"Yen Thanh rice gives me voice"

(Baonghean) -Born on the banks of the La River, Duc Tho District, Ha Tinh Province, after graduating from high school, Hong Hanh returned to live with her mother (a worker at Yen Thanh Forestry) and became attached to Yen Thanh land. She became a radio announcer from the New Year's Eve program of At Dau Tet 1984 of Yen Thanh District Radio Station with a warm, round, clear voice, without distortion, without impurities, both affectionate and close.

That voice, that person, over the years, was like a diligent bee, carefully collecting every drop of honey for life, and then one day reaping success. On April 27, 2012, President Truong Tan Sang signed Decision No. 532 to confer on her the title of Meritorious Artist.

Meritorious Artist Hong Hanh Photo: Ho Cac

Meritorious Artist Hong Hanh confided: “I fell in love with the broadcasting profession thanks to my uncle. After the war against America to save the country, he brought me a Nationnal radio, which was 1/4 the size of A4 paper today. Since then, after school and work, I hugged the radio tightly like a mother hugging her child. I don’t know when the voices of the Voice of Vietnam radio announcers seeped into me, but they became my flesh and blood. When I was in high school, knowing that I had a good voice, the school’s Youth Union often “forced” me to read poems and essays by teachers and “describe” them during festivals.”

In 1984, when I returned to my mother in Yen Thanh Forestry, I learned that Yen Thanh Radio Station was recruiting announcers. Encouraged by friends and family, I took the risk of writing an application to participate in the selection. I was surprised and extremely happy when the station accepted me as a contract employee. Mr. Nguyen Tam Hai - the station's head, always encouraged me: "If you do well, I will officially accept you and put you on the payroll". So every day I clung to the station like I clung to my "lover". During the days of listening to the radio, I discovered that reading news is different from reading stories, reading political commentary is different from literary commentary is different from reading news...

At that time, there was no school, no one to teach me. Many nights I sat in the garden reading alone, sometimes asking my mother, my sister, my friends to listen and give me comments. Just like that, the days passed, my voice was admired by everyone. My mother was very happy, during the subsidy period, there were more potatoes, corn, and noodles than rice, but my mother saved the rice for me. Yen Thanh rice gave me the voice I have today.

In my life, the most touching and profound thing was when I read the report about Lang Loi, the place where the young female volunteers who sacrificed their youth for the cause of fighting against the Americans to save the country, when they returned to their hometowns were "too old". To have the right to be mothers, they gave birth. But once again, they had to bear the pain, which was discrimination from the people around them.

After reading, Mr. Nguyen The Ky from the provincial Radio and Television Station, now Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, came to shake hands and congratulate my fellow countryman. After that, I received a certificate of merit from the provincial station: "Best reading voice". From then on, I was more confident and continued to practice and strive. In 1996, at the Nghe An Television Film Festival, I was awarded a certificate of merit and received the award: "The golden-voiced announcer"; in 2000, I was recognized as the best artist at the provincial level. But the happiest and most joyful thing was that on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Party's founding, I was honored to join the ranks of the Communist Party of Vietnam".

Her career and national affairs are like that, but her family life is also very fulfilling. Her husband is a teacher, always encouraging her to complete her duties well. Her two children, a boy and a girl, are grown up.

She confided: “To have the joy and happiness I have today, I will never forget the gratitude of the staff, workers, civil servants and leaders of the agency through the periods, who have helped, given advice, encouraged and supported not only spiritually but also materially. Thanks to that, I am more determined and love my job more.”

Nguyen Trong Ha - Yen Thanh