Society

Ngan Hanh • June 13, 2025 14:36

braving the bombs and bullets

Arriving in Phong Thinh commune (Thanh Chuong district) – one of the cradles of the revolutionary movement – ​​we found the small alley leading to the house where the Dang family members live together. Few people know that in that alley, only a few hundred meters long, there are five martyrs and one wounded soldier. Among them is the martyred journalist Dang Loan – former Editor-in-Chief of the Western Nghe An Newspaper (later merged into the Nghe An Newspaper).

Welcoming us at her more than 100-year-old house, Ms. Dang Thi Hong Nga (born in 1950) – the daughter of the martyred journalist Dang Loan – was visibly moved as she recalled: “When my father passed away, I was only 15 years old, and my younger siblings were still very young. Only later, when I heard stories from my father’s colleagues, did I understand how much my father loved and cherished journalism.”

Journalist Dang Loan, born in 1917, was a pre-revolution cadre. He served as Secretary of the National Salvation Youth and Team Leader of the Red Self-Defense Team in Cat Ngan commune. During the 1945 general uprising to seize power, he was tasked with leading the Red Self-Defense Team in a nationwide demonstration and was the one who planted the Party flag on the enemy outpost after the uprising was successful.

From 1946, Mr. Dang Loan held various positions: Head of the Information and Propaganda Department of Cat Van commune; information and propaganda officer of Thanh Chuong district; Head of the Propaganda and Training Department of Con Cuong district. In 1959, he was transferred to become Head of the Propaganda and Training Department and Editor-in-Chief of the Western Nghe An Newspaper.

“During his working days, my father was always busy with his work and rarely came home. Every time he returned, he would diligently write. I remember the last time he was home; it was a moonlit night. He called me aside to give me some instructions before leaving. At that time, my eldest sister lived far away, and I was the oldest child in the family. My father told me to help my mother with housework and take care of my younger siblings' education. That was also the first time my father talked about his work, and the first time I learned what journalism was,” Mrs. Nga recounted.

The Western Nghe An Newspaper served readers and people of ethnic minorities in 10 districts and 14 farms, and 13 forestry farms in the western part of the province. Published since 1963, the newspaper was released twice a week. During the days when the US escalated its bombing campaign in the North, Editor-in-Chief Dang Loan remained steadfastly at the grassroots level, working with reporters to gather information, edit, and distribute the newspaper fully and promptly, serving the propaganda mission for the military and people of Western Nghe An. He wrote about exemplary individuals, encouraging the "Excellent Production, Excellent Fighting" movement of the ethnic minorities in the highlands, and the self-defense movement in the farms and forestry farms of the Phu Quy economic zone.

Ms. Nga said that she later heard from his colleagues that during the four months of intense American bombing of the 250B Phu Quy Factory, the Hieu River ferry, and Cat Mong airport, despite evacuation orders, he and his liaison officer, Tran Van Thong, did not leave the newsroom, staying put to report the news.

“But then, one Sunday at the end of May 1965, bombs took my father away, just a few days after he left his instructions for my sisters and me. At that time, he was helping people save lives and property. When he returned to the editorial office to gather documents, a bombing raid came down, destroying the thatched house and taking his life and that of the liaison officer, Tran Van Thong,” Mrs. Nga recounted emotionally.

From personalized engraved pens to an enduring symbol of journalism.

Also among those who perished in the fierce bombing raid on the Western Nghe An Newspaper office at the end of May 1965 was journalist and martyr Tran Van Thong.

Looking at the restored photograph of her eldest brother, Mrs. Tran Thi Xuan (sister of the martyred journalist Tran Van Thong) could not hide her emotions: "Sixty years have passed, but every time I mention him, I am moved, and looking at his photo brings tears to my eyes. The eldest brother, the pillar of the family, the one who supported and guided his younger siblings to become good people, is still forever 41 years old."

Ms. Xuan recounted emotionally, “That morning, he hadn’t had time to eat anything, only managing to grab a potato, peeling it as he walked. He said he had to hurry to get to work. As a journalist, regardless of whether it was Sunday or a weekday, he would go to work regardless of bombs, bullets, or smoke and fire. I never imagined our last meeting would be so rushed.”

Journalist and martyr Tran Van Thong was born on March 14, 1924, in Cam Thanh commune, Cam Xuyen district (Ha Tinh province). According to Mr. Tran Van Diu (the younger brother of the martyred journalist Tran Van Thong), he joined the revolution early, and at the age of 20, he was admitted to the Indochinese Communist Party (later the Communist Party of Vietnam). After the August Revolution, he continued to participate in the Thai Hoa Resistance Self-Defense Team and then fought in the battlefields of Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Quang Ngai, and Quang Nam. In 1957, he returned to Nghia Dan and was assigned to head the District Party Committee Office. After the Nghe Tinh Provincial Party Committee established the Western Region Steering Committee, he was transferred to work at the Western Region Nghe An Newspaper (later merged into the Nghe An Newspaper).

“My brother loved writing. Later, when he started working at the Western Nghe An Newspaper, he became even more passionate about it. He liked writing stories about everyday life, about good people and good deeds, and condemning evil crimes. Amidst the war, bombs, and the roar of planes in the sky, he persevered in staying on the ground. He always carried a pen and a notebook with him. Thanks to that, we found him…,” recounted Mr. Tran Van Diu, the younger brother of the martyred journalist Tran Van Thong. After the fierce bombing in May 1965, the family searched tirelessly but could not find the body of the martyred journalist Tran Van Thong. It wasn't until 2011, 46 years later, that a family in the area of ​​the former Western Nghe An Newspaper headquarters, while digging the foundation for their house, discovered a set of remains and coincidentally found a pen engraved with the name “Tran Van Thong – Nghe An”.

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“That’s the black pen he always carried with him, similar in style to the milky brown pen he gave me years ago. Finding him has finally put my family’s minds at ease. We love him and are very proud of the glorious career he left behind.”

Ms. Tran Thi Xuan - Sister of the martyred journalist Tran Van Thong