Journalist Luong Duy Cuong: Hometown is always fluttering in my left chest

(Reading the memoir "Memories of the Storm!" by author Luong Duy Cuong, Writers Association Publishing House, 2025).

Cover of the memoir "Storm Memories!" by author Luong Duy Cuong - Photo: PXD

Journalist Luong Duy Cuong was born in the cultural village of Le Son, in the old district of Tuyen Hoa, in the eight famous incenses of Quang Binh province in the past. He passed the entrance exam to the Faculty of Literature, Hue University. After graduating, he went to the southernmost region of the Central region to work as a journalist, then settled in Ho Chi Minh City and is currently a senior editor, working at the newspaper Nguoi Lao Dong, and has published 5 books so far.

Journalist Luong Duy Cuong has traveled far and wide, seen many things, heard many stories, and is a seasoned and experienced person, but whenever he mentions his hometown, his left chest still flutters, even though he is over 60 years old, more than a year old.

The memoir “Memories of the Storm!” is a collection of articles on various topics and regions, from the highlands of the Northwest to the Truong Sa archipelago, from the martial arts of Karate-do master Nguyen Van Dung, a martial artist and scholar in Hue , to the mysterious Bach Ma sacred mountain that the talented writer Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong visited with the nickname “Illusion Mountain”... The pages are filled with information and emotions, and the contemplations of a journalist who is always active, always wanting to put his hands and ears on every hot and cold moment of life.

Most of the memoirs are filled with nostalgia for one's roots and hometown, such as the memoirs: "Memories of the storm!", "White night in the flood center", "Gianh River passes through my life", "Red phoenix flowers of Nam Chu", "Story of preserving scenic spots in the fighting village", "Love of the countryside in the midst of the epidemic", "Villagers", "Green aspiration on the front line"... The articles about storms and floods in one's hometown, a "weather fate" in the Central region, a natural phenomenon so familiar that it seems there is nothing more to say, but through the pen of author Luong Duy Cuong, it still touches people's hearts.

The hardships, the hardships, the dangers... are dense in every word, many passages are tense and dramatic, almost suffocating because of the unusual situations that always challenge people. Only someone who is willing to observe and experience many times, experience to the end, can have pages like that.

But what I want to say here is that even in difficult situations, the laughter and humor of the people of Quang Tri still shine through, overcoming circumstances, even overcoming fate to live with storms and floods, to fight steadfastly like a true warrior, that is the spirit of those who never surrender even to things considered to be natural destiny.

At the end of the haunting memoir “Memories of Storms!”, the author wrote: “...The story of storms and floods has become a horror that haunts me all my life. Some people jokingly call storms and floods a specialty - a specialty that is terrifying to think about, but like a lingering consciousness that makes anyone far from home feel sad. Without such a joke, I would not have been able to stay in this land.”

But the homeland that appears through the writings of writer and journalist Luong Duy Cuong is not just harsh nature because it is that very nature that has created priceless treasures such as Phong Nha - Ke Bang, cultural villages, legendary customs... And that is an eternal treasure that can never be exhausted if people know how to cherish and exploit it in a humane and intelligent way.

With the same burning desire, in the memoir “Green Desire on the Fire Line”, there are colorful, stirring and inviting passages: “After exploring the cave, if tourists come to the villages of the 16 ethnic groups residing here, they will also hear the soulful Hoi Len melodies, enjoy specialties such as com poi and male snails... If they are lucky enough to be on the full moon of the third lunar month, they will also be immersed in the unique cultural festivals of the ethnic groups, to the point that the folk song has been passed down: “It is better to be sick and lie down. No one would miss the full moon festival of the third lunar month.”

The Gianh River of my hometown keeps sobbing in every breath through my memories: “The Gianh River is mysterious with mist and smoke in the mornings. The clear harmony of the countryside in the morning follows me throughout my life, like an unforgettable obsession. ...Oh, my hometown Gianh River, the sweet Gianh River, the tragic Gianh River” (excerpt from “Gianh River Passes Through My Life”).

There are many things worth mentioning about this collection of notes. But I will leave it to the readers to gradually discover and feel. I would just like to say: Those who, whether near or far, still cannot stop yearning for their homeland, hope that the blessings of their roots still have a lot of emotional alluvium, enriching today and tomorrow with sincere affection.

Pham Xuan Dung

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nha-bao-luong-duy-cuong-que-nha-cu-phap-phong-trong-nguc-trai-196020.htm