Memories of the North Thai Newspaper

On April 11, 1900, the Governor-General of Indochina issued a decree separating a portion of Thai Nguyen province to establish Bac Kan province, comprising four districts: Bach Thong, Cho Ra, Thong Hoa, and Cam Hoa. Responding to the political demands and tasks of the new situation, on April 21, 1965, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly approved the merger of Bac Kan and Thai Nguyen provinces into Bac Thai province. On June 5, 1965, Bac Thai Newspaper was established through the merger of two provincial-level Party newspapers, operating for 31 years and becoming a significant chapter in the 100-year history of revolutionary journalism.

The first issue of Bac Thai Newspaper this month.

Recalling the reporting trips

I joined the Bac Thai Newspaper at the beginning of 1981, dedicating my life and career to this land. The management of reporters at that time was very strict and precise. Remote districts like Cho Ra, Cho Don, Na Ri, and Bach Thong all had resident reporters. Closer districts were assigned reporters to cover specific areas. Therefore, news articles were up-to-date and brimming with the breath of life.

"Reporters working alongside the local community and the people (eating, living, and working together)" was, arguably, our motto back then. My first assignment was to be a resident correspondent in Bach Thong and Cho Don districts. In subsequent years, I was also stationed and monitored the movement in Na Ri district. For me, the land and its people, including my dear colleagues, are a whole realm of memories…

Even after 31 years working together in the same province and editorial office until we "moved out separately" in 1997, and in the years that followed, beautiful memories flooded back... Welcoming me on that first business trip was the Chairman of Bach Thong District, Mr. Duong Van Dinh. Dinner at the District Party Committee guesthouse included the District Party Secretary Dinh Cong Hoa, the Deputy Secretary of Trieu Son District, and the Deputy Chairman of Trieu Tuong District...

I requested permission to visit the field the following day and immediately finished writing the article "Duong Quang's Product Contract System," a hot topic that needed media coverage. The article discussed the enthusiastic reception of mountain farmers upon the Party Central Committee's Directive 100 on product contracts in agriculture .

A few days later, both Bac Thai Newspaper and Nhan Dan Newspaper published the article prominently, because the whole country needed a positive impact from life. That article helped the whole country understand the effective methods of a mountainous locality…

On subsequent trips, without bothering the local authorities, I would simply carry my backpack and walk through the communes of Duong Phong, Dong Vien, Ra Ban, Phuong Vien, Bang Lung, Ngoc Phai, Nam Cuong… (Na Ri). During those years, on the thatched floor of the house of former Bac Thai Newspaper reporter Nguyen Huy Hung in Khau Chu village, Dong Vien commune, I was shared experiences about working as a journalist in the highlands, about the "three together" principle with the villagers…

We all agreed on one observation: Journalism, while important in bringing the Party's resolutions to life, is even more important and challenging in contributing to bringing real-life situations into those resolutions. Getting the demands of real life known and incorporated into the Party's resolutions for resolution is an extremely arduous process.

The North Thai Newspaper's current affairs publication.

June 5, 1965 - A Memorable Day

During a night's stay in Khau Chu village, I heard journalist Huy Hung confide: Bac Kan was only separated from Thai Nguyen more than 60 years ago (established in 1900). Bac Kan's Party Committee newspaper was launched at the end of 1963, a little later than the provinces in the lowlands, and only published a few issues before, on April 21, 1965, according to a resolution of the National Assembly, Bac Kan merged back with Thai Nguyen to form Bac Thai…

The Bắc Thái newspaper's editorial staff began on June 5, 1965, marking its 60th anniversary in 2025. Only four people moved to Thái Nguyên to work at the newspaper, including Deputy Editor-in-Chief Hoàng Vĩnh Xuyên and editor Đinh Văn Nhân – these young, united, proactive, and creative writers helped the Bắc Thái newspaper quickly establish itself as a reputable local Party newspaper…

The affection and thoughtful care of the local people left an unforgettable impression on a young journalist like me. Like a snapshot in my memory, I vividly recall that beautiful July of 1982. District Chairman Duong Van Dinh invited me to his hometown of Vi Huong to celebrate the Vu Lan festival with his family. The full moon shone brightly, and the atmosphere of renewal brought about by the agricultural production quota system under Resolution 10 permeated every village, near and far, stirring my soul.

I wrote: “The night at Giang Pass/Moonlight and mountain breeze/The kitchen in the stilt house smells of freshly cooked rice… The night at Giang Pass/The whole village is awake/The contracted harvest is ready, every household is bustling/Who is plowing and turning over the straw under the moonlight?”

On June 5, 1985, Bac Thai Newspaper celebrated its 20th anniversary and received the Third-Class Labor Medal. Provincial Party Secretary Vu Ngoc Linh, Provincial Chairman Doanh Hang, and Standing Deputy Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen The Dat were all present. Secretary Vu Ngoc Linh highly praised the newspaper for its content and effective impact on the movement. Chairman Doanh Hang, a native of Thuong An, Ngan Son, said: “Thanks to Bac Thai Newspaper, the people have come to know and understand more about the people in the mountainous regions.”

The celebratory meal was held warmly in the inter-agency canteen with Bang Phuc herbal wine, Bang Lung braised pork, and Na Ri vermicelli, all gifts from the local people…

On January 1, 1997, in a speech delivered at the re-establishment rally of the province, the Secretary of the Bac Kan Provincial Party Committee emphasized: "These two sons share the same roots, therefore their actions are deeply meaningful and their affection overflows. This will be true not only in these years but also in the future…".

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202506/ky-uc-ve-to-bao-bac-thai-b950d39/