Among the colleagues and friends under the "common roof" of the beloved Quang Tri Newspaper who have passed away since the province was re-established (July 1989), journalist Dang Tho is perhaps the one with whom I have the most memories.
The article "Land Awaiting the Season," published in the Quang Tri newspaper on December 17, 1998, and a portrait of journalist Dang Tho - Photo: D.T.
Before joining Quang Tri Newspaper, Dang Tho had worked as a specialist at the Office of the People's Committee of Gia Lai - Kon Tum province, a reporter for Kon Tum Newspaper, and before that, a student at Hue University, who was sent to study for advanced training at the Department of International Relations - Kyiv University (formerly the Soviet Union).
Despite such an impressive resume, contrary to my expectations, Dang Tho joined the newspaper and worked in the economic subcommittee with us, displaying a unique demeanor—a hint of pensive mountain air, the sturdy, mature character of a countryman, confidently venturing into the world of journalism in his hometown.
In Quang Tri, there are two people who, with their keen intuition and profound understanding, have painted the most authentic and clear portrait of Dang Tho. In my opinion, they are journalist Lam Chi Cong and Tong Phuoc Tri, a close literary friend and fellow townsman of Dang Tho.
In the article "Portraits of the Reporters of Cua Viet" published in Cua Viet Magazine, August 1998, on the occasion of the launch of the Cua Viet Magazine's Reporting Team, journalist Lam Chi Cong introduced Dang Tho as follows: "Journalist Dang Tho, nicknamed 'The Rebellious Farmer,' is a reporter for Quang Tri Newspaper and a 'special correspondent' of Cua Viet Magazine in the northern Quang Tri area."
In his professional autobiography, Dang Tho wrote: "The countryside, the rice fields are where I was born, grew up, and where I vow to remain faithfully attached for the rest of my life..." Perhaps that is why Dang Tho's reports often carry the breath of the earth, the scent of rice, and the salty taste of farmers' sweat.
Just looking at the titles of Dang Tho's articles: "Oh Forest, Where Are You?", "Don't Forget the Salty Taste", "Drifting in a Fishing Village"... is enough to see that he is a journalist specializing in... "reporting on the dark side," determined to get to the truth, exposing and condemning the negativity and injustice in society. Dang Tho captivates readers with his firm, somewhat... rustic writing style. He writes with difficulty and pain with each word. Although he doesn't appear often, the name Dang Tho has left a lasting impression on readers with beautiful sentiments...
In his article "Remembering Dang Tho - the farmer-journalist," Tong Phuoc Tri recounted: "Dang Tho was a journalist, and I was...a farmer. When we were together, people thought Dang Tho was a farmer, and I was...a journalist! He was as simple as a farmer. When he worked at Quang Tri Newspaper, he specialized in writing about rural areas, agriculture, and farmers! The editor-in-chief was a good choice of people to assign tasks to."
His whole demeanor exuded a simple, honest quality, to the point of looking older than a farmer. Everything about him seemed worn out, except for his press card, which was brand new because he kept it so carefully—so carefully that when you needed it, you couldn't find it! He said, "A press card is like a professional license. Once you're like a farmer, you don't need to show your card to work smoothly with them because they've already accepted you..."
When Mr. Dang Tho was terminally ill and hospitalized, knowing he wouldn't survive, he asked me to come and gave me his black-covered work notebook, the one that had accompanied him through the busy days of working at the newspaper. He asked me to keep it for him as a memento of the days we worked side-by-side, a job that was both arduous and filled with warmth and joy.
Shortly after Mr. Dang Tho passed away (he died at 11:20 AM on November 15, 1998, at the age of 43), I happened to take out his notebook to read. Right in the middle of the plastic cover, Mr. Dang Tho had tucked a letter dated September 24, 1998, written at Hue Central Hospital.
The letter contained a farewell message to his friends and colleagues, expressing the sincere feelings of someone who knew he was about to leave. Besides the letter, there was also a handwritten draft of an article titled "Rice Reviving," which he was still working on. Reading the article, I had the idea to continue writing it. So, the next day, I arranged to go to Vinh Thuy, Vinh Linh, to meet the person Dang Tho had mentioned, and then I completed the article.
Not long after, the headline of the article "Land Awaiting the Harvest" published in the Quang Tri newspaper on December 17, 1998, read: "Continuing the article of a deceased colleague." The article was signed jointly by Dang Tho and Dao Tam Thanh, with a postscript stating: "Among the relics left behind by journalist Dang Tho, there is an unfinished article he was writing titled: 'Rice Reborn,' barely 200 words long."
The article is about Thuy Ba's hometown in Vinh Thuy, Vinh Linh, and the great efforts of the land and people to overcome the drought, struggling with every drop of water, and carefully nurturing the harvest. Now that the drought is over and the storms and floods have ceased to wreak havoc on his beloved homeland, another harvest season is urging on from the furrows, drawing closer another full year to come to an end.
A reporter from Quang Tri Newspaper arrived (albeit very late) at the very place Dang Tho had visited, deeply moved and attentive to completing the article, as a tribute to a dear colleague who is no longer with us. I have chosen not to retain the original title of his article to better reflect the present time. Surely, in the afterlife, Dang Tho would agree with the writer on this matter.”
The concluding remarks of the article are a heartfelt message from the co-author: “I carry the auspicious spirit of a new harvest back to Dang Tho’s house. Thus, the article, following our two short trips, has come to an end. Life continues its daily rhythm, closing out a difficult old year and ushering in a new year full of faith, love, and hope.”
I lit an incense stick on Dang Tho's altar and lit a cigarette for him. The cigarette burned, the smoke swirling. Behind the photograph, I saw Tho smiling as if it were just yesterday, after his stops on business trips, he would light a cigarette, exhale smoke into the air, and squint at me with a mischievous smile...
Having worked together for quite a long time, Dang Tho's writing style is not much different from mine. This is the only time so far that an article has been jointly signed and published in the Quang Tri newspaper, where one person has passed away and the other is still struggling with each word every day to continue fulfilling their work...
Dao Tam Thanh
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nho-nha-bao-dang-tho-186859.htm
Comment (0)