Liberation News Agency - the torch of information in the heart of the Southern battlefield

Liberation News Agency reporters were present everywhere: in battles, among the people, on the offensive or on the defensive, creating an unyielding flow of information.

Amidst the vast jungle of Tay Ninh , in the majestic Lo Go-Xa Mat National Park, there is a heroic historical relic - the Liberation News Agency (LPA) Memorial Stele.

This place is not only a relic site but also the heart of a special "newspaper office", where journalists - soldiers turned the deep forest into an information "blood vessel", keeping the news flow uninterrupted amidst the dangers of enemy bombs and bullets. TTXGP - the frontline agency of Vietnam News Agency (now Vietnam News Agency - VNA) was steadfast in the fierce battlefield and carried out the task of information and propaganda for 15 arduous years, from October 12, 1960 to April 30, 1975.

It was a journey written with blood, intelligence and courage, deeply engraved in the history of Vietnamese revolutionary journalism, becoming a torch illuminating the nation's fighting path.

Historical mission

On October 12, 1960, in the Chang Riec forest (Tay Ninh), the first bulletin of the Liberation of the Commune (abbreviated name of TTXGP) was broadcast, officially marking the birth of TTXGP. From then on, this agency became the official voice of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and later the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam.

Not only reporting news, TTXGP is also a sharp ideological weapon, reflecting the growing prestige of the revolutionary movement, affirming the justice of the Vietnamese people, and at the same time exposing the weakness of the puppet regime.

The bulletins were coded GPX (Liberation Press Agency), broadcast abroad with the English call sign LPA (Liberation Press Agency), resounding on the 31-meter long radio waves as a message to the world : "The official voice of the patriots of South Vietnam."

From the deep forests of Tay Ninh, those news spread to Hanoi and other countries, becoming living proof of a just people's war.

During the 15 years of war, this press house in the middle of the battlefield had to move many times to avoid enemy raids: from Tay Ninh base to Ma Da (Dong Nai), and sometimes even to Cambodia. However, no matter the circumstances, the flow of information continued to flow continuously, without stopping.

Liberation News Agency telegraph team sends telegrams from the front to the base. (Photo: VNA)

The slogan “The electric wave never stops” became a sacred command for every reporter, editor, and technician. They held pens, cameras, and guns to protect the base. Every news report, every photo broadcast was exchanged for sweat, blood, and even life.

TTXGP reporters were present everywhere: in battles, among the people who stayed behind, on the offensive or on the defensive. They created an unyielding flow of information, becoming trusted companions of the liberation armies.

No regrets about blood, bones and youth

That resilience was exchanged for enormous losses. In 15 years of existence, more than 200 cadres, reporters and technicians of TTXGP heroically fell. They were very young people but managed to write golden pages of history with their own blood and lives.

Journalist Nguyen Sy Thuy (75 years old, former reporter of the GP10 course of TTXGP) once recounted: "Not only holding guns to protect the base and the shelter, all reporters and technicians of TTXGP were present at the fiercest fighting places and were ready to sacrifice like soldiers." Their bravery and courage have created a monument of journalists-soldiers.

Journalist Bui Thanh Liem (77 years old, former war correspondent of TTXGP) emotionally recalled: "Despite the bombs and bullets falling, despite all the hardships, we still resolutely held on, promptly broadcasting hot news from the battlefield. The information flow of TTX Giai Phong never stopped." That bravery was recognized by the Central Office for Southern Vietnam, and praised with 16 golden words: "Diligence, courage, self-reliance, overcoming difficulties, completing tasks."

In 2000, on the same land, the TTXGP Memorial was erected in the Lo Go-Xa Mat National Park. That simple yet sacred stele marks the presence and sacrifice of a generation of journalist-soldiers.

During their return visits, many reporters could not help but feel emotional. Journalist Tran Thanh Binh - Head of VNA's permanent office in Tay Ninh, once emotionally shared that the first time he visited the VNA Memorial Monument at Lo Go-Xa Mat National Park, he was filled with emotion.

This place marks 15 years of fighting, staying and carrying out information and propaganda tasks of generations of revolutionary journalists, many of whom died at a very young age. In a quiet, clean space, cared for by Border Guard soldiers, who burn incense every week, he is more deeply aware of the great sacrifices of reporters, editors, technicians...

The previous generations lived in the deep forests, lacking everything, but still held pens and cameras, transmitting every hot news and photo from the front. The uncles, aunts, and uncles wrote heroic songs with their own blood and lives, contributing to the cause of liberating and unifying the country.

Journalist Pham Quang Hung shared: "After more than 15 years working at the VNA Information Center in the Southern region, after the first time visiting the VNA Memorial Monument in 2011, I have come here many more times, sometimes with reporters and telegraphers to make a TV program about the old battlefield, sometimes to conduct a discussion between the young generation of the Center and the people who kept the base, and most recently to organize the admission of new party members of the Party cell right at the VNA Memorial Monument in early 2025. Whether it is the first time or the next times, every time I come to the VNA Memorial Monument, I feel moved, because every time I come here, I understand more about this land and the work that the previous generation did."

A group of former war correspondents of the Liberation News Agency took a souvenir photo at the Monument on April 1, 2025. (Photo: Minh Phu/VNA)

With its great contributions to the cause of national liberation, VNA is proud to be a press agency that has received the Hero title three times: Hero of Labor in the Renovation Period (2001) and Hero of the People's Armed Forces (2005). In 2020, VNA was awarded the Hero of the People's Armed Forces. This is the recognition of the Party and State for the important contributions of VNA in the cause of national construction and defense.

Chairman of the VNA Veterans Association and Deputy Director of the VNA Information Center in the Southern Region, Mr. Tran Trang Duong once emphasized that VNA is the press agency with the largest number of martyrs in the country. In particular, VNA left behind a generation of heroes and steadfast soldiers living and fighting in the Chang Riec forest. The next generations must continue that tradition.

That spirit contributes to creating the mettle of VNA in the period of innovation and integration with strong steps forward in the digital age./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/thong-tan-xa-giai-phong-ngon-duoc-thong-tin-trong-long-chien-truong-mien-nam-post1058018.vnp