Editor Ngoc Trinh: 'I consider every event in this life a test'

Taking advantage of a rare 30-minute break before going on air for VTV’s noon news, I had the opportunity to chat with anchor Ngoc Trinh right at her workplace. The first impression was of her youthfulness, dynamism, professional demeanor and ability to navigate emotions very flexibly.

- MC Ngoc Trinh has recently been involved in VTV programs that deal with hot issues such as money, finance, and business. Your job is certainly not just that of a program host, but much more?

Hosting is a starting point. But surely no one wants to stay in the same place forever. I am learning every day in my work to create a journey that brings more experiences to the audience, not just simply providing information. New concepts such as edutainment (education combined with entertainment), gamification (game-making information) are necessary elements for creativity.

- With a beautiful and attractive appearance, I thought you would be suitable for the entertainment and culture field. Why does Ngoc Trinh love financial investment programs?

It was not my choice but… God’s will! When I first entered VTV in my first year of university (2006), I wanted to work in the field of culture and entertainment or in a field that is easy to approach and attract young people… but I did not have that opportunity. The opportunity lies in a land that few young people want to plow, having the chance to participate in the first financial investment programs on Vietnamese television. I was the youngest person in the production team at that time, but now I am part of the senior group of the financial team.

-Choosing a specific topic, the characters are all highly qualified people, what challenge do you find the most difficult to overcome?

I think my experience now is not about skills anymore. Newcomers will be concerned about stumbling over words, costume mistakes, behavioral mistakes... As for Ngoc Trinh herself, when working on a program with any character, she always asks herself: Is this problem useful? What is it for? How long will it last?

God brought me to financial news, but to stick with it with every breath and heartbeat is my own choice. When doing any program, I always ask myself: Is this useful and is it directly related to each person's life, because this is a field that brings opportunities, an important factor in the quality of each person's life.

- Does Ngoc Trinh take advantage of financial information for personal investment?

I don't do that. Because the information when delivered to the audience is almost public. But if I accumulate experience and knowledge every day, it will be shaped into a coin stuffed into the piggy bank, after 17 years of working, I will have a lot of coins - those are valuable experiences and relationships. Planning relationships and taking care of them properly is also a way for personal profits to grow and preserve assets. Assets here are not simply money but also time, reputation and those relationships.

-Her World magazine chose Ngoc Trinh as the Host - Editor of the Year 2023, this is a great honor, you must be very happy?

I am not destined for awards, when I was in school, I struggled a lot with my exams. The award from Her World magazine came to me quite unexpectedly. And I felt that I was trusted, motivated to pursue what I have been doing. This is not a professional award but related to the ability to inspire modern, independent women who know how to take care of their own beauty.

Women are often afraid of aging, often looking for youth somewhere, but I personally think that the meaning of youth is how many people will be inspired by you and can be more successful than you, let's call it useful. That is the way to feel like you are never old.

-Everyone has to step back, but not everyone is calm enough to accept that. Is Ngoc Trinh afraid of the day when she can no longer appear on TV or host talks?

In my opinion, a woman's youth does not lie in age, and a career's youth does not lie entirely in the spotlight.

As long as you have your own value in a group, your value will still exist. So the day you can no longer do the job you used to do well, does not mean you are useless. That is the time you need to upgrade yourself to do other work. Working and contributing will never be outdated.

There are times when I want to see my work not in the limelight on stage. I am also supporting many young people who are new to the profession and helping them achieve certain successes.

- A media project for young people?

Generation Z, followed by Generation Alpha, has a lot of interesting things and is also extremely important. Because they will "dominate" the market and society in the next 10 years. I hope to bring young people the best experiences and opportunities within my ability. That is my wish.

- Having gone through many events, what did Ngoc Trinh do to overcome them?

For me, every incident is a test to “score” each person’s mettle, ability to handle and accept. If you consider an incident as a misfortune and you are the victim to solve it, you will forever be the victim and be drowned. But if you see an unfortunate event happening and you accept it and find a way to overcome it, you have completed the tests of life, and can even get a high score.

The success of many people is not due to luck, but thanks to the ability to improvise creatively and develop themselves.

Tests can come from… the universe, from the recklessness of youth, and sometimes we don’t know where they come from, but we must accept them with positive energy, use all our abilities to handle them completely, affirming the value of each individual. And for me, if I find myself wrong, I will choose to repent, never regret.

-Looking back at your own "tests", what did you learn?

I think I am always right at that time. Most people tend to judge right or wrong, but in reality every choice is “Right” because it has a reason. The fact that someone stands outside and judges right or wrong proves that they are “Wrong”!

After all that has happened, I have a mantra before making any decision. It is: “For what?”. Why do I give in to the enemy? Why show my personality? Why choose between emotion and reason?

I like the saying: “Pressure creates diamonds”. Whoever you want to be, whatever material you are, you are ready to endure the pressure. Everyone has their own choice. In friendship, in love, in work, if you are on the same frequency, you will go together, if you are on different frequencies, you will not find each other. People often define it as Fate. But sometimes we become “victims” because Fate means: I am a passive person. And each individual’s choice is a proactive attitude towards life.

- Speaking of friendship, I suddenly remembered that singer Ho Ngoc Ha and Miss Huong Giang often interact with BTV Ngoc Trinh on their personal pages. What does Ngoc Trinh think about friendship between successful women?

In the language of young people, I am a person who lives in a “multiverse”, meaning that I can find my own frequency in any world. However, I always separate my life and work. The programs I am working on rarely express personal emotions and always maintain a neutral state. As a journalist, I am always aware of my personal responsibility when giving any information.

Profession always comes with social responsibility, showbiz has the responsibility to provide positive emotions, inspiration; friends working in the business field provide their advantages for the development of the economy.

When I live in the resonance of those communities, I realize that they “give back” a lot to society - this concept often appears in successful people. But those who often ask the question: What do I “receive” from society often encounter difficulties. That is Trinh's personal observation.

We also shared with each other about the “dark corners”, which are not about doing good or bad things, but the “bitter fruit” they have to bear when wanting to reap sweet fruits. It turns out that this life is really like a “forge” for each person to “correct themselves” every day, and enjoyment only plays a small role as motivation.

-Ngoc Trinh is famous for being a "player" of branded watches, but not many people know that you have used this hobby to participate in charity activities?

I think that if you help someone less fortunate just to make a name for yourself, the karma will be huge! But if you really want to do good deeds, want to spread it to attract more people to participate, then you should encourage it.

Objects are inanimate things that cannot be used to define a person. What matters is how useful it is, who you use it for, what you use it for, and ultimately what you use it for?

Using objects or money to help someone also contributes to building trust in society and effective sharing, with the right person for the right job.

-How do you overcome stress and balance your mind every day, if you really think of life as a giant "forge"?

From a culinary perspective, stress is like a chili pepper. Once I bit into a piece of chili pepper that was so spicy that it burned my tongue. The more I tried to reduce it or find a way to overcome it, the spicier it became, and tears and snot ran down my face. So I had to try it to see what was good about it. It felt really unpleasant but good, numbing and hot but… extremely fragrant. That means you have to enjoy even the things you didn’t want at first.

Pressure is actually something we have to face even though we don't like it, so if we feel uncomfortable, we should give up. We don't have to force ourselves to live up to the image that others have built, or live with someone we don't love.

And I'm aiming for an independent life doing what I'm passionate about.