Following the Phase 1 "Doing Journalism with Tuoi Tre" journey featuring practical reporting experiences aboard a modern metro train, Multimedia Communications students from Lac Hong University (LHU) embarked on a different journey in Phase 2: exploring cultural and traditional values at the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street and the Saigon Central Post Office, while applying videography techniques and AI tools to create their own video products.
Read more: LHU students "touch the profession" with Tuoi Tre Newspaper, independently finalizing practical products
From a Modern Metro to Traditional Values
On September 29, 2026, Multimedia Communications students from Lac Hong University participated in "Doing Journalism with Tuoi Tre – Phase 2," a day designed for students to not only learn about journalism but also directly practice various stages of multimedia content production. While Phase 1 introduced students to a dynamic, modern urban image through metro travel, observation of urban life, and field reporting practice, Phase 2 brought them to another slice of the city: spaces preserving culture, books, handwritten letters, and connection methods that have endured across generations. This contrast created an engaging journey where students witnessed the evolution of communication from traditional methods to modern technology.
HCMC Book Street, Where Reading Culture is Still Told Through Pages of Books
The students' practical destination was the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street and the Saigon Central Post Office. At the Book Street, students encountered a cultural space intertwined with books, reading activities, and the preservation and transmission of knowledge. In an era where information is rapidly consumed through smartphones, social media, and short-form video platforms, books retain a unique value. Readers still hold a physical book, turn pages, pause at a sentence, and dedicate time to absorb content. For Multimedia Communications students, this was not merely a sightseeing space but a source of material to observe, discover stories, and translate cultural values into modern media language.
Saigon Central Post Office, Where Letters Continue Their Journey
At the Saigon Central Post Office, students experienced a different perspective on how people connected before emails, social media, and instant messaging became fixtures of daily life. Today, an email can be sent in seconds, yet handwritten letters and postcards are still written, mailed, and awaited by recipients. A letter writer must spend time selecting a card, writing each line, adding an address, affixing a stamp, and waiting. This deliberate pace fosters a distinct value in high-speed media. For students, the Post Office served as more than a historic landmark; it became a "media material" to reflect on human connection and the transformation of communication methods over time.
From books, handwritten letters, and postcards, students confronted a modern question: how to retell traditional values using the language of today's generation? This core requirement shaped the student groups' practical assignments: producing a video showcasing the intersection of tradition and modernity. Footage captured at the Book Street and the Post Office served not merely as souvenir clips, but as raw material for students to construct narratives, select perspectives, and craft original media products. They considered how a traditional value could be conveyed via short video, how heritage imagery could resonate with youth, and how a narrative about books, letters, or postcards could endure across modern platforms.
Students practicing video recording at the Post Office.
From Handwritten Letters to Email, From Books to Short Videos
Drawing from practical immersion, students studied short-form videography and editing techniques, followed by hands-on application of AI in video processing, editing, and finalization. This formed the unifying thread of the journey: students sourced material from traditional values while utilizing modern production tools to retell the story. A camera or smartphone captured imagery at the Post Office; book pages and the Book Street environment provided visual assets; editing techniques connected shots into a coherent narrative; and AI supported video processing and enhancement. Consequently, technology did not oppose tradition; instead, it acted as a tool enabling traditional stories to be retold in novel ways.
Through the video assignment, students experienced a comprehensive media production workflow: observation and ideation, field recording, material selection, storytelling, video editing, and technological application for product finalization. Success hinged not only on operating cameras or software, but on answering the question: "What story do I want to tell?" A visually appealing video falls short as a strong media product if it lacks a clear message and perspective. Here, the interplay between tradition and modernity served as the narrative framework for students to build their stories.
When Tradition Meets Artificial Intelligence
While Phase 1 immersed students in the metro—a symbol of modern urban velocity and connectivity—Phase 2 returned them to books, handwritten letters, postcards, and the Post Office, representing enduring modes of preserving and transmitting information. Yet the journey did not end with reflection. Students leveraged video production, editing techniques, and AI to retell these narratives through digital media language. Both phases formed a cohesive expedition: moving from tradition to modernity, from legacy communication methods to new technologies, and from field experience to student-created media products.
A Day of Experience, Countless Lessons Learned
Beyond practical exercises, students toured the Tuoi Tre Newspaper editorial office, explored the professional workplace, and received feedback and evaluations on their products. Direct critiques from industry professionals provided students with realistic perspectives on media deliverables: whether the narrative was clear, the visuals appropriate, the editing effective, and the message impactful. Such insights cannot be fully replicated through classroom theory alone.
At day's end, students carried away more than photographs from the Book Street or the Post Office; they brought home self-produced videos, refined skills in videography and AI, and a renewed outlook on media. From a handwritten letter to an email, a book page to a short video, and a camera to AI, information transmission methods continuously evolve, yet human storytelling, preservation, and connection endure.
For LHU Multimedia Communications students, "Doing Journalism with Tuoi Tre - Phase 2" transcended a single day of media training; it offered an opportunity to discover the intersection between tradition and modernity, cultural values preserved over time, and the technologies shaping the future of communications.
From metros to letters, book pages to AI, the two installments of "Doing Journalism with Tuoi Tre" guided LHU students through diverse facets of media, teaching them how to observe, narrate, and shape the stories of their generation.
