After many years of working as a journalist, I am still surprised by the strange turns that the profession has taken me. I thought it was just a topic, an interview for an article that had to be completed on time, but sometimes it turned into a "trip" into historical memories, meeting people who "made the Country forever"...
As a reporter specializing in writing about politics , society, history and culture, my characters are often elderly people, witnesses who have gone through the sacred moments of the two great resistance wars. Perhaps because I have many opportunities to meet these "eternal" people, my friends and colleagues often joke that I am a journalist "very lucky with the elderly".
Among many such meetings, I still remember the meeting with veteran Vuong Kha Khai (born in 1938, in Thach Lien commune, Thach Ha district). He was a soldier who was lucky enough to survive and return after the war. Living in peace , the veteran still ached with longing for his comrades who remained on the battlefield.
More than 25 years after his return, he began his journey to find the graves of the martyrs. Although his and his wife's life was extremely difficult and struggling, for decades, with his meager salary as a sick soldier, he still tirelessly made trips back to the old battlefield. He was able to bring the graves of 5 comrades back to their families and hometowns.
The interview that day, the stories, the tears of Mr. Khai made me extremely moved and admired. When I took out the camera to take pictures and souvenirs as documents for my article, Mr. Khai and his wife stammered as if they had something to say. He hesitantly pushed his wife's hand: "You say it!", she hesitantly looked at her husband: "Okay, you say it!". Noticing the strange expressions of the two people, I immediately asked: "Dear two uncles, if there is something, please say it!".
At that moment, the two of them hesitantly said to me: "We have been married for decades but have never had a photo together. Since O has a camera, if you don't mind, could you please take a photo for us as a souvenir?" After hearing what he said, I was speechless, at that moment, tears welled up in my eyes.
For a young person who was born and raised in peace, easily owning many technological devices at the same time like me, I would never think that a photo would be such a luxury. They - two people who went through the fire and bombs on the front line, went through the hard years, and in their old age, no one would think that: a photo of husband and wife together would become such a longed-for thing!
He stood next to her, two silver heads and a steadfast, silent love. I raised my camera to take a picture - the photo was not used as an illustration for the article, but I knew it was the most important photo I had that afternoon. When the article was published in Ha Tinh Newspaper, I brought the printed newspaper and the carefully printed and laminated photo of the couple to give to my grandparents. The joy and surprise on their old faces made me understand that the photo was not just a frame but a gift that perhaps only journalism gave me the opportunity to give.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South - National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet and witness a miracle, a special reunion between two soldiers, comrades after 50 years apart. It was a beautiful day, I unexpectedly received information from the officers of the Provincial Veterans Association - "acquaintances" after many years of my involvement in propaganda work on this topic.
You provided me with information about the story of veteran Hoang Minh Chiem (born in 1945, from Dong Tam village, Phuc Son commune, Nho Quan district, Ninh Binh province) who wanted to find his old comrades through a souvenir, a piece of paper with hastily written lines on the old battlefield.
So, with the support of the veterans' association of the province and district, I was able to find the house of Mr. Tran Quoc Hoat (born in 1942, Ba Giang village, Viet Tien commune, Thach Ha district) - the comrade that Mr. Chiem has been missing and searching for for over 50 years.
War relics of historical witnesses and heroic martyrs that I was fortunate to know.
Trying to connect information, I made a video call through my smartphone so that the two comrades could reunite. The moment they saw each other on the phone screen, the two old soldiers shouted happily, “That’s right, my friend!” Their smiles and eyes sparkled with joy at the reunion. As for me, I was lucky to be a witness to that magical moment of meeting.
And the work "The story of two veterans who just found each other: A call - more than half a century of waiting" when published in Ha Tinh Newspaper was widely received by readers and it was also one of many beautiful, humane stories during the historic April days.
The story of two veterans who just found each other: "One call - more than half a century of waiting"
In the hustle and bustle of current events, I still choose to look for profound topics. Although this topic is not easy to read and not easy to do, I still write because I think that these are things worth telling. Each character is a story, a life, a noble ideal. Meeting and talking with soldiers who have gone through the war; holding in my hands the relics of heroes and martyrs, I feel like I am "touching" history.
After each meeting and each article, I still keep in touch with my uncles and elders. On holidays, especially on Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day, June 21 every year, I still receive messages and congratulatory calls from those special elders. Their wishes are not flowery but simple, sincere, and they do not forget to remind me to do journalism with enthusiasm and responsibility to the people and readers.
They are people who came out of history with ideals and aspirations to fight for independence and freedom, while I came out of a peaceful life and nurtured a passion for each word. Those conversations and connections made me more aware of the responsibility of a writer, so that history does not just lie dormant in the memories of the previous generation but comes alive in each page of the newspaper and is preserved for future generations.
Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nhung-chuyen-di-vao-ky-uc-lich-su-post289083.html
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