Journalist Phan Thi Thuy Lien: "The firebrick"

(Baonghean) - “The Fire Brick” is the name of a rather impressive article written more than 40 years ago by young reporter Phan Thi Thuy Lien when she first started working at Nghe An Newspaper. I borrowed the name of that article to talk about its author, a journalist, a teacher, a beloved sister of many generations of Nghe An journalists over the past few decades.

It is not wrong to say that journalist Thuy Lien, former Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper, is a “firebrick”. “If we were to describe Ms. Thuy Lien with basic personality traits, they would be: diligence, dedication, perseverance, courage” - journalist Hoang Chinh commented like that about his colleague and also the female leader who had been with him for a long time.

Comrade Phan Thi Thuy Lien, former Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper.

In 1973, at the age of 21, journalist Thuy Lien started working at Nghe An Newspaper. At first, she was a reporter, sometimes also an editor, and even worked as a makeup artist and eyeliner artist. “Those were difficult and arduous months, but they were also a vibrant and enthusiastic youth. Then, with the love and guidance of the seniors, and with a love for the profession that grew without her knowing, journalist Phan Thi Thuy Lien matured day by day to become an excellent writer. Each journey is associated with countless memories of a diligent, hard-working, sharing, and dedicated journalist. The agency at that time was a few rows of thatched houses in Phong Toan, Hung Dung, the collective meal consisted of 2 portions of corn, but she still stayed every night, copying the edited articles to make them clean and sending them to the printing house. The times she traveled to the base, hungry and cold, but she still endured to write articles to bring back to the editorial office. “Once, I went to a meeting to summarize the fish and salt industry in Cua Lo, I went with reporter Xuan Huong. The two of us rode together on an old bicycle. On the way back, it was dark, the road was sandy, and the bike had a flat tire, but Mr. Huong still told me: “Sit still, if you get off, the bike will be heavier!” I remember, talking about journalism, journalist Duong Xuan Huong self-deprecatingly said: “Reporters of the provincial newspaper/Cycling all over the roads, near and far…” - the former female editor-in-chief recalled.

From a young female student who had just graduated, she became a "hard-core" writer, then got married, and gave birth to two children... All the joys and sorrows, the privacy of journalist Thuy Lien were associated with her small editorial office. Those days, she mostly "ate office meals", especially after her husband went on a business trip abroad for 10 years. When working on Tet newspapers, her two young children followed their mother to the editorial office for the night shift, becoming regular customers of Mrs. Ly's noodle shop. Then, creaking behind their mother on the way home. Those days, carrying her children home across the windy night train tracks, the mother still felt cold after a tiring day of work. However, the resilience, the mother's instinct to love and protect, along with the strong will forged through journalism, helped her overcome everything, including the difficult times when her son was sick for many years.

From 1993, journalist Thuy Lien worked as Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Secretary of the Nghe An Newspaper until 2007. During this period, the Secretariat was a united collective, never stopping to laugh. People often joked with each other that we "practice at Mrs. Lien's temple", often calling that female leader "mother". Mother Lien went to a meeting. Oh, Mother Lien is back to distribute candy. "Good children/ Open the door quickly/ Mom is home...". At the end of the year, the editorial office had a funny poem: "This year the editorial office has many "ien" rhymes/ 10 years of supporting Mother Lien/ Mr. Chinh buys a car, don't be afraid of not having enough/ Borrow a few million and you will have money right away" (that's talking about the time when journalist Hoang Chinh - editor of the Secretariat intended to buy a motorbike. At that time, the Editor-in-Chief was journalist Thanh Tien, the Deputy Editors were journalist Van Hien and journalist Thuy Lien, that's why they say "many "ien" rhymes"!). Journalist Thuy Lien's quiet, diligent, dedicated and responsible attitude was appreciated and recognized when she was promoted to the position of Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper in 2003. Journalist Thuy Lien, when working as a leader and manager, was considered a person who takes "virtue" as the most important thing, and also a person with "green eyes". She saw the "bright spots" glimmering among her young colleagues, cherished them, and built them up to help them shine one day. She was the one who discovered and nurtured a number of talents, so that from here they continued to make great contributions to the development of Nghe An Newspaper in the future. A united collective, knowing how to respect the young generation, with articles that left a strong impression in the journalism community, knowing how to speak the voice of struggle, but struggling to build, for a better life, that is the mark of the first female editor-in-chief of Nghe An Newspaper Phan Thi Thuy Lien.

Knowing that we came to write something about a former journalist, Ms. Thuy Lien refused: "I have nothing to write! Honestly, looking at Nghe An newspaper now, you guys have come so far, I have done very little so I feel embarrassed to mention it. When I mention it, there are many regrets." Having said that, she confided her concerns about the profession. After retiring (2007), she returned to work as the Party cell secretary of block 11 (Cua Nam ward - Vinh city), but still did not forget to read Nghe An newspaper every day. Away from the editorial office, but the newspaper is a part of her flesh and blood, she said with emotion and pride.

Thuy Vinh