When we go and write

The "5 districts, 10 communes" journey

My colleague Chu Thi Khanh Ly and I "conceived" the idea for the special topic.Creating sustainable livelihood models for poverty reduction."This was two years prior. The assignment was truly memorable. At 3 a.m., we were calling each other to head up the mountain to begin our journey to 10 communes in 5 districts. It took the two female reporters 4 hours to reach Muong Xen town in Ky Son district, the furthest district in Nghe An province. From the town, it took us another 3 hours to reach the medicinal herb gardens of bamboo, acacia, and other trees, and the orchards of plum trees laden with high yields."

After navigating treacherous roads riddled with potholes, slippery ruts, cliffs, hills, and muddy jungle paths up to our knees, we finally reached a chicken farm in Muong Long. The journey was so difficult and challenging that even the local officials, who were very familiar with the area, nearly fell several times. An agricultural official from Ky Son district remarked, "You women are so brave! Even we men are intimidated by this place." But for journalists, all those hardships were worthwhile when we could see and hear firsthand about the practical models at the grassroots level.

On the second day, we continued to follow the district's agricultural officials to Na Ngoi commune, where there is a medicinal herb garden under the forest canopy. Upon arriving at the Na Ngoi commune office, we were still convinced we would be visiting some farm or hillside garden that wasn't too difficult to reach. After chatting, the commune official said: "In our commune, we have a medicinal herb garden under the forest canopy, but it's quite far away." My colleague and I eagerly asked, "Please let us go right away," but the official advised: "We must wear boots and raincoats to protect against leeches, and it will take about half a day to get there…"

After three days of traveling along roads to farms and livestock breeding sites in Ky Son district, we arrived in Que Phong district – famous for its passion fruit farms, lake fish farms, and high-yielding acacia, bamboo, and cypress forests. Officials from the Que Phong District Agricultural Service Center enthusiastically welcomed us, and upon learning that the journalists wanted to visit the fish cages in the Hua Na reservoir, one of them succinctly stated: “To get to the fish farms in the hydroelectric reservoir, we’ll be traveling on a motorboat that can only carry two people.”

Despite warnings, we were still nervous when we boarded the tiny boat amidst the vast lake. To reach the spot where the locals had set up their fish cages, we had to sit on the boat for 60 minutes before finally docking at the first cage. Throughout the journey, passing countless fish cages and disembarking to gather information and take photos, we were constantly on edge, fearing we might slip on the fragile planks that served as a bridge between the docking point and the fish cages.

All those challenges finally borne fruit, resulting in the Encouragement Award at the 2023 National Journalism Awards on Agriculture, Farmers, and Rural Areas of Vietnam. When I went up to receive the award, my colleague Khanh Ly told me: "The special feature on creating livelihoods for the poor was difficult to write, but in the end, it was 'something special'."

And we share the same thought: the joy of being a journalist, the reward for our writing and travels, lies in spreading awareness and receiving recognition.

The challenge: "Don't choose the easy job."

The flash flood occurred in Luong Minh commune, Tuong Duong border district (Nghe An province) on the night of September 30, 2024. More than a month has passed since Hoai Thu and her team of reporters volunteered to access and report on the scene, but the small stories from that assignment are still frequently mentioned by her colleagues.

After receiving news of the flash flood in Luong Minh commune, Hoai Thu reported to the head of the relevant department and volunteered to go to the scene to report the news. She recounted: “Early in the morning, I drove from Vinh city, traveling over 200 km, constantly calling district officials and connecting with the rescue forces of Tuong Duong district to update information and arrange to go into the flood-stricken area. One person drove, and another sat in the passenger seat with a computer typing up initial news about the flash flood and preliminary damage. Along the way, we also finalized our work plan, assigning tasks to each other from interviewing, filming, photographing, and technically processing clips and images.”

For two days, we traveled back and forth between villages, then to the flooded school in Luong Minh commune and Thach Giam town, without a lunch break, and even late at night we were still typing on our computers. We completed 10 news articles reflecting all the developments, scenes, and activities of the local Party committees and authorities in mobilizing the "four on-the-spot" measures to help people in the flood-affected areas overcome the consequences of the natural disaster.

In the series of reports on the flash flood situation in Luong Minh commune (Tuong Duong district), some news articles, with the support of the editorial secretary, were published almost in "real time." For example, the news about the Tuong Duong District Military Command installing high-capacity pumps to clear mud from the flooded area, from start to finish in just two hours, was published at the same time, even though it was raining heavily in the flood-stricken area and the internet connection was unstable.

After two days enduring rain and sun, and facing the risk of landslides on the way to the heart of the flood zone, the group of reporters completed their mission and said goodbye to the local officials before heading home. "With a firm handshake, the leader of the Tuong Duong District People's Committee said, 'Having reporters from Nghe An Newspaper accompanying us, we feel truly reassured,'" Hoai Thu recalled.

The district leader further shared that in the age of information explosion, especially with social media reflecting events at the grassroots level, not everyone can report promptly and accurately the true nature of the issue. This sharing and understanding from grassroots leaders is one of the results, and also one of the goals and principles that reporters from Nghe An Newspaper set and persistently pursue during their reporting trips to mountainous, remote, and isolated areas.

Working at the forefront of the waves.

As a young reporter assigned to cover disaster prevention and control, Quang An has many memorable stories from his work in hotspots. However, the most unforgettable experience for this young man was a reporting trip hundreds of nautical miles from the mainland, to the sacred Truong Sa archipelago of our homeland.

In late December 2022, Nghe An Newspaper assigned two reporters, Quang An and Tien Dong, to a reporting trip to the Truong Sa archipelago. The trip was not easy due to bad weather, rough seas, and large waves; therefore, the journey from the mainland to the Truong Sa archipelago took longer than expected.

Upon arriving at Song Tu Tay Island, due to heavy rain and strong winds, the access road to the harbor was riddled with large, jagged rocks, making it impossible for the large ship to reach the island. They were forced to wait for calmer seas. After five days of waiting, to ensure progress, the working group assigned a smaller boat to approach the larger ship in batches, gradually transporting reporters and the working group to the island.

According to the naval officers' instructions, depending on the waves, the two ships would touch after about 30 seconds. This was the "golden moment," lasting only a few seconds, so members of the delegation were required to choose this precise moment to quickly step across the ship. If they couldn't step across, they had to wait another 30 seconds for the two ships to touch again.

Reporter Quang An recounted: "At that moment, it was my turn to step onto the ship's hull, and I was very nervous and anxious. Then, the moment the two ships touched, I hesitated for a moment and then lost my footing. Luckily, there was a large rope between the two ships, and in my moment of struggle, my hand managed to grab the rope. All the soldiers used all their strength to pull me onto the ship, saving me from falling into the sea at the last minute."

"Even now, every time I recall that memory, I can't help but shudder. However, that very moment helped me understand even more the difficulties, hardships, and challenges that naval officers and soldiers and those serving on the Truong Sa archipelago had to overcome, ready to sacrifice themselves to protect the sacred sea and islands of the Fatherland," Quang An shared.