Achievements

With creative approaches, the application of technology, and engaging presentation techniques, young people from Duy Tan University (DTU) won first and third prizes in the video contest promoting the life and career of Huynh Thuc Khang, organized by the Danang Youth Union. Awards were presented on October 6, 2026.

Besides demonstrating creativity in recreating history, the two entries also promote a love for the country, a sense of responsibility, and an awareness of the importance of preserving the nation’s fine traditional values - and particularly those associated with the Duy Tan movement.

The contest was a meaningful way to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth (on October 1, 1876) of Huynh Thuc Khang, a patriotic scholar and revolutionary from Quang Nam. Through video production, the contest provided Union members and young people with an opportunity to learn more about his life, career, and contributions to national history while using their creative thinking to share historical values with present and future generations.

Tran Minh Huy: First prize with Voice of the People: A Voice That Never Grows Old

With his entry Voice of the People: A Voice That Never Grows Old, Mr Tran Minh Huy, a staff member at the DTU council office, outstandingly won first prize. A notable feature of his work was the use of AI to recreate historical settings and environments, combined with visual storytelling techniques to portray the life of Huynh Thuc Khang.

Mr Minh Huy, staff at the DTU council office, won first prize

“What I admire most about Huynh Thuc Khang are his life of integrity and steadfastness, his unwavering consistency between his thoughts, words, and actions, and that he put the interests of the nation first,” Mr Minh Huy explains. “During the nearly 16 years he led the Voice of the People newspaper and was its editor-in-chief (from 1927 to 1943), Huynh Thuc Khang used his knowledge and writing to reflect the lives of ordinary people, defend what was right, and speak up for his fellow citizens. These values gave me a deep appreciation of his spirit of public service and inspired me to choose the word ‘people’ as the central theme running throughout my video.”

More than seven minutes long, Mr Minh Huy’s Voice of the People: A Voice That Never Grows Old takes viewers through key milestones in Huynh Thuc Khang’s life: from the imperial examination over his involvement in the Duy Tan movement and his years of imprisonment on Con Dao island to his parliamentary activities, journalism, and service to the country.

The video “Voice of the People: A Voice That Never Grows Old”

After researching and compiling historical materials, Mr Minh Huy developed the storyline and wrote a detailed script for each scene. He chose a cinematic storytelling approach, mixing visuals and sound for successive waves of emotion and to recreate the places associated with Huynh Thuc Khang’s life: rural Quang Nam, the vast skies and seas of Con Dao island, and the small Dong Duong corner of the office of Voice of the People. The images of old newspaper pages and the word “people” are recurring highlights that connect different historical periods and emphasize the service to the people that underpins the entire work.

AI tools were extensively used to restore images, recreate historical settings, and generate motion, with music and narration further enhancing the video’s appeal. Throughout production, Mr Minh Huy paid close attention to balancing visual impact with historical accuracy. He also emphasizes the illustrative nature of AI-generated images, allowing viewers to distinguish between historical documents and technologically recreated scenes.

“My creative inspiration was strengthened through my work at DTU, particularly as I learned about the life and career of Hero of Labor and Meritorious Teacher Le Cong Co, the university’s founder,” Mr Minh Huy affirmed. “From his involvement in the urban movements for youths and students before 1975, through the difficult days of the 1968 Tet offensive, to his creation of DTU and its development into a leading reputable educational institution, these milestones gave me a better appreciation of their dedication, commitment, and service to the community. Learning about Huynh Thuc Khang has further deepened my understanding of the meaning of the ‘duy tan’ in the university’s name: Enlightening and educating the public and serving the nation isn’t just history; it’s something today’s generations must carry forward through concrete actions.”

Previously, Mr Minh Huy had also won:

    second prize for Go on in Harmony, Building the Future, in the contest promoting the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and for people’s councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term, organized by the Danang Youth Union,
    third prize in the contest promoting the resolution of the first congress of the Party committee of Danang, organized by the Party committee of the People’s Committee of Danang.

DTU Public Relations students: Third prize with A Shadow Passing over an Old Veranda

After a visit to the house of Huynh Thuc Khang, three young people:

    Luong Le Ngoc Suong, student at the DTU School of Languages, Humanities, & Social Sciences (LHSS);
    Thai Tran Anh Tuan, student at the LHSS; and
    Vo Tran Thuy Trang, student at the University of Science & Education of the University of Danang,

created the video A Shadow Passing over an Old Veranda, which won third prize in the contest.

The three students (in the middle) from DTU and the University of Danang won third prize

“Through narration, character dialogue, and illustrative images, we take viewers back in time to explore the life and career of Huynh Thuc Khang, using the philosophy ‘Steadfast in principles, flexible in actions’ as the central theme,” Ngoc Suong explains. “Through different snapshots of history, the video highlights his integrity, steadfastness, patriotism, and sense of responsibility toward the people amid the upheavals of his time.”

The video “A Shadow Passing over an Old Veranda”

“We put a great deal of effort into an imagined scene in which Huynh Thuc Khang sends a message to younger generations from up in the heavens,” Thuy Trang, student at the University of Danang, added, “as a way of connecting past and present, and to affirm the vitality of historical values.” 

The video contest promoting the life and career of Huynh Thuc Khang not only inspired creativity and encouraged young people to apply technology and draw on their professional strengths to tell historical stories in a modern and engaging language; it also gave students an opportunity to put their classroom knowledge into practice, and to express the perspectives and voices of a generation that preserves and spreads the nation’s cultural and historical values.

(Media Center)