"Many people say that being a commune party secretary means sitting in an air-conditioned office and drafting documents all day. They ask why someone in my position would bother with communications work. But if I don't go out and do it myself, how will people ever know how beautiful our Van Son really is?"

That was how Nguyen Duy Tu, 38, Secretary of the Van Son Commune Party Committee, opened his video titled "Secretary of Muong Land," which introduces viewers to the locality.

Within 24 hours of being posted on his personal social media page, the clip unexpectedly went viral on Facebook, drawing close to one million views along with tens of thousands of likes, comments and shares.

In the video, Tu explains that Van Son was formed through the merger of five former communes: Quyet Chien, Ngo Luong, Lung Van, Nam Son and Bac Son. The area enjoys a cool climate throughout the year, with an average temperature of around 23 degrees Celsius.

Van Son is home to waterfalls, caves, mist-covered mountains and a distinctive Muong cultural identity. Tu proudly refers to the area as the "roof of Muong Land" and invites visitors to come and explore its landscapes and traditions.

From tourism ambitions to becoming his own media team

Speaking with VietNamNet, Tu said his decision to personally produce promotional videos was far from spontaneous.

After Vietnam's two-tier local government system officially came into operation on July 1, 2025, the Van Son Party Committee identified tourism development as one of its key priorities. The commune aims to become a provincial-level tourism destination by 2030.

According to Tu, Van Son possesses unique advantages that few places can match. Situated at elevations ranging from 800 to 1,200 meters above sea level, the commune enjoys a cool climate year-round, pristine natural landscapes and limited human impact.

"As the head of the local Party organization, I believe my direct involvement creates a stronger ripple effect and helps more people learn about our locality," he said, explaining why he chose to appear on camera himself.

Tu views social media as an effective channel for reaching younger audiences who actively seek new experiences and are willing to share information online. Through this exposure, he hopes the commune can develop tourism products such as homestays, trekking tours through protected forests and cultural immersion experiences.

He added that promoting tourism aligns with provincial development plans, which identify Van Son as a high-potential destination for mountain tourism.

From camera shyness to filming and editing videos himself

Reflecting on the production process, Tu admitted that standing in front of a camera was initially intimidating.

"The hardest part was learning how to appear natural. I had to practice repeatedly and make countless adjustments before I was satisfied with the final version," he said.

As for the future of Van Son's communications efforts, Tu revealed that after gaining experience with assistance from local young people in video production, he plans to eventually film and edit content himself to become more independent.

Because his home is more than 50 kilometers from his workplace, Tu often stays at the commune office throughout the week. During his free evenings, he visits villages, learns about local residents' lives and records footage of natural scenery to build a content archive.

"The more I travel around, the more I realize how many beautiful things our homeland still has to offer - things even I had not fully discovered before," he said.

Tu plans to develop a series of around 10 videos per month, focusing on Muong culture, local livelihoods, traditional cuisine and tourism destinations throughout Van Son.

He also noted that following the positive response to his first video, many colleagues from other communes have called to congratulate him and ask for advice on creating content for social media platforms.

"Not every local leader is willing to do this because it requires time, persistence and a willingness to step outside one's comfort zone. I simply hope that after watching the videos, people will remember Van Son as a beautiful place worth experiencing," he said.

Duc Hoang