"Special Collaborator"

(Baonghean)Since his first article, author Sy Thuan (Anh Son) has dedicated nearly half a century to the writing profession. After 45 years of contemplation, diligent travel, and writing, the "legacy" that Sy Thuan has left for the journalistic world is more than 8,000 news articles of all genres...

Looking at the photocopied articles on A4 paper, carefully packaged by year and subject, by Sy Thuan, someone considered a professional journalist like myself, I can't help but feel a little embarrassed. In the Vietnamese journalism community, perhaps few people have the dedication to preserve their writings in this way. Sy Thuan has maintained this habit for nearly 50 years. People in his neighborhood are familiar with the sight of a middle-aged man cycling to the post office every morning, borrowing the latest newspapers, and then attentively reading the articles. He borrows or buys any newspaper containing his work, then photocopies it for safekeeping. Because of this diligence and care, he has now self-published nearly 20 books. I've chosen three of my favorites, categorized by three main themes: The Education Movement in Anh Son; Activities of the Front and Mass Organizations; In the article about critical feedback that was presented to me, author Sy Thuan couldn't hide his joy: "My long-held wish has finally been fulfilled. The Anh Son district government has decided to allocate funds to support me in printing a separate book. I am currently gathering and selecting the most cherished articles for the Editorial Board to choose from..."

Author Sy Thuan stands beside his works, which have been preserved for the past 45 years.

Few government officials would show such favoritism to a non-professional contributor like Sy Thuan. However, looking at his vast body of work—over 8,000 articles, more than two-thirds of which are about Anh Son district—one can understand why the district leaders are so interested in this "special person." For nearly half a century, he has been a constant presence in every village and hamlet in Anh Son district. Through these journeys, each of his articles offers a truthful, simple, and "hot" glimpse into life, the lives of farmers, and pressing social issues...

Sỹ Thuần's articles were sent to many places, but his longest association with and strongest impact was with the Nghe An Newspaper. Among them, many articles, after publication, left a strong impact and had a wide social significance, such as: "Who is that homeless person?", "The need to pay attention to the lives of preschool teachers in Anh Son district", "40 households in Hamlet 1, Lang Son (Anh Son) have no agricultural land or residential land". In the special issue celebrating the Anh Son District Party Congress for the 2005-2010 term, he single-handedly handled all the articles promoting the district.

Although journalism came to him by chance and was a side job, he considered it his true passion. Because of this passion, immediately after retiring from the education sector in 1990, he decided to sell his house in Long Son commune and move his family to Anh Son town to be closer to his work.

Wherever he went, he was affectionately called "journalist" Sy Thuan by the locals. Because of his dedication to his profession and tireless contributions, Sy Thuan was one of the first contributors from Nghe An province to be admitted to the Vietnam Journalists Association. He has won numerous journalism awards for his articles in Nghe An Newspaper. For the past three years, he has consistently received commendations as an outstanding contributor to Nghe An Newspaper.

Recalling his time working with Nghe An Newspaper, Sy Thuan has many memorable experiences and insightful articles. However, his most profound impression remains his first article, published in the May 10, 1966 issue. At that time, Sy Thuan was a 31-year-old young man working in the front lines in Anh Son district and was assigned to inspect the movement of elderly people planting trees and participating in irrigation projects. Inspired by the enthusiastic spirit of the elderly, he wrote the article "Elderly People in Anh Son Enthusiastically Plant Trees and Do Irrigation," which was prominently featured in the column "Achievements Everywhere Celebrating President Ho Chi Minh's 76th Birthday." "As soon as the newspaper was published, the local elders passed it around to read. And wherever I went, people congratulated me, saying, 'Sy Thuan, you've got an article published in the newspaper!'" he recalled.

The article, printed using offset technology, is still carefully preserved by him because, "It not only served as encouragement for the elderly at that time, but it was also my first 'spiritual child.' Looking at it, I knew that in many places, people still needed me and wanted me to help them speak on their behalf."

My Ha