The rainy night is so sad, sister...

SGGP 26/11/2023 05:50

“Lend me your phone so I can call Tuong Van to remind her about some of the articles our Culture and Arts Committee has registered for this time. They’re all important articles, necessary to write. When writing about culture and art, try to highlight its inherent strength and crucial driving force for the sustainable development of our city and our country. Write to bring about a change in mindset and awareness regarding investment and cultural development. But why am I in the hospital for so long this time? Just a few more days, and I’ll be home…”

1. Ms. Thach Thao (whom we still affectionately call "Ms. U") spoke to us about her work and her plans for key articles while lying in her hospital bed, surrounded by tubes and wires still tangled around her arms, amidst the buzzing of medical equipment… Even during the most agonizing moments, when it seemed insurmountable, she remained strong and hopeful. Despite the pain from numerous illnesses that had afflicted her for over three and a half months, even in her lucid moments, her conversations revolved around her work: news, articles, and series of articles.

A glimmer of hope for her improved health shone in our hearts when she was discharged from the Respiratory and Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit and returned to her regular ward in the Nephrology Department of People's Hospital 115. Everyone was overjoyed when the doctor announced that she would be discharged in about 7 to 9 days and would begin physical therapy for rehabilitation.

But tonight we were all stunned: the doctor announced something we never wanted to hear! Her older sister collapsed at the door, and her 85-year-old mother, who had been waiting for her daughter at home for over three months, fainted! Colleagues at the Saigon Giai Phong Newspaper and other media outlets in Ho Chi Minh City, and friends everywhere were distraught, shocked, and couldn't hold back their tears. Outside, it was raining heavily. Surely even the heavens mourned her deeply, Thach Thao…

2. For over 20 years, she worked at the Saigon Giai Phong newspaper, and I've been close to her for exactly 10 years now. Those years are long enough, filled with so many memories, and looking back, I suddenly don't know where to begin writing about my sister, my great colleague in journalism. But one thing I'm certain of is that her portrait needs no embellishment; everyone knows her, remembers her, and remembers her deeply and for a long time.

She is a passionate and highly skilled journalist who has contributed to numerous awards for the Saigon Giai Phong newspaper through her insightful articles and series that have had a significant social impact. She is a responsible and compassionate Vice President of the Trade Union, wholeheartedly dedicated to her colleagues. She is a passionate, intelligent, and courageous Youth Union leader who walks the talk. Many young writers have grown and gradually built their reputations thanks to her dedicated guidance.

To many, she may seem strong and tough, but my 10 years of companionship have shown me many different facets of someone who seemed unshakeable.

She cried a lot during the Covid-19 pandemic while editing each news report and article. Faced with a journalistic detail, a social story, a life… she wrote and expressed it on the page with a sensitive and loving soul. She wept for days over the tragic fate of a young Youth Union official who died prematurely. She felt compassion for the children in remote areas, and as a result, she tried her best to run many social programs for them, seeking sponsorships.

On the evening of November 25th, before taking her "home" for the last time, I returned to our office. The computer had been replaced with a brand-new one, and the items on the desk had been neatly tidied up… all in anticipation of her return to work with us, to carry out those intense investigative series. I stood there for a long time, letting the overwhelming feelings of longing and regret fill my heart…

From today onwards, the staff of SGGP newspaper will forever lose a colleague who was dedicated, passionate about her work, kind, strong, and yet very gentle… Thach Thao was like grass, like a flower, growing and blooming in rocky soil. Though seemingly delicate and fragile, she was incredibly resolute and courageous.

Goodbye, Thao, it hurts so much!

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