Journalist Phan Hai Tung Lam began his story about a memorable reporting trip with his colleagues in Türkiye in this way.
Halfway around the world to the great earthquake
One day in mid-February, Phan Hai Tung Lam, a People's Television editor based in Da Nang, received a call assigning him to Turkey, leaving him surprised and worried. The very next day, he flew to Hanoi , and just a few days later, after the necessary procedures were hastily completed, he and three colleagues set off for Turkey – the scene of a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that claimed over 50,000 lives, destroyed tens of thousands of buildings, and caused estimated damages exceeding $100 billion USD – a place of immense grief and loss…
The journey began with four passionate journalists, each with their own mindset and thoughts, but united by a shared ideal: a determination to directly bring vivid information from various perspectives in Türkiye to the public.
Traveling over 10,000km with three flights to Adana, about 200km from their reporting location in Hatay, the team carried 12 pieces of luggage containing clothes, medicine, necessities, and, of course, their equipment and supplies. Checking their belongings after each flight, storing and transferring them, and disembarking each time was truly no easy task.
Sencer, a Turkish driver living in the Adana region, was introduced by the Embassy. He arrived at the airport at dawn and drove through the night, taking the reporting team to the disaster area. "Sencer was like a fifth member of the team," said Phan Hai Tung Lam.
The working group's resting area was a mere 10 square meter tent, by which time the international delegations had gradually withdrawn. At night, there was no electricity, no running water, and no restroom facilities. However, the Vietnamese flag still flying there kept the four journalists in the group energized and motivated to work…
After two and a half hours, the team arrived at Hatay Stadium, where hundreds of temporary tents gradually appeared in the early morning mist. This was the gathering point for the Vietnam People's Army rescue and relief team along with international support teams.
Phan Hai Tung Lam shared: “ We spoke with Vietnamese soldiers who had just completed their international mission and were preparing to return home after 10 days of fighting through millions of cubic meters of earth and rocks in Hatay. The head of the delegation, Pham Van Ti, was visibly moved, as the day we arrived was also the day he and his comrades returned from a noble mission they called a “mission from the heart”—finding the missing and injured was like finding their own loved ones. The Vietnamese delegation did not forget to share their remaining food and supplies with the Turkish people who were fortunate enough to survive the disaster.”
By the time Phan Hai Tung Lam and his colleagues arrived in Hatay, local authorities had begun restricting access to the scene for international journalists, despite their prior press credentials.
“ Previously, Vietnamese delegations, including journalists and rescue teams, were provided with vehicles by the host country to access the affected areas. However, this support has now been suspended. Furthermore, we were surprised to find that very few people in the earthquake-affected areas could speak English – a significant challenge in communicating and carrying out our work, ” said Editor Tung Lam.
However, Sencer, with his extraordinary kindness, traveled over 200km to accompany the team. That day, Tung Lam and his colleagues' destination was Aatakya, the capital of the ancient Hatay region. As the car entered the city center, the sight of collapsed buildings unfolded before their eyes. Here, the reporting work began quickly.
Due to the withdrawal of international delegations, all electricity and water were cut off. Filming, writing articles, editing videos, and processing photos quickly drained the battery, so the team had to contact and request charging facilities at the tent camps of the United Nations peacekeeping forces as well as the military of the host country.
Phan Hai Tung Lam plays an "all-in-one" role, utilizing any available space to deliver his commentary, from an empty tent nearby, the restroom, or even in a car…
"The most valuable award"
During the hectic days of preparing for his historic mission, Phan Hai Tung Lam conceived the idea that his artworks would represent resilience, a nascent belief in life, and a powerful resurgence after the immense losses and suffering.
As the most fluent English speaker in the group, he communicated with Sencer in English, and Sencer spoke with the locals and then translated for him.
During their 10 days in the neighboring country, Phan Hai Tung Lam and his team traveled thousands of kilometers, meeting hundreds of people in various disaster-stricken areas. These included Syrian refugee families in the southernmost border region of Türkiye, and many local families living in temporary camps after the earthquake. Some had miraculously survived, while others had lost all their loved ones…
Wherever the delegation went, they received genuine affection from the people they were working with.
Tung Lam met and talked with them: the owner of a long-time shoe factory; the innocent-eyed children who walked around him, shook his hand, and greeted him warmly; and an old man who drove 10km from the gathering place to his ruined house, where he found five chickens still alive – an invaluable source of food. He immediately gave one to his neighbor, hoping they would overcome their difficulties together in the most positive way possible.
“ The team’s regular work schedule was breakfast, working all day, dinner, producing at night, and then transmitting information home. There were times when we encountered signal problems, and some members stayed up all night to ensure the news was broadcast during prime time the next morning. Everyone set a goal of having at least a few outstanding works published each day. That pressure was maintained until the very last day when the team went to the airport to return home,” Phan Hai Tung Lam shared.
And so, the biting cold, sometimes dropping below freezing, the cracks etched into the concrete floor running through the hut after each tremor became familiar, and the shaking of the ground was no longer frightening.
Wherever the team went, they received genuine affection from their subjects. Sencer, their guide in Hatay, refused payment for his last day of work, even though the vehicle had traveled over 1,000 km. He also gave his only remaining, precious lighter to the Nhan Dan newspaper team to use for lighting fires, cooking, and keeping warm. “ To this day, that lighter is kept in the most honored place in my house,” said Editor Tung Lam.
During the brief time on the trip, the Embassy introduced the reporting team to Vietnamese women in Turkey who, in recent days, have traveled extensively across the two continents, spreading and sharing the generosity of the Vietnamese people with those affected by the historical disaster.
On the day they boarded the plane back to Vietnam after a meaningful assignment, Phan Hoang Tung Lam and his colleagues said to each other: This trip was the "most valuable award" they had ever received in their journalistic careers, worth far more than any titles, gifts, or certificates they had received before.
“ If asked what I found after this trip? I found things that touched my heart. Within the ruins, there is still pain… but above the ruins is sharing, solidarity, and the belief in a rebirth… ” - Phan Hoang Tung Lam reflected.
Hoang Anh
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