Journalist Bui Ngoc Quynh on a business trip up the Da River (2001)

Old story is very new , very… Labor

One afternoon, just arriving home, I unexpectedly received a handwritten note from journalist Nguyen Dac Xuan, Chief of the Lao Dong Newspaper Representative Office in the Central region, with an appointment: " You have agreed to meet me at noon or in the afternoon. Quynh will come and meet me to discuss upcoming work. Hue , September 27, 1993 " (at that time, there was no private phone for communication).

At first, I just thought that there was another "bone" story, doing "hot" news articles as usual, but unexpectedly, when we met, Mr. Dac Xuan immediately gave me a contract to sign as a collaborator of Lao Dong Newspaper in Thua Thien Hue (now Hue City), with a red "seal", full of rights and obligations of party A, party B... In addition to royalties according to the current regime, at that time I was most pleased with the monthly "salary" that was no less than my "fixed" salary at that time.

A few months later, from Hue City, I had an interesting "Southern journey" by road with the Central Office led by journalist Nguyen Dac Xuan to Ho Chi Minh City to meet with the newspaper leaders, staff, and reporters of Lao Dong Newspaper, the Southern Office, and the Mekong Delta Office.

At the permanent office at that time (No. 120, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street), for the first time I had the opportunity to meet some of the "big trees" and "big trees" of the Southern journalism village who were working for Lao Dong such as: Ly Quy Chung, Tran Trong Thuc, Tam Dang, Ba Tho Tien, Hoang Hung, Choe painter... While concentrating on listening to journalist Ly Quy Chung exchange experiences in journalism, the room suddenly became "bustling" because of the news: US President Bill Clinton had just announced the decision to lift the trade embargo against Vietnam (February 3, 1994). Journalist Ly Quy Chung suggested a "break" so that everyone could discuss, comment, and choose how to write news articles right in the new conditions and opportunities... The atmosphere was really happy, very new, very current, very... Lao Dong.

While chatting, a reporter from the Southern Office jokingly asked: "The Central and Central Highlands are rocky and difficult, why are there so many "hot" and "so" good news articles?"

“We brothers and I will try to “plow” and add the “confrontation” of the “commander” - Nguyen Dac Xuan”, I quickly replied. Everyone laughed happily and cheered for Dac Xuan.

That day, photojournalist Duong Minh Long took portraits of us collaborators to make cards. But somehow journalist Nguyen Dac Xuan suggested that later, the leadership of Lao Dong Newspaper approved the issuance of “Special Envoy” cards to us, a move that greatly respected us journalists and collaborators. Therefore, we all worked our best as journalists trusted by Lao Dong Newspaper to “send” us on a “special” mission.

The trip was very interesting with the Central Labor Office, with Mr. Nguyen Dac Xuan, Vinh Quyen, Trung Hieu, Dang Ba Tien, Bao Chan, Thanh Dam, Pham Duong, Quang Khanh. Later, there were also Nguyen The Thinh (Quang Binh), Lam Chi Cong (Quang Tri), Khac Dung, Nhat Hung (Lam Dong)...

A report by journalist Bui Ngoc Quynh in Lao Dong Newspaper (1995)

Honor but keep yourself

Lao Dong Newspaper (new edition) at that time was one of the few prestigious newspapers, loved by a large number of readers, and was available on almost all newsstands every morning. The “special envoy” who wrote for Lao Dong Newspaper at that time also had a bit of “prestige” – the newspaper had many readers.

It is an honor but one must also be proactive in work and know how to maintain oneself, must have the courage to overcome work pressure from many sides, especially in doing investigative news articles against negativity in the early period of the country's renovation. Alone, the "special envoy" had to "fight left and right" to "run" news articles in almost all fields and genres, from economics, culture-society, internal affairs, crime to literature, sports, especially in Thua Thien Hue, where the complex of Hue Monuments has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site...

And, there are indispensable investigative articles and reports protecting the legitimate and legal rights of workers and citizens that many people are interested in. Typically, the series of articles on "Luksvaxi Joint Venture, an incomprehensible favor?" (1993-1994), "Football: buying and selling" (1995). Most interestingly, through Lao Dong Newspaper, I had a number of impressive reports on the people and unique culture of Hue that many beloved readers still remember and call by name: "Thanh Tien, the flower village that never fades", "The plea of ​​small fish", "The roads of Hue", "Loyal to Hue's traditional culture", "The road to Chan May has opened", "The white-blue people"...

To quickly obtain authentic, multi-disciplinary, and diverse information, I also organized my own "network" of trusted collaborators in a number of agencies and departments in the province and some uncles, aunts, and leaders of the Veterans Association, former revolutionary veterans of the Phu Xuan Club. In addition, of course, there was also the sharing of colleagues and readers who trusted and loved me. In Lao Dong Newspaper, at that time, to safely "hide my name", I signed with many different pen names: Bui Ngai, Tam Dang, Thuong Son, Dia Linh, Minh Dan, Trieu An... "Top secret", under those pen names, I also had a very detective "code name" C07 , so the Central Office and Lao Dong Editorial Office immediately recognized the trusted "special" author, and it was difficult for anyone to impersonate me. Other "Special Envoys" of the Central Highlands Office have the "code names" C08, C09...C11, C13 , depending on the provinces and cities... That is the initiative and a very "unique" management method of the Head of the Central Office, journalist Nguyen Dac Xuan.

As a journalist, “Special Envoy”, “Envoy” are just names, ways to “legitimize” a time when Lao Dong Newspaper pioneered innovation with the country, especially the Central & Central Highlands Office, under the “flag-bearer” of journalist Nguyen Dac Xuan. Later, even though my contract with Lao Dong Newspaper ended and I focused on my main job at the Vietnam Television Center in Hue City, occasionally, when I met journalist Nguyen Dac Xuan or some “Lao Dong” brothers, I still felt close and affectionate like “family”. Lao Dong, reporting, writing articles in a quick, truthful, attractive, and useful way for workers, for readers, for innovation and development of the country and homeland.

Being a "Special Envoy" of Lao Dong Newspaper in Hue for a while really gave me a lot of experience and maturity in my career and life...

Journalist Bui Ngoc Quynh, Former Head of Science and Documentary Department, Vietnam Television Center in Hue City

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-tri-xa-hoi/dac-phai-vien-bao-lao-dong-tai-thua-thien-hue-nho-mai-mot-thoi-154757.html