Huu Uoc - "The old wolf" of the golden age of print journalism.

Huu Uoc is one of the rare and exceptional figures in modern Vietnamese journalism and literature. He was a Lieutenant General in the Public Security force, a journalist, and a writer, with a career spanning all three fields. But perhaps what makes him most remembered is his role as the flag bearer during a golden age of Vietnamese print journalism – where he not only led a newspaper but truly created a distinct school of journalism.

1. From the late 1990s, when he was entrusted with the responsibility of Editor-in-Chief of the World Security Newspaper and later, in 2003, as Editor-in-Chief of the People's Police Newspaper , Huu Uoc began a major reconstruction of a sectoral newspaper that was considered rigid and uninteresting.

He not only kept the flame alive for the political -legal newspaper, but also transformed it into a real journalistic phenomenon in social life. A series of supplementary publications he founded – World Security, Public Security Arts and Literature, Global Police – quickly created a rich journalistic ecosystem, subtly combining social investigation, current affairs reporting, literature and art, and political criticism.

Journalist and writer Huu Uoc

During the era when print journalism reigned supreme – from the 1990s to the early 2010s – the name Huu Uoc emerged like a "wolf" in the jungle of journalism. He wasn't overly flamboyant, but wherever he was, his "tooth marks" were deeply imprinted on every page. He practiced journalism like a hunter – sensitive, passionate, uncompromising, and always one step ahead. It's hard to mistake a newspaper run by Huu Uoc – because it embodies the spirit of someone who understands politics, literature, and human nature.

In his journalistic style, Huu Uoc stood out for his sensitivity to the market while remaining true to his principles. He chose his articles like choosing bait – wisely, topical, daring to debate, daring to touch on sensitive issues, yet still maintaining a strong sense of direction. He ushered in a golden age of columns that forced the entire journalistic community to re-evaluate: from dramatic investigative reports and multi-layered profiles of criminals to the hidden corners of power, society, and human psychology.

He understood the seemingly simple principle: to get people to read the newspaper, you have to make them want to pick it up. And to do that, the press must tap into people's instincts of curiosity, fear, hope, and the most hidden anxieties of modern life.

The press under his leadership was neither dry nor dogmatic. It was a combination of combativeness, narrative, and contemplation. The World Security newspaper at that time was not simply a newspaper; it was a reading space, a meeting place for officials, intellectuals, artists, and the general public.

In a sensitive position like the police-affiliated newspaper, Huu Uoc often said he was "walking on a tightrope." But instead of avoiding it, he embraced it. The newspaper he organized dared to bring the voice of the people into the official publication, dared to critique, dared to tell stories of those outside the spotlight, those on the margins of the system. He didn't hide the thorns; he found a way to place them in the right places. Not to shock, but to force people to confront them. His newspaper had both a "military spirit"—decisive and direct—and an "artistic spirit"—deep, contemplative, and multi-layered metaphors.

But the so-called "Right-Word School" lies not only in its content, but also in its organization of journalistic life as a whole with its own principles and vitality. It is the crystallization of investigation, critique, literature, and current events, of journalistic reason and artistic emotion. He allowed writers to create portraits of criminals, and journalists to tell stories as if constructing a novelistic sequence. He encouraged experimentation, but still demanded utmost honesty.

Under his leadership, journalism was not just a place to practice one's profession, but also a place to make a living. At that time, many of his staff members, thanks to their series of articles and column contributions, earned enough money to buy cars, houses, and provide for their families. In an era when few newspapers could afford to support writers, at his newspaper, talented reporters could live comfortably and decently thanks to their writing.

In his writings, Huu Uoc left his mark with short stories, essays, poems, and novels—works deeply imbued with the spirit of soldiers, life, and humanity. Many of his poems have been set to music, spreading profound emotion. Huu Uoc wrote as if tearing his heart out. His stories—from the battlefield to prison camps, from border outposts to city streets—are all steeped in existentialism. He wrote prolifically, each genre leaving an impression of a raw, unadorned, and haunting personality. It felt as if he didn't write for beauty, but to live authentically and speak truthfully.