site welcomes an average of over 50,000 visitors each year. Base D is home to the K72 Hospital, which received most of the heavily wounded officers and soldiers from the Eastern battlefield. Thousands of people sacrificed their lives there for the independence and reunification of the homeland. Because many of the fallen soldiers' exact dates of death are unknown and only their remains and belongings were recovered, a common memorial day for martyrs is held annually on April 21 at Base D.

Visiting this site, tourists will gain a deeper understanding of the years spent living, working and fighting within enemy territory by the Central Office of South Vietnam, the sacrifices of the revolutionary forces, as well as the contributions of the staff, reporters and editors of the Liberation Press Agency.

On September 15, 1945, the Việt Nam Thông tấn xã (VNTTX) officially broadcast the historic Declaration of Independence along with the list of members of the Provisional Government of the new Việt Nam. This was the first news bulletin of the VNTTX, marking the establishment of the national news agency. In 1976, the Liberation Press Agency and the VNTTX officially merged to form the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

The 80-year history of the VNA (1945–2025) acknowledges more than 260 martyrs journalists who sacrificed their lives. It can be said that the formation and development of the VNA is closely tied to the struggle for national salvation and defence led by the Party.

Today, the agency is continuously innovating and contributing its efforts to the cause of building and protecting the homeland, ensuring that the flow of mainstream news never stops. VNA/VNS