The liberation of Hanoi on October 10, 1954, represents a pivotal moment in Vietnamese history. When the flag was raised at the Hanoi Flag Tower, it symbolised not just the liberation of the capital but also the moment when the Vietnamese people took control of their destiny. Our challenge was to make this distant historical moment feel immediate and personal for contemporary audiences.

On October 10, 2024, Nhân Dân Daily launched a multi-platform campaign to commemorate the 70^th anniversary of Hanoi’s liberation. Rather than relying on traditional coverage, we created an integrated ecosystem of three interconnected products that transformed passive readers into active participants in Vietnamese history.

Making history tangible

Instead of creating separate campaigns, we developed three core products that worked together to create an immersive, cost-effective experience:

1. Interactive print project. We released a special supplement featuring a diagram of the iconic Hanoi Flag Tower that readers could cut out and assemble into a 3D model. This wasn’t just a novelty; the physical model served as a gateway to digital experiences through three strategically placed QR codes:

• Historical archive access: Linked to comprehensive historical data about Hanoi’s liberation.
• Augmented Reality experience: Provided a virtual 3D model of the Flag Tower through mobile AR.
• Community mosaic Web site: Connected to our interactive “One Person, One Puzzle Piece” platform.

2. Community-generated content. We created an interactive Web site where readers could submit personal photos along with their names and birthplaces. These individual images collectively formed a mosaic depicting the Hanoi Flag Tower — a powerful metaphor for how diverse individuals from across Vietnam’s provinces contribute to modern Hanoi.

Each submission generated a unique code, allowing contributors to locate their specific contribution within the larger artwork. This personal connection reinforced our message that every individual is an integral part of Hanoi’s fabric.

For example, entering code 1148 reveals my contribution within the mosaic (click the flashing pink square to zoom in, then click the image to view the contributor’s name and birthplace.)

3. Mixed Reality Exhibition. At our headquarters, we constructed a 10-metre physical model of the Hanoi Flag Tower as the centrepiece of Vietnam’s first mixed reality exhibition by a news publication. Using AR glasses and spatial computing algorithms, visitors could literally walk through 10 pivotal moments from the capital’s liberation, experiencing history as if they were soldiers being welcomed by citizens on October 10, 1954.

Results exceed expectations

The campaign generated impressive engagement across all platforms: 

• 3,000+ readers visited our headquarters to collect the supplement and experience the MR exhibition.
• Nearly 1,000 readers submitted images to the interactive Web site.
• Multiple schools across Vietnam adopted the Flag Tower supplement as historical study material.

Visitor feedback consistently highlighted the novelty of the experience, with many noting that it was their first encounter with mixed-reality technology.

The bottom line

This campaign proved that traditional print media can successfully leverage emerging technologies to create immersive experiences that deepen audience engagement. By connecting historical significance with personal participation through multiple touchpoints, we transformed a commemorative story into a community-building exercise.

Success lies not in the individual technologies we used, but in how we integrated them to create a cohesive narrative that honoured the past while embracing the future — much like the historical moment we were commemorating.

See more about the campaign here. 

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