From the photo of the reporter standing next to Uncle Ho
In the early years after 1975, I first learned about the story of journalist Vo The Ai through a black and white photo hung solemnly in the living room of my close friend's family - Vo The Hoa.
The photo shows President Ho Chi Minh visiting Thac Huong dam, followed by a few people. I curiously asked about the photo, Hoa pointed to a tall man (whose face looked quite similar to Hoa's) in the photo and said: "This man is my eldest brother, named Vo The Ai, a first generation reporter for VNA. Back then, he often accompanied Uncle Ho on business trips."
Hoa added: “When we were young, we only knew our eldest brother through our family’s stories, because he had gone to the North. After the peace, he returned to Da Nang but then came back, so I didn’t get to be close to him or know much about him.”
Journalist Vo The Ai - former Deputy Head of the Domestic News Editorial Board, former Head of the Liberation News Agency, Zone 5. He was awarded the 75-year Party membership badge, the Third-class Independence Medal, the First-class Victory Medal, the Second-class Liberation Medal, the " Dien Bien Soldier" badge...
The story made me half-believe, half-doubt, so I did not hesitate to meet with senior, veteran journalists in Da Nang that I was familiar with to ask for more information. Indeed, famous journalists associated with the journalism career of Quang Nam and the whole country such as Mr. Dinh Chuong (1932 - 2016), Doan Ba Tu (1921 - 2014) ... all confirmed: Vo The Ai was one of the first talented journalists of VNA, born in Da Nang.
Mr. Ai was regrouped in the North and then joined VNA at a very young age. Vo The Ai's father, Vo Thuong Bich, belonged to the Western-educated class and was one of the first journalists and newspaper publishers (in French) in Da Nang.
The “firsts” of journalist Vo The Ai
According to the confession of journalist Vo The Ai, when he first came to the North, the Director of the Information Department at that time, Mr. Tran Van Giau, recognized that he had a good command of French, so he sent him to write a book about prisoners of war in Chiem Hoa (1950). Later, during the Dien Bien Phu campaign, he was a journalist working on the frontline transportation route, following the campaign closely from the beginning until the moment of victory.
In 1955, after the Vietnam News Agency (VNTTX) took over the headquarters at 5 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hanoi, Vo The Ai was assigned by the agency to follow and write news about Uncle Ho's activities. Regarding the memories of the times he followed Uncle Ho to report, in the 2014 edition of the News Agency's Internal Magazine, journalist Vo The Ai recounted: "On Tet 1955, for the first time, Uncle Ho went on a picnic in the countryside, visiting Thac Huong dam. I was lucky to go with Uncle. In the photo of President Ho Chi Minh visiting Thac Huong dam, behind him are Minister of Irrigation Tran Dang Khoa, writer Bui Hien and me. This is a photo that I have cherished and preserved for many years as a priceless asset."
In 1957, Vo The Ai was assigned to Zone 4 to establish the VNA Branch (now the VNA Resident Office in Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces). In late 1958 and early 1959, he went to the General Office to take on the task of Head of the Agriculture Subcommittee and the Domestic News Editorial Board.
From July 1959, before the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam was established, Vo The Ai was the first journalist of VNA assigned to the Southern battlefield to contribute to the establishment of the Liberation News Agency. On August 28, 1959, the Tra Bong uprising (Quang Ngai) broke out, after which the enemy counterattacked with dozens of large and small sweeps. Vo The Ai was the first and only journalist present at this place.
During the fiercest period of the war in the South, journalist Vo The Ai was always present at the hot battlefield to promptly report news and photos. One of the unforgettable memories in his journalism career was his timely report on the battle of Nui Thanh - the first victory over the US, in May 1965.
In 1971, journalist Vo The Ai went to Hanoi and was added to the Southern Photo News Editorial Board of VNA. In 1973, after the Paris Agreement, he returned to the Domestic News Editorial Board, in charge of the Agriculture Subcommittee, and worked as a member of the Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-Chief until his retirement.
There was a time when reporters were like that!
Journalist Vo The Ai's wife - Mrs. Nghiem Thi Tu (younger sister of Mrs. Nghiem Thuy Bang, musician Van Cao's wife) was also a journalist. In 1957, the two met by chance in the Tran Hung Dao apartment complex (Hanoi). In 1958, their wedding was held simply and warmly. In 1959, they had a son together.
When his son was 8 months old, Vo The Ai was assigned to work at the VNTTX Branch in Zone 5. The souvenir he brought with him to the battlefield was his son's newborn shirt. During more than 10 years on the battlefield, he used the pen name Nguyen Huy, his son's name, in all the news and articles sent to Hanoi.
“There was a time when reporters were like that” (Thong Tan Publishing House - 2007) is the title of a book by journalist Vo The Ai, including 100 letters (the first manuscript was titled “Love Letters of a Time”) he sent to his wife during the time they were separated by war.
Then, on an autumn morning in 1963, by chance, while turning on the radio to listen to the slow news from Hanoi, he heard a very familiar voice.
Emotions surged when he came to the introduction section at the end of the broadcast, the newsreader was Nghiem Thi Tu. Later, he learned that VNA had sent a group of editors to the Voice of Vietnam every morning to slowly read news about the South, and among that group was his beloved wife - "Huy Tu".
At the end of 1965, Mrs. Nghiem left her young child in Hanoi and also crossed Truong Son to work at the Liberation News Agency right in the fiercest years of the resistance war. The journalist-soldier couple once again stood side by side, sharing the hardships in the stormy days, joining the whole country in new battles.
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In 2012, Mr. Vo The Ai was 83 years old and Mrs. Nghiem Thi Tu was 73 years old. After their only son died early due to a long-term illness, they decided to go to Social Protection Center 3, Hanoi together. About a year later, Mrs. Tu passed away. On March 16, 2025, the passionate heart of journalist and soldier Vo The Ai also stopped beating in Hanoi, at the age of 96.
I would like to send this article, with all the heart of a writer of the later generations and a little bit of personal affection, to commemorate Mr. Vo The Ai - a very special journalist of Da Thanh.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/nha-bao-vo-the-ai-nguoi-theo-chan-bac-ho-3156934.html
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