The journalist's uniform...

(Baonghean) - Journalists often share a common physical characteristic that is easily recognizable: a specialized jacket with many pockets and functions, very convenient for their work. I call it the "journalist's jacket," just like a journalist's ID card—two distinct "identities." But there are also journalists who don't have an ID card, yet their "journalist's jacket" serves as a professional certification. The jacket encapsulates a heartfelt dedication to the work of journalism—a demanding profession that would be difficult to complete without passion. Some journalists are deeply committed to the profession, while others consider it their calling. And the "journalist community" is truly vibrant with camaraderie and fellowship. The two words "journalist" evoke a sense of warmth and trust, encompassing the depth of the profession and the calling.

I've been to the museum many times, standing silently before the war artifacts. Besides canteens, backpacks, and hammocks, there were also cameras and, notably, a journalist's uniform riddled with bullet holes, and manuscripts still reeking of gunpowder.

Looking at the journalist's uniform, I imagined it was the same uniform worn by countless generations of our fathers and brothers when they marched to Dien Bien Phu to fight the enemy. A uniform crisscrossed by trenches and encirclements. The soft fabric was a miraculous shield, for behind every stitch lay the heartbeat of a soldier of Uncle Ho's army, a connection between the home front and the battlefront.

Reporters and contributors from Nghe An Newspaper working on the Hung Xuan dike (Hung Nguyen). Photo: SM

I imagine the journalist's uniform as a life vest, worn by these men as they brave the stormy seas to reach distant islands, bringing readers their latest writings and films. The homeland, the mainland, and the sea and islands are so close and sacred when, beside a landmark at the water's edge, a young naval soldier converses with an older journalist. The subject and the author, two generations, two different hair colors, as the afternoon sun casts its shadows on the soft sand. The fluttering navy uniform, alongside a sturdy, solid frame, embodies a shared belief, a shared will, a shared aspiration. With that life vest, journalists reach their compatriots amidst the raging storms and floods of nature.

The simple uniform, though unassuming, embodies the strength of a skilled writer, a pure heart that dares to confront evil, often more dangerous than the direct gunfire of the enemy. Photographs and films never capture the image of these men – those who always go directly to the front lines, the hotspots, sometimes sacrificing themselves, yet they quietly and humbly step back behind the pages of their manuscripts. And that journalist's uniform is the most beautiful testament – ​​the physical beauty, the ideal beauty of a soldier on a battlefield without gunfire.

Nguyen Ngoc Phu