Continuing tradition, standing firm on the information front

The working delegation of VNA visited the Vietnam News Agency Relic Site in Trung Yen commune.

Information front assault

According to traditional documents of VNA and documents of Tuyen Quang Provincial Museum, the 9-year resistance war against French colonialism broke out, Uncle Ho, the Party Central Committee, the Government and many Central agencies moved to the Viet Bac base (including Dinh Hoa, Thai Nguyen and Tuyen Quang). At the end of 1948, VNA evacuated to Chiem Hoa district and by the end of February 1952, moved to Hoang Lau village, Trung Yen commune with the code name T6.

Trung Yen commune borders Tan Trao commune, has a very rugged mountainous terrain, ensuring safety and secrecy but still convenient for transportation. This is considered a location in the center of the ATK war zone, very convenient for information work. The ethnic people in the area have a tradition of steadfast revolutionary struggle.

The leaders of VNTTX chose Khau Linh hill, Hoang Lau village as the base. At the foot of the hill there is a small stream, on the bank of the stream there is a big tree. The whole agency has about 50 people, with comrade Hoang Tuan as the Director. The VNTTX working area has 9 houses: 1 house is the Director's office (located on the back of the hill), 1 house is the meeting place, 1 dining room (near the stream) and 6 houses for the working departments. The houses face southwest, are made of forest wood, bamboo, and thatched with palm leaves, each house is about 9-10 meters long, 6-7 meters wide, the distance between houses is 10-15 meters.

The VNTTX relic site during the resistance war against France is located at Khau Linh Hill, Trung Yen Commune (Son Duong).

The main task of VNA is to exploit, evaluate, collect information, and compile documents to serve Uncle Ho, the Party Central Committee, and the Government in formulating revolutionary policies. VNA reporters report and write articles to encourage the mass movement to support the revolution, enthusiastically join the resistance war, and protect and liberate the country.

The lives of the staff, reporters, editors, and employees in the agency during that period were extremely difficult and deprived. Every day, they had to go into the forest to dig bamboo shoots and pick vegetables. Breakfast consisted mainly of popcorn, thin porridge, or boiled cassava. Later, they cleared land along the stream to grow vegetables and raise pigs and chickens to improve their lives.

On March 4, 1952, the News Agency was honored to welcome Uncle Ho to visit and talk intimately with the training class ( political and professional study) of VNTTX. Uncle Ho visited the entire agency, saw the empty pig pen (because it had been slaughtered for Tet), Uncle Ho said: "After eating this batch, we must immediately raise another batch". Looking at the sparse cabbage garden, Uncle Ho criticized: "You guys are still poor at raising pigs".

He gave thoughtful and profound advice, which became a guideline for journalism activities: "The faster the news, the faster the resistance will win." Uncle Ho's teachings are not only a professional orientation but also a great source of encouragement, giving strength to those working in information work to overcome all difficulties and excellently complete their tasks.

After the Dien Bien Phu victory, on July 20, 1954, the T6 units withdrew from Hoang Lau and moved to Dai Tu, Thai Nguyen. A unit moved to Ngoc Tao, Ha Tay (now Hanoi). In October 1954, VNA moved to No. 5 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hanoi.

VNA presents Dinh Huu Du Bookcase and computers to Ton Duc Thang Primary School, Trung Yen Commune.

The heroic "red address"

The VNTTX relic site located at Khau Linh Hill, Trung Yen Commune is one of the "red addresses" with special significance. This is one of 18 relics belonging to the Tan Trao Special National Relic Site - where President Ho Chi Minh and the Central agencies lived and worked during the pre-uprising period and the resistance war against French colonialism.

At the relic site, the first stele was built on April 13, 1996 and completed on the occasion of the 51st anniversary of VNA's Traditional Day (September 15, 1945 - September 15, 1996). The stele is 2m wide, 2.2m high, with a 0.7m wide roof and yellow inscriptions on a shiny black stone background. In 2010, VNA rebuilt the Memorial Stele House in Hoang Lau village on a more spacious scale. In 2015, VNA continued to renovate the relic site.

The words "The faster the news, the sooner the resistance will be victorious" - Uncle Ho's advice to VNA officers and reporters at that time - are solemnly attached to the memorial stele as a constant reminder of the great role and responsibility of those working in information work towards the fate of the country. The war has long gone, but that advice still holds true, forever engraved in the minds of every VNA reporter and editor. It is a guideline for journalists to continue to contribute, master technology, and innovate thinking so that VNA's news is always quick and accurate.

Every year, Trung Yen welcomes generations of cadres, reporters, editors and technicians of the VNA to their roots. Secretary of the VNA Youth Union Le Minh Duc shared that these trips to the roots are not only an opportunity for each member and youth to review the heroic history of the National News Agency during the resistance war against the French, but also an opportunity for them to understand more deeply the tradition of "remembering the source of the water we drink".

VNA Youth Union members return to their roots and plant trees at the VNA Relic Site in Hoang Lau village, Trung Yen commune.

VNA is an agency with a long history and tradition. Having gone through two resistance wars against France and the US, under the leadership of the Party and the State, generations of VNA officials, reporters and technicians were present in all battlefields, collecting news and photos, reflecting the war situation and sending them to the Central Government to provide to newspapers and radio stations. Nearly 260 VNA officials, reporters and technicians sacrificed their lives for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland.

Continuing the glorious tradition of generations of predecessors, VNA officers and reporters nationwide and the Resident Office in Tuyen Quang are making constant efforts, taking the lead in information work, bringing the breath of life and the hottest news to the people.

Journalist Hoang Thanh Hai, Head of the VNA's Tuyen Quang Province Bureau, shared: "During wartime, the agency's officers, reporters, and editors did not hesitate to endure hardships and sacrifices, staying at secret bases, promptly reporting on the war situation, and encouraging the spirit of resistance. In peacetime, upholding that tradition, VNA officers and reporters in general and especially those working in Tuyen Quang always stay close to the locality. We are not only present at important local political events such as mergers and streamlining the apparatus, but also rush into areas affected by storms, floods, and landslides, staying close to remote areas to bring quick and accurate information to the people."

Not only doing a good job in professional work, VNA in Tuyen Quang also actively carries out social security activities. Every year, VNA has presented hundreds of gifts to policy families, poor households, and students in difficult circumstances; built houses for poor households; built roads to light up rural roads... These acts not only show the affection and sharing of VNA journalists but also contribute to improving the lives of local people.

From an information agency established when the country entered the war to defend the country, VNA has continuously developed, contributing to writing the glorious history of Vietnam's Revolutionary Press. In the 100-year journey of Revolutionary Press (1925-2025), VNA is one of the pioneering and persistent forces on the ideological and cultural front, playing a key role in providing official information, orienting public opinion and affirming national prestige in the international arena.

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/tiep-noi-truyen-thong-vung-vang-tren-mat-tran-thong-tin-213446.html