Story about the journalist who was awarded the First Class Itxala Order by the President of Laos

During his seven years of working in Laos, during the historic periods of the neighboring country, journalist Nguyen The Nghiep made great contributions and dedication and was honored to receive the First Class Itxala Medal from the President of Laos. This is the most noble award of the Lao State for individuals and groups with outstanding contributions.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the National Day of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (December 2, 1975 - December 2, 2025), we had the opportunity to hear him recount those memorable and heroic years...

A sudden decision for the journey of commitment

In 1970, while working as a reporter for the Vietnam News Agency (now VNA) in Nghe An province, journalist Nguyen The Nghiep was transferred by the agency's leaders to the General Office to take on a new job. "At that time, I thought, maybe the leaders sympathized with the reporter who had worked for four years in the bomb-ridden Central region, and now let him work in Hanoi , or move to a province in the North to have less difficulty and hardship? But I never expected this change of direction to go beyond imagination, space and time...", journalist Nguyen The Nghiep recalled.

VNA experts delegation visited President Souphanuvong and his family at Vieng Xay-Samnua War Zone before liberation in 1975.

Arriving at No. 5 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hanoi (headquarters of VNA), the first thing Nguyen The Nghiep did was to meet Mr. Le Lam, Head of the Organization and Personnel Department, former Head of VNA branch in Nghe An . Mr. Le Lam immediately took Nghiep to greet VNA Deputy Editor-in-Chief Do Phuong to receive his new assignment.

Journalist Nguyen The Nghiep was honored to receive the First Class Itxala Medal from President Souphanuvong.

“The agency leadership has received Nghiep’s letter asking to go to B, wanting to share the difficulties with his colleagues. But currently the force there is temporarily stable. Battlefield C is lacking. The agency wants Nghiep to go there.” Chief Phuong said gently. A moment of surprise passed, Nghiep said: “When I was studying Literature at the University, I read the novels “On the Other Side of the Border” (1958) and “Before the Gunfire” (1960) by my classmate, writer Le Kham (Phan Tu), and fell in love with the other side of the border. I never expected that what I secretly wished for would now come true.”

And that was the moment journalist Nguyen The Nghiep began his journey of dedication, contribution and attachment to Laos, not only during the 7 years he worked there, but also throughout his later years of working.

Help you in Vieng Xay war zone

After finishing the political training course on the special Vietnam-Laos relationship organized by the Central Western Working Committee (CP38), Nguyen The Nghiep and a number of technical and intelligence colleagues were transported by Gat car to the Na Meo border gate (Thanh Hoa). Carrying their backpacks and belongings, they walked more than 30 km on Road 217 with many steep cliffs, steep slopes, and steep passes to the Pha Deng reception station hidden deep in a large cave. Pha Deng station gave each person a “tray” of rice to put on their shoulders, along with the standard of fish sauce, salt, canned meat, and dried fish, then walked on a small path through the forest to the large stone mountain Phu Khe, whose top had been blown away by American bombs.

"The cave house burns wood instead of light. Enjoy rice, fish, fish sauce, and tea with familiar forest leaves."

“The News Agency expert group was stationed at the foot of Phu Khe mountain. The Lao News Agency (KPL) was established on January 6, 1968. The Vietnam News Agency experts included Dang Kien, Do Van Phuong, Nguyen Huu Cong... The military news delegation had three people, led by Captain Chu The Nhuong as team leader. In addition, there were a number of technical staff and telegraph operators. All teletype machines, morse, typewriters, and supplies were placed in the cave. Editors and translators set up a tent outside the cave and worked. Comrade Sisana Sisane, alternate member of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Party, in charge of the National Radio Station and KPL News Agency (later became Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism), and his Lao colleagues lived and worked in the cave next door.” Mr. Nghiep recounted, remembering every detail as if it were just yesterday.

Expert Nguyen The Nghiep visited KPL's new headquarters on December 27, 2022.

Knowing that Mr. Nghiep had attended the 6th course on journalism organized by VNA, journalist Dang Kien told this young expert to convey to his friends Maha Leuang, Bualy, Bunhom... who had just been assigned to KPL, the very basic features of News Agency news and journalism. Sometimes Lao friends came to Nghiep. Sometimes Nghiep went to his Lao friend's cave. They sat like a family around a newly made bamboo table. Nghiep told his Lao friends the basic principles of revolutionary journalism, which had the function of reflecting events that happened in a timely, truthful, complete and directional manner. The essential elements of News Agency news.

Talking goes hand in hand with practice, Nguyen The Nghiep and his Lao friends, carrying their backpacks and personal belongings, walked dozens of kilometers through the forest to auto repair shops, blacksmith shops, weaving workshops, hospitals... located in large natural caves that had been renovated and expanded; then to the villages of Muang Soi district with golden rice fields. They asked the leaders in charge of collecting documents, and discussed the necessary elements to form the News Agency's newsletter. Nghiep wrote, his friends wrote and exchanged. The last news was his news, typed, printed on a rotosco, and distributed to Lao Hak Sat newspaper, Lao National Radio...

Expert Nguyen The Nghiep gave an interview to KPL Television about the years helping KPL before the liberation in 1974 and the beautiful memories of the special Vietnam-Laos friendship, December 27, 2022.

Journalist Nguyen The Nghiep shared: In the fierce battlefield conditions, with bombs and bullets, driving supply vehicles from the rear often had to shed blood. The logistics industry mainly supplied rice, fish sauce, salt, dried fish... Wanting to help his friend for a long time, the News Agency expert organized his own life to stay healthy. Nghiep and his brothers built and dredged a small stream near Phu Khe cave to keep water for drinking all year round. Cleared trees, reclaimed land to grow vegetables, grow squash, and pumpkins, each season had its own food. No meal was complete without a plate of green vegetables dipped in salt. He also built a cage to raise chickens and pigs, went into the forest to get bamboo shoots, picked mushrooms to get firewood for the kitchen...

President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic Souphanouvong signed Decree No. 38506 dated January 10, 1982, awarding the First Class Itxala Medal to expert and journalist Nguyen The Nghiep of the Vietnam News Agency in recognition of his outstanding achievements in helping the Lao revolution before 1975. This Decree was recorded in the Golden Book of History of the Lao people.

After a period of working in the Vieng Xay war zone, at the request of a friend, in January 1991, the leader of the News Agency expert delegation sent Nguyen The Nghiep to build a news agency team in Khammuane province (Central Laos).

He recalled: The Gat car took them to Cau Treo border gate (Ha Tinh). Nghiep and Hiep (telegrapher) along with a number of officials from the economic, cultural, educational sectors... wore backpacks, camouflaged with green leaves around the pedestrians along Highway 12. The forests on both sides of the road were blackened by napalm bombs. Trees were broken and scattered, some were half-burned, and the smoke was acrid. Nghiep witnessed a tragic scene: the people of Na Hang village were evacuated in a cave, and an American bomb hit the cave entrance. Personal belongings, clothes, and many loads of dried chili peppers were on fire, sending smoke into the cave. More than two dozen people, mostly elderly people and children, suffocated to death from the heat and chili smoke...

The Khammuane Province expert group (T37) is located in a large natural cave, which has not been renovated like many natural caves in Sammua. Surrounding it is a flat, vast dry forest (old forest). In the rainy season, the water is so vast that when leaving the cave, one has to take off one's clothes and hang them around one's neck, or row a dugout canoe through the forest to Highway 12. The T37 delegation's leadership and logistics and support staff have to build beds on the crevices and rocky outcrops to live and work. Military, security, and economic, cultural, and educational experts live and work near Laos.

Nghiep and Hiep came to live next to the cave of the Provincial Propaganda Department. Lao friends cut down trees to build a “bed” in the cave. The 15W receiver and transmitter, the gaveno were placed in the cave. The antenna was hung up on a tall tree by a friend. Every day, when it was time to contact Phu Khe Commune, a friend sent two young men to turn the gaveno to get electricity for the receiver and transmitter to operate. The cave area where Nghiep worked had a quiet wave in the air, and American planes often came to “visit”, calculate coordinates, and fire rockets. Once, a mother cluster bomb fell into the cave entrance, exploding a cluster of baby cluster bombs. A hen incubating eggs in a nest above the cave entrance was blown away by the bomb. A baby cluster bomb rolled down into the cave and exploded. As if protected by the “mountain god and cave god”, no one was hit by any baby cluster bomb!

As in Phu Khe Commune, in addition to the hours of collecting and broadcasting news, Nghiep discussed with Lao friends sent by the provincial organization to "learn the trade" about the functions and tasks of the Lao News Agency, the tasks of the news correspondents stationed in the province and the elements that make up a news bulletin. To make the communication effective, Nghiep and his Lao colleagues left the cave, put on their backpacks and walked to districts, villages, schools, hospitals... to get materials to write propaganda news about building strong liberated zones, news about punishing reactionaries, spies, commandos from temporarily occupied areas who sneaked back to harass and sabotage; news denouncing the crimes of the US imperialists sending planes to brutally attack hospitals, churches, and schools.

Be loved like family

“There are many beautiful memories during many years of living and working in Laos, receiving the love, care and protection of Lao cadres, people and colleagues. In coordination with the Northern Laos battlefield, the Southern Laos battlefield was fighting a big battle, at the request of the Central Committee, Vietnam Military Region IV sent four infantry, artillery and special forces battalions to Khammuane, together with Lao army units to fight the enemy, wipe out the enemy's system of American puppet posts along the western corridor, creating an overwhelming strength at the negotiating table in Vientiane to find a solution to end the intervention and invasion of American imperialism. Laos, Laos' internal affairs were resolved by Lao people. This was the 972 campaign, the Khammuane news team was able to carry the camera along with the troops to report timely news”, Mr. Nghiep emotionally recalled those unforgettable years.

At night, the News Agency soldiers marched in the forests of the enemy-occupied areas. During the day, they dug tunnels to install transmitters, and together with their comrades, met with the commanders of each battle to collect documents, exchange information, and write news. From the hot front, the News Agency team broadcast to Phu Khe General Commune: "Lao artillery units smashed the enemy stronghold at Thakhet airport", "Enemy posts in Hinboun and Noongbok were wiped out". The people of the districts and villages rose up to fight, declaring the abolition of the colonialist and imperialist puppet government, and the establishment of a people-led government...

The News Agency's reporter team also joined the Lao-Vietnamese Armed Propaganda Team to go to the newly liberated villages to lower the puppet government's flag, plant the Pathet Lao flag, and talk to the villagers about Neo Lao Hak Sat's policy of protecting independence and territorial sovereignty, not allowing colonialists and imperialists to invade; the Lao ethnic people must unite together to build peaceful villages and have a prosperous life...

Recalling the early days of liberation, although the enemy posts were no longer there, the spies, commandos, and snipers were still lurking somewhere. Nghiep and his brothers who were tasked with planting the flag, protecting the flag, and propagating Neo Lao's policies were not allowed into the village, but had to dig tunnels and stretch tarps to take shelter in the forest near Don Khieu village, Noong Bok district. At that time, the Don Khieu village patriotic women's group, led by Boun's mother, along with Xao Keo, Nang Bua, Xao Kat... visited every day. In the "ca ta" carried on their backs to work in the fields, there were often tips of hot sticky rice, "cheo chili" packages, dried fish, and fruits for the brothers. People who were not used to eating sticky rice, Boun's mother found rice to cook porridge, she loved the Vietnamese soldiers as if she loved her own children...

“I still remember, at that time, sleeping in the forest for a long time, lacking water, being bitten by mosquitoes, I had a fever, Mother Boun immediately found anti-malarial and anti-fever medicine for me to drink. Holding the bowl of warm water and the pills in my hand, I burst into tears: Mother and the girls in the village love and help us so much. Mother Boun interrupted: Don’t say that! You all have parents and families in Vietnam. If it weren’t for your duty, at home, you would also be loved and cared for by your parents and relatives. You came here to fight with the Lao people, taking care of you, loving you, is the duty of Mother and all Lao people”, telling this, I suddenly saw tears in his eyes…

Journalist Nguyen The Nghiep contributed to two working periods in Laos: Before the liberation in 1975, he contributed to building the liberated zone as a strong nation, fighting against the US imperialists' intervention and invasion of Laos, and fighting to overthrow the puppet government in Vientiane. After the liberation, from 1991 to 1994, he worked as Head of the VNA Branch in Vientiane, providing information reflecting the work of protecting and building Laos, strengthening the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Laos in general and the two news agencies VNA and KPL in particular.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/chuyen-ve-nha-bao-duoc-chu-tich-nuoc-lao-tang-huan-chuong-itxala-hang-nhat-20251125182528557.htm