Many people still remember the days when the whole country was struggling to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. At that time, everywhere you went, you saw streets strung with ropes, villages blocking roads, and every household self-isolating, not daring to go out. At times, people in the same household were not even allowed to interact with each other.
However, while people are asked to “stay put,” journalists still appear with doctors and medical staff in places considered epidemic epicenters and “death hotspots.”
Remember in early 2020, when the Covid-19 epidemic was at its most severe stage, at that time Lao Cai had no deaths, but in the southern provinces, the number of deaths increased every day. Therefore, anyone who just passed by a place where an infected person was very worried and if in close contact, had to register for a 21-day quarantine. Therefore, almost every day in Lao Cai Newspaper, there were several news and articles reflecting the epidemic situation, statistics of infected cases... In that situation, the Editorial Board asked reporters to closely follow and reflect the travel history of each case so that people would know and prevent it.
In fact, at that time, when assigned to report and write articles about the epidemic situation, we reporters were also very worried, not knowing what to do, because if we wanted to have photos and the most accurate information, we had to go to the area with infected cases, but unfortunately, protective clothing was very lacking and rudimentary, unlike the doctors and nurses who had standard protective clothing. But before the assigned responsibility, everyone told each other, if we went to the area with F0 or F1 cases, we just had to stand 5 to 7 meters away to take photos and videos, and that would be fine. So, wherever F0 or F1 cases appeared, doctors and nurses took patients for treatment or quarantine, reporters were also present.
When entering the F0 treatment area, witnessing with our own eyes the forces working hard to fight the epidemic, each of us forgot our own hardships, forgot the lurking dangers, only hoping to have many real images, accurate information, quickly and promptly conveyed to readers.
Despite such high determination, there were times when the team of reporters could not avoid fear, such as when entering checkpoints to work, even though we were wearing protective gear against infection, but heard the announcement that among the group of people returning from the localities to Lao Cai, there were cases of F0 or F1 that we had come into close contact with.
I remember when Lao Cai province was provided with modern testing machines by the State. To take photos of the activities of doctors and nurses at the Lao Cai Provincial Center for Disease Control (CDC Lao Cai), I asked to go directly into the testing room to take photos. In response to my request, Mr. Tran Xuan Hung, Deputy Director of the Center, hesitated and said: This is a very dangerous place, because they are storing samples, do journalists dare to go in? Seeing that, I suggested that I go in alone because my colleague was raising a small child. When I entered the testing room, I tried to take as many photos as possible, because the chance to return here was very small. When I left, I was very worried and quietly went to buy a Covid-19 rapid test kit to check myself the next day if there were any unusual symptoms. Fortunately, the following days were peaceful.
The difficult times of reporting on the Covid-19 epidemic are over, but now recalling memories of the days working in the epidemic area, although danger was imminent, the working spirit of the journalists was enthusiastic, brave with the highest responsibility. Talking to colleagues at press agencies in the province, I was not surprised that everyone thought the same as me, because for journalists, the more the locality has to face natural disasters and epidemics, the more they have to demonstrate their position and mission as "secretaries of the times".
During 9 years of working in this profession, my colleagues and I have walked and witnessed the sadness, joy and hardships of each region in the province, thereby having a realistic and multi-dimensional perspective on the places we have been to, to reflect on press publications. During those trips, the business trip to the flooded area of Bat Xat in August 2016 was very emotional for me and my colleagues, a memory I will always remember.
In the early morning of August 5, 2016, due to the impact of storm No. 2, several communes of Bat Xat district (Tong Sanh, Coc San, Phin Ngan, Quang Kim) were severely damaged by flash floods. Floods and landslides caused severe damage to crops, houses, and roads in four communes. In particular, many people died and went missing in this historic flash flood.
At 6am, the phone rang, my colleague asked me to go cover the conference because his house had to go through a flooded area, the road was so deep that it was impassable. I accepted, but I really just wanted the conference to be postponed for some reason.
After 11 o'clock, the conference ended and I finished sending the news to the editorial office. Leaving the conference hall, the late summer sun after the rain was really harsh outside. Quickly updating the information, I learned that Quang Kim commune had cleared the route; Phin Ngan commune was still isolated; Coc San commune, Tong Sanh commune, especially National Highway 4D from Lao Cai city to Sa Pa were completely blocked. Quickly calling my colleague, we made an appointment to depart in 1 hour.
On the motorbike from Hoang Lien street, turn right onto National Highway 4D, go about 700m, starting from Coc San Water Plant, the scene was chaotic, many houses were flooded with mud, the roads were also full of rocks, but we still headed towards the "flood center". On the road, there were sections of landslides that covered the entire road, just enough for one wheel to pass. In some places, as soon as our car passed, the sound of rocks on the hill collapsed, just a little slower and no one knew what would happen.
After nearly an hour of walking and pushing, we finally arrived at our destination and met the people we needed to meet. Listening to the stories of the flood victims, looking at the lifeless eyes of the people, we could not hold back our tears. Everyone felt sorry for the unfortunate victims who had passed away due to the wrath of nature.
At Km15, National Highway 4D (Lao Cai - Sa Pa section), the stream broke more than half of the roadbed, and nearby houses were also swept away. Dozens of tourist vehicles were stuck since the night before. Hundreds of tourists, including foreigners, have not yet recovered. In their stories about the flood and their luck in overcoming the boundary between life and death, there are heartfelt thanks, admiration for the local people who "worked all night to cut the flood to save people", and the timely assistance of Lao Cai provincial authorities with food, supplies, and transportation of passengers to safe areas. They also praised the reporters who were not afraid of danger, "rushing" into the flood area to bring information that breathes life... To them, Lao Cai is not only impressive because of the majestic Hoang Lien Son range with the "roof" of Indochina, but also because of the friendly, brave people who are devoted to those in distress...
I have been a reporter for 13 years now. Although I have changed my workplace, culture is still a topic that I am often assigned to write propaganda and reflection articles about.
Culture is a broad topic. Everything related to customs, habits, lifestyles, festivals, costumes, cuisine, traditional crafts, heritages or artisans… are all “pieces” of culture. Being able to travel and learn about these “pieces” has helped me gain more knowledge about the culture of the ethnic groups in Lao Cai. Although there have not been any in-depth research articles on culture, for me, each trip, each place I have visited and each person I have met has brought interesting stories and new, meaningful experiences.
For example, I am often assigned to report on many traditional festivals of ethnic minorities in many localities in the province, thanks to which I understand the process and methods of organizing a traditional ethnic festival. For the Mong people's Going-to-the-Paddy festival, how is the ceremony organized? What does the offering tray usually include? Or for the Giay people's Going-to-the-Paddy festival, what games are usually organized? The meaning of those games in people's lives...
The work trips also gave me the opportunity to meet people who are knowledgeable about ethnic cultures. Listening to their stories about their culture, I admire and am even more proud of the cultural beauty of the ethnic groups in my country in general and Lao Cai in particular. That was the meeting and learning about the transmission of Nom - Tay script, preserving ancient books and folk tales of the Tay people in Bao Yen with Meritorious Artisan Ma Thanh Soi; the conversation with People's Artisan Hoang Sin Hoa when learning about the folk singing art of the Nung Din people in Muong Khuong; or the exchange with Meritorious Artisan Trieu Van Theu in Van Ban to get information to write an article about the shaman profession and the preservation and transmission of Nom - Dao script...
Not only did I gain more knowledge, but the trips to learn about ethnic culture gave me many interesting experiences. I still remember the time I went to Hop Thanh commune (Lao Cai city) to learn about the new rice celebration and experience making traditional green rice of the Tay people here. I participated with the locals in the stages of making green rice: from the time I went to get sticky rice, cut the golden sticky rice flowers, carried the rice home, threshed the rice using the traditional method (using a small bowl to scrape the rice flowers to loosen the grains), then pounded the rice, winnowed the husks, put the sticky rice in a pan to roast or wrapped it with the filling in banana leaves/dong leaves to make green rice cakes and steamed them over a fire. I also cannot forget the feeling when I inhaled the strong, attractive aroma of the first batch of green rice made by myself and the locals.
Or the time I attended a traditional wedding ceremony of the Red Dao people in Bao Ha commune (Bao Yen district). That was the first time I attended a wedding without being a guest. However, I was still treated as a special guest by the host…
Hundreds of articles about culture is not a large number but it is enough to give me a lot of knowledge, experience and unforgettable emotions and memories. On the journey of traveling, exploring and learning about national culture to serve my professional duties, I always feel lucky and proud of what I have and am having. That is the luggage, also the premise for me to continue to have new trips, new discoveries, to create more articles, to contribute a small part to the preservation, maintenance and promotion of national cultural beauty.
During my 8 years of working as a journalist, I was assigned to cover Simacai district for 7 years. Those years of being attached to the most remote land in the province have left me with many unforgettable memories.
The most memorable thing I remember is my first business trip to Si Ma Cai. On the way, I was busy taking photos and “checking in” to “show off” on Facebook when I suddenly remembered that I also had to film the villagers of Sang Man Than, Man Than commune (now Quan Ho Than commune) cleaning the rural environment. When I arrived, the villagers had finished their work because everyone had come very early. After the common work, they continued to go to the fields and go to the market. To “make up for my embarrassment”, I apologized and made an appointment with the Chief of Sang Man Than village to come back next time. During the whole process, I always felt guilty, but the villagers did not blame me, considering it normal, because if the journalist did not make an appointment, everyone would still voluntarily do it on that day every week. After finishing the work, everyone was warm and friendly, which made me feel more at ease.
Once, after finishing my work in Na Pa village, Ban Me commune, the people kept me for dinner. It suddenly started to rain heavily, although the landlord insisted on keeping me, I was determined to move back to town. When I got there, I was exhausted and quickly fell asleep. The next day, I picked up the phone and saw more than a dozen missed calls from the Party cell secretary, the village chief and the people. Seeing that, I called back and learned that everyone was worried about how the journalist was going to get home, so they called to ask. It turned out that on the route I was returning the night before, heavy rain had caused landslides, rockslides, and some sections had collapsed into deep holes, making it impossible to go. At that time, I understood how worried and concerned the people at the grassroots level were about the reporter. I didn't know what else to say, I silently thanked the officials and people of Na Pa village for their affection.
The affection that the people of Si Ma Cai have shown me over the years has made me love this land even more, fueling my passion for the job. Therefore, whenever I am assigned to work in Si Ma Cai, regardless of the sun, rain or any time, I am always ready to accept the task and carry it out with the highest determination.
The stories are not just memories, but also help me grow up. The distance of nearly 100 km from Lao Cai city to Si Ma Cai may discourage many people, but for me it is a familiar route. The long road becomes near, because in that place, many people consider me as a family member.
On June 9, 2023, in Hanoi, the group of reporters Tuan Ngoc - Quynh Trang (Lao Cai Newspaper) was honored to receive the C prize of the first National Press Award on the National Assembly and People's Councils called the Dien Hong Press Award with the series of articles "The "ambassadors" of the people's hearts in the highlands and border areas". To win this award, the group of authors' journey of work had unforgettable memories.
The story began one day in early 2023, when I had the opportunity to interact with a journalist from Hanoi who was working in Lao Cai. During that meal, my friend asked me if Lao Cai Newspaper had submitted an article to the Dien Hong Journalism Award and encouraged me to participate.
I learned that the Dien Hong Journalism Award is a major journalism award for writing about the National Assembly, People's Councils and the contributions of National Assembly and People's Council deputies at all levels. However, due to my busy work schedule, it was only when the deadline for submission was more than a month away that I focused on thinking, finding topics, building outlines, and working with my colleagues to produce this series of articles.
Normally, writing about portraits of advanced models in fields such as economics, education, culture, etc. is not too difficult because the results achieved are very clear. However, for People's Council delegates with the role of bridging, listening and bringing the voices, thoughts and aspirations of voters to higher levels, and at the same time answering the issues that voters care about, choosing characters is difficult, writing well, attractively while still honestly reflecting the results of the delegates' activities is even more difficult. Therefore, we always think and worry, in each article, there are contents and sentences that have to be revised many times.
Our most memorable experience is that the journey to meet the delegates in each article had to travel from 70 to 100 km to 3 border districts of the province. In the meeting with delegate Ly Gia So, Ha Nhi ethnic group, Vice Chairman of the People's Council of Y Ty commune (Bat Xat district) on Friday, the reporter only talked with the character for a short time because she was busy participating in a working session with the provincial delegation. After staying in Y Ty for one night, on Saturday morning, we followed her down to the village, recorded real images and had more interesting information for the article. Even the working trip to meet delegate Nung Thi Thu, Nung ethnic group, Secretary of the Party Committee of Nam Lu commune, delegate of the People's Council of Muong Khuong district was also rushed, because despite many appointments, she was always busy with meetings and work programs in the locality.
For delegate Trang Seo Xa, Mong ethnic group, Secretary of the Youth Union, delegate of the People's Council of Quan Ho Than commune (Si Ma Cai district), after a journey of more than 100 km, we arrived at his farm at around 11 am. The conversation and exchange with Trang Seo Xa took place right in his family's pear garden. After chatting, gathering information, and taking photos, we hurriedly left Quan Ho Than at nearly 1 pm. It was very touching because even though it was late, Giang Sin Cho, member of the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Si Ma Cai district, still waited for us to go to Si Ma Cai market to have lunch together.
Although the 4-part series “The “ambassadors” of the people’s hearts in the highlands and border areas” was written in a hurry, it was still able to participate in the Dien Hong Press Award on time. The most touching moment that made us burst into tears was when we received the news that the series of entries won the C prize. Out of more than 3,300 entries, only 101 excellent works were selected for the final round and 67 works were awarded prizes. Lao Cai Newspaper is also one of the few provincial newspapers to win the Dien Hong Press Award, which was held for the first time.
Content: Reporter Group
Performed by: Khanh Ly
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