Solidarity with journalism

In the press industry - where work pressure and sudden business trips seem to be the norm, many couples have found each other, built a home and nurtured their careers. The harmony, understanding and sharing in the profession have become a solid foundation for family happiness.

Reporters interview National Assembly delegates in the hallway of the session. (Photo: DUY LINH)

The car of karma

Journalism seems to have a special attraction when it comes to bringing people with the same passion together, becoming husband and wife. Two journalists, Le Chi Cong and Phan Thi Duong, are classmates majoring in Print Journalism at the Academy of Journalism and Communication. Their feelings blossomed naturally from their days in the classroom. Cong said that the more they talked, the more they realized that their views on life were compatible, especially their love for the profession - a love that "lives and dies with the topic, characters and articles". For his classmate Phan Thi Duong, the purity, clarity in each issue and the ability to concentrate highly on each article are things that Cong always appreciates.

Love started from a passion for writing, two young people, although coming from the countryside, with their efforts and progress, soon asserted themselves in journalism, and stabilized their jobs in the capital. Ms. Duong passed the exam to become a reporter for VnExpress newspaper after only half a year of graduation. Mr. Cong, a collaborator at Lao Dong newspaper, was recruited to work for the police magazine, later the People's Police Magazine. The professional bond continued to connect them until they got married and experienced the sweetness and bitterness of being a journalist couple.

Meanwhile, the story of director, Meritorious Artist Ta Quynh Tu and journalist Nguyen Thi Yen has a different color, romantic and meaningful. Tu, due to difficult family circumstances, had to go to university four years later than his peers. Their love began from the days when the poor student met the 12th grade girl living next door to his rented room, who later became a student of the Chinese Department of Hanoi University of Foreign Languages ​​(now Hanoi University).

Interestingly, although Ms. Nguyen Thi Yen did not major in journalism, she was introduced to her by Mr. Tu, who was then a cameraman for the Editorial Secretariat of Vietnam Television (VTV), and then became a sports editor, then a Chinese editor at VTV4. In 2007, the two decided to get married and build a home, although there were still many challenges ahead.

Share and accompany

Both husband and wife are journalists, so there are obviously advantages. Director Ta Quynh Tu said that his life partner Nguyen Thi Yen plays an extremely important role, not only as a support but also as a colleague and an inspiration to him: "After getting married, Yen knows that I have long cherished and aspired to realize my dream of making documentaries. When I learned that VTV4 had a quota for documentaries, my wife was the one who introduced me to the first documentaries in my career and has been with me until now."

Later, Ms. Yen was often the first audience to see her husband's films right from the editing table. Not to mention, with her love of reading, she often told her husband about good books, thereby helping him "steal" knowledge and come up with topics. The mindset of a foreign language learner also helped her many times unintentionally suggest to help Mr. Tu complete his film ideas. Notably, if the topic was interesting, Ms. Yen was willing to take leave to go on a scouting trip with her husband using... her own money. She even patiently waited for her husband outside... a massage parlor during a two-week fact-finding trip in Taiwan (China) for the film "Chong lac", about the hardships of Vietnamese brides abroad - a work that later won the Golden Lotus Award at the 21st Vietnam Film Festival.

Journalist Nguyen Thi Yen and her husband, journalist, director, Meritorious Artist Ta Quynh Tu, have often gone into the field to find material for documentary films.

Meanwhile, in daily life, the two journalists Le Chi Cong and Phan Thi Duong often talk about issues in journalism, the journalism community and outstanding events. Ms. Duong asked Mr. Cong to read her articles and give her some comments on issues that need to be debated. In return, Mr. Cong learned from Ms. Duong new skills and trends in journalism. A reality in the home of journalist couples is that sometimes professional exchanges take place in... bed. And many times, they turn into "serious" arguments... but when it's over, it's over. According to journalist Le Chi Cong, if a couple both work in journalism, if they know how to listen, understand and be tolerant, their marriage journey will overcome the storms.

Besides the advantages of being in harmony in the profession, they also face many challenges that outsiders find difficult to understand. Journalist Le Chi Cong works in a specialized magazine environment, requiring thorough research but can be proactive about time. On the contrary, Ms. Duong works at VnExpress - a fast-paced online newspaper, demanding high quality and progress. His wife's time is almost entirely devoted to journalism, regardless of weekdays, weekends, holidays, and Tet. Mr. Cong does not hesitate to choose to help his wife with housework and take care of the children so that Ms. Duong can fully devote herself to her career. Although sometimes, the children still remind her that she does not take them out, or when his wife is away working during storms and floods, the three of them are at home, safe and sound, but their hearts are full of worry...

Meanwhile, Meritorious Artist Ta Quynh Tu could not forget his wife's feelings when he and his colleagues had to go to the Covid-19 epidemic center in Ho Chi Minh City to make the film "Border" - a film that shocked society at that time: "I will always remember my wife's restless eyes every night when she looked up at the ceiling. Only later, when her best friend told me, did I know that at that time, Yen was very worried about my upcoming journey when I had to rush to the epidemic center."

As for Ms. Duong, she is always in a dilemma between work pressure and family responsibilities. She recounted a memory of a business trip to Thailand when her 27-month-old son had a high fever of unknown cause; although her son had just been discharged from the hospital a week before she went on the business trip, during her time abroad, the female journalist both worked and worried when her husband reported that their son had a fever again. The day she returned, the baby had a fever of nearly 42oC and was diagnosed with sepsis. At that moment, the mother could not help but blame herself for not spending more time taking care of her son - a feeling of "guilt" that was always present in her heart. Ms. Duong shared: It was not her job that made her forget her son, but because she was not a good enough mother to balance work and family. This is a deep understanding of herself and acceptance of the choices of a woman pursuing a career in journalism.

Achievement after hardship

After decades of working in the profession, journalist Ta Quynh Tu has won many prestigious awards such as the A prize of the National Press Award, the Gold prize of the National Television Festival, the Golden Lotus Award, the World Television Award, VTV Awards... But for him, the greatest happiness in life "is having a wife, a colleague who has accompanied and shared many difficulties with him, and then luckily achieved certain successes". In 2024, journalist Nguyen Thi Yen successfully defended her Master's thesis at Tsinghua University (China) with her graduation work being a documentary film made with her husband...

Journalist Le Chi Cong, who won the Golden Hammer and Sickle Award, said: After 3 years of marriage, with a small amount of savings, the couple decided to buy a house by installments, accounting for 70% of the house value. Paying the monthly interest and principal was very difficult, but with a self-reliant attitude and a simple lifestyle, the couple completed their debt repayment in 2025. Currently, their family has two healthy and obedient children, "both boys and girls". Journalist Phan Thi Duong still hugs the computer to work until late at night or wakes up at 4-5 am when her husband and children are sleeping to write articles. But now, she is more thoughtful when arranging her time reasonably to clean, cook, and take care of her children while still maintaining her passion for each article and each work.

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/dong-long-cung-nghe-bao-213833.html