The fire of the profession is still burning...

Happiness is built from experiences and memories throughout a long journey of journalism from 1984 to the present - unforgettable! The profession has given me dancing feet and hands to move as fast as possible to satisfy my passion, to roam and explore, to cherish emotions, to enrich my knowledge and life experiences.

Although every trip has its hardships and even dangers, when seeing the “brainchildren” born with the warm breath of life, the “fire of the profession” burns again. Memories are tightly packed in my mind, whenever I touch them, I remember them. The most profound memory is probably when I became a “sister”, a “foster mother” on trips to the border, islands...

With such happiness, hardships are nothing...

Working at Phu Quoc Prison Historical Site, 2014.

Have a brother at the border

The historic flash flood - the circulation of storm No. 4 swept away the houses and gardens of all households in Tung Chin 1 village, Trinh Tuong commune (Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province) at the end of 2008. Nearly two years later, when the Hanoi Moi reporter team returned, life here had revived. The "New Border Village" with 19 houses has sprung up, showing the affection of the green-uniformed soldiers of Trinh Tuong Border Guard Station for the people here.

On that trip, in addition to professional activities, we also brought gifts to the people of Tung Chin and had a cultural exchange with soldiers of the Trinh Tuong Border Post. That day, the person who took us to visit the households was Lieutenant Ban Van Duong, a Dao ethnic (Van Ban district, Lao Cai province). What a coincidence, Duong talked to me openly, sincerely and naturally like a long-lost relative. Thanks to Duong, I had valuable documents about the borderland. Thanks to Duong, I know that Tung Chin still lacks many things, but I believe that the difficulties will pass, this remote mountainous area will revive strongly.

I remember, when the car jumped over the huge rock in the middle of Tung Chin stream, Duong suddenly became silent. His eyes turned to the other side of the stream, his voice dropped: When the flood came, the two ends of the rope on the stream were held tightly by my teammates so that I - with one hand holding the rope, the other holding Tan Su May and her mother under my armpit, could inch them ashore before the flood came. During that flood, I and my teammates saved nearly 80 people from Tung Chin, but the flash flood also buried more than 3km of stream... I realized that the people's feelings for Trinh Tuong Border Guard Station were pride and trust. Thanks to that trust, the officers and soldiers in green uniforms have been attached to the people, the area, and have done a good job of maintaining peace for the country's borders. Lieutenant Ban Van Duong, one of the border guards who has been stationed in the most villages, is the strongest and most proficient in everything from harvesting corn and planting rice to motivating many children to return to school and successfully helping many young people quit drug addiction.

The next day, we said goodbye to the people of Tung Chin 1 village and the officers and soldiers of Trinh Tuong Border Guard Station. At that moment, Lieutenant Ban Van Duong suddenly held my hand tightly and shook it: "Sister, when you return to Hanoi , you must always remember your brother at the border." I was surprised by that sincere feeling, then exclaimed: "Of course. Thank you, brother, I am very proud of you" - as a natural course of human feelings. On the way back to Hanoi, journalist Le Hang and her colleagues joked: On the last trip to Truong Sa, Giang's mother had an adopted child; this time at the border, Giang had an adopted brother. What a coincidence...

Oh my, so impressive and full of emotions. The report about the children of the mountains and forests, both hot and current, and warm with human affection in the border of my Fatherland, was born like that! Until now, my heart still yearns for Duong, remembers Chao Su May who was also born in the year of Canh Ty, remembers the village chief Ly - Ly Lao Lo and the people I met, the stories I heard. And sometimes, in daily life, I still hear on the phone the greeting: "It's been a long time since I've seen you come back to visit the village. Come on, Tung Chin is very different now", my heart is restless and of course I long to come back to visit my brother - the border soldier Ban Van Duong.

That is happiness - the happiness that the profession brings that makes me both emotional and proud has lit the fire of the profession in me to burn forever...

Dear "mother" in Truong Sa

When I found out that I was a member of the working delegation of Hanoi city (April 2009), I was excited, not only because I was fulfilling my dream of going to the sacred waters of the Fatherland, but also because it was an experience, testing my strength against the storms of the open sea.

The Titan ship, codenamed HQ960, arrived at Truong Sa Lon Island after two days and two nights in a red dawn. This was a working trip organized by the leaders of Hanoi city in coordination with the Navy Command to visit and present gifts to officers, soldiers and people of Truong Sa island district and DK1 platform; including the event of starting the construction of the Capital Guest House as a gift to Truong Sa island district, which has now become a special and meaningful cultural institution in Truong Sa.

Nearly twenty days and nights visiting the submerged and floating islands in the archipelago, but only staying 3 nights on Truong Sa Lon, Truong Sa Dong and Phan Vinh islands (the rest were on board), I witnessed and felt each day was an experience of the life of brave and resilient naval soldiers on duty to preserve the sacred territorial waters and protect and help fishermen on the archipelago.

The most surprising and happiest thing was that right from the moment we left Cat Lai port ( Ho Chi Minh City) to board the ship, among the soldiers serving the delegation, there was a young soldier about twenty years old, named Nguyen Van Phuoc (from Ha Tinh), tall, thin, strong, with brown skin. Surely seeing that I was older than the young journalists, Phuoc was friendly and got to know me right away. And the innocent and carefree "Mrs. Giang" that Phuoc uttered made me moved to tears. I never thought that my business trip would have such a handsome son!

Then, during nearly twenty days of going in and out of the island, my mother and I participated in all the activities that took place on the HQ960: going into the kitchen to pick vegetables, divide rice; going down to the hold to watch the workers repair and maintain the ship; going into the cockpit to chat with the sailors; going up to the deck to watch the art performance; at night, we fished for squid together, freely watching the moon in the middle of the vast ocean, feeling more clearly the love and responsibility for the sea and islands of the Fatherland... The most memorable thing is what Phuoc said: "Mom is super!", because most of the people on the ship had at least once suffered from seasickness, even the strong sailors (and Phuoc was no exception). Yet I did not get seasick; moreover, I was the only guest who was "privileged" to sit on the command canoe, speeding in the middle of the vast ocean. The sun, wind and salty sea water rushed into my face, giving me a feeling of ecstasy, joy and endless sublimation... My series of reports and essays about Truong Sa were born one after another in that happiness!

After that business trip, my mother and I still called each other to ask about each other's health and work. After three years of military service, my son turned professional and is now working at Cam Ranh port, and has a happy family with two children. Speaking of which, after completing his military service, Phuoc was able to visit his family in Ha Tinh and he spent two days in Hanoi to visit his mother. That feeling is so deep!

The happiness I receive after my business trips - that's it! It is a priceless gift of humanity, kindness and greatness. It is the source of energy, the glue for me to passionately dedicate myself, to keep the fire of my profession burning forever in my heart...

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/lua-nghe-van-chay-706298.html