Listing 8 "fresh perspectives" on history for young people.

One might think that the allure of technology and entertainment would deter young people from engaging with in-depth, academic historical knowledge. However, content creators on social media platforms are proving the opposite: if exploited and presented in an engaging way, historical content can also attract significant interest from young people. Here are eight examples.

1. Hoa Lo Prison Historical Site Fanpage

Having been active on Facebook for nearly 4 years, until around the end of 2020, the FanpageHoa Lo Prison historical siteIt has suddenly become a new "phenomenon," a popular destination attracting the attention of many readers. Currently, the Fanpage has over 47,000 followers with regular daily posts. It's safe to say that this is the first time a media channel about Vietnamese history has received so much interaction from young people. The humorous approach and content advised by a team of experts have made the Hoa Lo Prison historical site incredibly relatable to the public.

The content on the Fanpage is divided into two parts: professional posts and interactive posts. For professional posts, the Hoa Lo Prison Relics team provides in-depth materials or articles for publication on the page through its education, research, and collection team; while interactive posts are created directly by the media team. However, all content is carefully reviewed and selected before publication.

The fanpage chooses to convey historical knowledge through various forms such as: telling historical stories combined with aesthetically pleasing illustrations, creating series introducing artifacts, and especially through creativity.meme- a humorous trend that is gaining popularity among young people. It's easy to see that the content on the Hoa Lo Prison Relics page is relatively diverse, "modernized" from academic knowledge, and receives a level of interaction comparable to major entertainment Fanpages today.

Furthermore, the Hoa Lo Prison Relic recently launched its own exclusive radio channel on Spotify and Apple Podcast to increase reach and provide a multi-sensory experience for its audience.

2. DAINAMBALL Fanpage

DAINAMBALLEstablished in 2018, inspired by Countryballs - amemeCreated in late 2009 in Poland, Countryballs are short stories in which each country in the world is represented by a circular character carrying that country's flag. Countryballs stories often discuss history, geography, diplomatic relations, customs, and promote culture to the community. The main character of the Fanpage is DAINAMBALL, drawn against the backdrop of the Dragon Star Flag, representing the Đại Nam Kingdom that once existed in history.

The website's content creation team used drawings of balls, each symbolizing a dynasty, to tell historical stories. The "political forces" throughout Vietnamese history, such as the Tay Son, Le, Trinh, Nguyen, and Mac dynasties, are all metaphorically represented by the balls in DAINAMBALL's imagery, combined with short, catchy stories and dialogue. The media team has provided a more interesting and fresh approach for readers who are tired of reading history in text.

With the motto:History is not boring; if possible, add some "spice" to history in your own way.DAINAMBALL has attracted the attention of a large number of young people on the social media platform Facebook with 43,000 followers, and its posts consistently receive high engagement – ​​over 1,000 likes each.

3. YouTube Torchbearer

YouTubeTorchFounded by a group of young people passionate about culture and history and wanting to dedicate their enthusiasm to community projects, the group named the channel "Torchlight," meaning "spreading knowledge like a torchlighter; we lose nothing, and everyone is illuminated." New flames of knowledge will burn brightly on the torch, spreading knowledge and shattering the stereotypes that studying history is dry and boring.

One of Duoc Moi's most successful projects is "Vietnamese Heroic History" - a non-profit project with the mission of connecting the historical values ​​of the nation with the younger generation of Vietnamese people through animated historical films. "Vietnamese Heroic History" recreates heroic battles, prominent historical figures, and stories still shrouded in mystery in Vietnamese history. Spanning from 2017 to 2020, the project raised 2.5 billion VND, completing a total of 270 minutes of film across 22 episodes. Currently, Duoc Moi also has its own YouTube channel.Vietnamese History of Heroism.

Many of the videos and historical films about Vietnam created by Duoc Moi are a harmonious blend of heroic historical events and artistic excellence. The animation in the videos is primarily in a vibrant and elaborate period style, combined with the sharp and heroic storytelling of voice actor Dat Phi. All videos are meticulously crafted in terms of content, technique, visuals, and sound, reaching a level comparable to feature films. The Duoc Moi channel will surely help you further appreciate and be proud of the glorious and heroic achievements of our ancestors, through the passion and dedication that the team of creators puts into each product.

4. Historical Discussion - YouTube Tuan Tien Ti

Although Tuan Tien Ti is a channel that covers a variety of topics, there's one playlist you shouldn't miss:Historical Discussion- a segment airing on the channel at 9 PM every Sunday. Although famous on social media as a comedian, streamer, and game commentator, Phi Anh Tuan - the owner of the Tuan Tien Ti channel - has recently received special favor from the public with the launch of this series about history.

The historical videos on the channel mainly revolve around the two fierce wars against France and the United States; however, he focuses on events that are rarely covered in textbooks or classrooms. Tuan Tien Ti's videos don't just simply recount historical stories; they offer multifaceted perspectives from real historical figures. For each episode, he dedicates significant time and effort to preparation, such as meeting with soldiers who participated in those glorious battles, and visiting historical sites and museums to gather and verify information.

With its captivating storytelling and youthful, engaging language, the videos on the channel consistently receive high viewership, with some series reaching 6-7 million views and thousands of positive comments from viewers. By creating engaging content, each episode helps you understand more about the intense "battle of wits" between us and the enemy in the brutal wars of our nation.

5. Exquisite Antiques Fanpage

"Ancient Treasures of Vietnam" is a Fanpage dedicated to sharing valuable photographs and historical documents from Vietnam and the world throughout history. The content shared on the page primarily consists of information and images about historical sites, treasures, artifacts, banknotes, folk games, ancient cultures, and more, spanning the entire history of Vietnam. All images are preserved in their original black and white, offering readers a realistic and authentic perspective on what actually happened.

6. Warm Tea fanpage

TeapotPhan Thanh Nam is the pseudonym and official Fanpage name of artist Phan Thanh Nam, a member of the Dai Viet Co Phong group. The artist offers an interesting approach to history through his creative drawings. The Fanpage is followed by a large number of history enthusiasts, especially young people.

Ấm Chè draws inspiration from images depicting characters, events, and stories in Vietnamese history. The image of the Đại Việt Imperial Guard is vividly portrayed in stark statues, the majestic and valiant Saint Trần, and the bogeyman, vampire, and tiger-transformed scholar from Vietnamese folklore are brought to life more vividly than ever before. Brave generals of the Tây Sơn and Nguyễn dynasties, soldiers of the Trần and Lê dynasties, and Lady Triệu emerge from the realm of history through drawings and images rarely seen elsewhere.

7. Board game Kinh Luoc - Five Elements Games

Board games also offer a fertile ground for creating unique historical content, integrating academic knowledge into entertaining games. Passionate about researching Vietnamese culture and history, Tuệ Mẫn and Thiện Toàn – owners of the board game production and creation studio Ngũ Hành Games – have released three games about Vietnam: Lên Mâm, Hội Phố, and Kinh Lược 1698. In particular, Kinh Lược 1698 is a board game inspired by the nation's pioneering and expansion in the 17th century. In 1698, General Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh received orders from Lord Nguyễn to reclaim and develop the southern lands. In Kinh Lược 1698, players take on the role of a high-ranking official, assisting Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh and using their talents to plan and transform the Gia Định region, famous for its intricate network of canals, crocodiles, wild animals, and numerous dangers, into a safe and prosperous place for migrants from all over.

Kinh Lược 1698 has simple domino-like gameplay, suitable for 2-4 players, and takes approximately 30-45 minutes. All the game's development cards represent areas such as forests, fields, ports, and markets, inspired by the ancient Gia Định region. Playing this board game transports you back to 1698, alongside Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh, as he surveyed the Saigon area, transforming the swamps into a bustling, thriving city that flourishes to this day.

8. Extraordinary People of Dai Viet

Great Vietnamese Extraordinary PeopleThis is a community project built with the aim of spreading the passion for exploring and researching history to most age groups, especially young people. The project is expressed through a series of illustrations and board games inspired by national heroes.

The illustrated sets will be created and published in groups, each group containing 16-18 characters, corresponding to different historical periods. Within each group, the characters are carefully selected to ensure harmony in terms of literary and martial qualities, positions, gender, achievements, etc. The Đại Việt Kỳ Nhân board game is inspired by the traditional Japanese game Karuta, with 100 cards per deck. 50 cards feature images of the historical figures, while the rest contain general information corresponding to each character. Each player must look at and memorize all the cards so that when the referee reads out any information, the player must find the card representing the historical figure depicted. In this way, players can easily remember the images, information, and important historical milestones associated with each historical figure.

concluding

Browsing the social media pages of many Vietnamese history channels and reading viewer comments reveals that young people are not indifferent to their country's history; on the contrary, they are very interested and passionate about it. However, a common reality remains: most projects stem from the spontaneous passion of individuals/groups/organizations, so they sometimes inevitably contain some "flaws" in professional knowledge, and lack investment in human resources and funding, thus facing many difficulties in the journey of disseminating history.

At the same time, many still believe that history and creativity are two categories that are prone to "conflict" in terms of approach. However, creativity regarding history is not about altering historical events and figures, but rather about creating innovative forms of conveying that information to stimulate the public's passion for exploration and discovery. Looking at the positive reaction from young people in the past year to this seemingly dry subject, we can optimistically believe that many content creators are on the right track.

Huyen Chau - Photo: Internet