The heart of a Nghe An person far from home...
The land of Nghe, the people of Nghe - Nghe culture, Nghe character, Nghe heart, and even Nghe sun and wind... All of these, no one knows when, have formed a "Nghe identity". Therefore, no matter how far away, no matter where they are... the hearts of Nghe people still return to their homeland. I feel that very clearly through Nghe An electronic newspaper.
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Opening ceremony of Nghe An Electronic Newspaper Photo: Tran Hai |
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Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Hoang Xuan Luong reads Nghe An Electronic Newspaper at the 2008 Spring Newspaper Festival. Photo: Minh Thong |
Vietnamese Citizen - Vo Van Binh([email protected]).
The four words "Vietnamese citizen" moved me to tears. It took me more than a week to get the materials to write the article "A girl from Nghe An becomes famous in Germany" (Nghe An Electronic Newspaper - July 13, 2008).
After only 4 months of opening, Nghe An e-newspaper has received 1 million readers, and now has over 2.4 million. Many readers from abroad visit, such as: France, America, Russia, Czech Republic, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Hungary, Malaysia, Japan, Korea,... Currently, the percentage of readers from abroad has accounted for 49.6% of the number of visits to Nghe An e-newspaper. One thing I am sure of is that the majority of them are Nghe An people. That shows how much Nghe people abroad miss home!
What about the Nghe An people who are far from home but live in the country?
Here are some quotes from many letters sent to Nghe An Electronic:
- "Reading Nghe An electronic newspaper really leaves in my heart a love for my homeland Nghe An. Through Nghe An electronic newspaper, I want to express the feelings of a child far from home, the desire to bathe in the gentle Lam river, to climb to the majestic peak of Quyet mountain...
Hopefully, through this newspaper, people far from home like us can join hands and contribute to building our homeland to become more prosperous and stronger..." (Chu Ngoc Cuong - Dalat University)
- "Currently, there are quite a lot of Nghe An people living far away from their homeland. Even though they are far away, they still always look forward to their homeland, including their children born in foreign lands. I hope that Nghe An Electronic Newspaper will have more information to contribute to educating children living far away about their homeland's traditions." (Nguyen Phuong Son - Linh Xuan, Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City).
- "As a Nghe An native who has been away from home for 25 years, currently living and working in Phu Yen province, I often follow the news on Nghe An electronic newspaper, seeing my hometown is changing makes me very happy... I would like to ask your newspaper to inform me of some preferential investment policies in my home province. Currently, our company is producing export goods to the EU, US, Canada markets... Having been away from home for a long time, we want to do something for our homeland..." (Nguyen Van Khoi - Hoang Khoi Company Limited - Phu Yen).
- "...The newspaper can record video clips of areas damaged by natural disasters and post them on Nghe An electronic newspaper for people far away to see and know so we can send support gifts directly..." (Nguyen Van Long - Minh Tan Town, Kinh Mon, Hai Duong).
- .....
Those are the hearts of thousands, tens of thousands of Nghe An children who are living, working, studying far from home, far from their homeland. The words are so sincere, so warm, as if opening their hearts after many days of shelter, as if eagerly waiting and hoping... and also a little bit resentful and reproachful, but still very lovely and worthy of respect. Every day reading those confidences, we (the people working for the electronic newspaper of our homeland) feel very guilty towards you, not having done much to respond to those hearts.
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Teenage readers with Nghe An Electronic Newspaper Photo: Thanh Hao |
Maybe, some people still have the chance to return to their homeland, some go far away, or just leave their homeland for a while... But, one day away is already a longing, a longing. The "art quality" is indistinguishable wherever it goes. For "art students" far away from home, they do not demand, nor are they resentful. They only miss their parents, miss their home, miss their friends and send us:
..."In the early days, wandering the streets, suddenly hearing somewhere a heavy, slurred voice, I was startled, looking around as if suddenly encountering something very sacred - the voice of my homeland...! Perhaps the most joyful and meaningful thing in our student life was the meetings of fellow countrymen in a foreign land, dozens of people chatting, singing songs of our homeland, to burn incense and offer flowers to the most outstanding fellow countryman of our homeland - Ho Chi Minh.At those times, I love my hometown so much!" (Nguyen Thanh Tra - K29, Hue University of Sciences)
And many other students such as: Vi Van Choong, Vu Thi Huyen Trang (Hanoi University of Culture), Ngo Thi Hieu (High School 1, Phu Ly Town, Ha Nam), Pham Trong Le Nghia (Vung Tau Tourism High School), Ho Viet Thinh (Academy of Journalism and Communication), Nguyen Van Toan (Hue University of Sciences),... often send letters of confidences and articles to collaborate with Nghe An Electronic.
The Nghe An people living far away from home not only confide and express... but also show their love for their homeland by actively collaborating with Nghe An electronic newspaper. They tell each other about the newspaper, show off their articles to their friends, introduce and promote successful Nghe An people, Nghe An activities, and Nghe An in a foreign land. The list of collaborators living far away from home is growing: Ba Thi (Tra Vinh), Nguyen Thanh Hoang (Can Tho), Le Minh Hoang (Tien Giang), Vo Thi Hong To (Binh Thuan), Hoang Bich Ha, Vo Hoang Nam, Khue Viet Truong (Khanh Hoa), Nguyen Van Binh (Gia Lai), Dao Xuan Hau (Dak Lak), Le Anh Phong (Quang Binh), Bui Van Hoang (Thanh Hoa), Tran Van Loi (Nam Dinh), Tran Van Hac, Nguyen Truong Tam, Luong Van Thiet (Hanoi), Tran Dinh Dung (Bac Giang), Le Huan (Quang Ninh),...
Nghe An Electronic Newspaper also receives many letters from far away asking questions, requests to be provided with data-based information about the homeland, about the province, sincere suggestions hoping that the hometown electronic newspaper will grow stronger, there are also letters asking for help, and even personal stories.... For the children of Nghe An far away from home, Nghe An Electronic Newspaper becomes a close friend, a bridge connecting happy lands....
One year has passed since its opening (January 2, 2008). Nghe An Electronic Newspaper would like to acknowledge the kindness, comments and cooperation of friends near and far.
The New Year has come, spring is back! Nghe An Electronics will continue to try to send you the scents of the new homeland to warm the hearts of people far away from home...
Nguyen Minh Thong
