From the collaborator's confession

(Baonghean) - As scheduled, in the first days of the new year of the Rooster, Nghe An Newspaper organized the 2017 Contributor Conference. On this occasion, the editorial board respectfully introduced a number of typical contributors - the "extended arms" who have contributed to the "vitality" of the party newspaper.

When passion is fueled

For a year now, readers of Nghe An newspaper have been quite familiar with the social photo reports of author Thanh Cuong. These are very diverse photo series, vividly reflecting all aspects of life from urban, rural to mountainous areas, with angles that are both realistic and artistic.

Thanh Cuong on a reporting trip in the mountains. (Photo: Minh Quan)

Thanh Cuong is the pen name of contributor Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, residing in Xuan Hoa commune, Nam Dan district. In 2008, after graduating from the Faculty of Maritime Affairs of the University of Fisheries (now Nha Trang University), Cuong also wanted to fly with the sea, but after his father passed away, as an only son, he returned to his hometown. After a period of working in many different jobs, Cuong was called by a specialized fisheries agency for a trial period, then 1 month later signed a contract, and from then on worked on a fishing control vessel. But because he liked freedom and was not constrained, plus many other reasons, after 5 years, Cuong quit his job, continued to work freelance, and then started working with Nghe An Newspaper from the end of April 2016.

Since switching to pursuing the genre of photojournalism, Thanh Cuong has had 4 works exhibited in two competitions: Vietnam - Country - People, and Colors of Life organized by the Vietnam Press Photo Club in Hanoi; won third prize in the Golden Moment photojournalism competition of Nghe An Newspaper. Some of Cuong's notable works are: "Heavy snowfall, Nghe An villages are as white as Europe", "Life at Nghe An Mentally Disabled Veterans Nursing Center"...

In August 2016, Cuong became a special collaborator of the Nghe An Newspaper's Culture and Society Reporters Department. "As a collaborator, the topics that I actively create are quite flexible, but because of that, I have to be diligent in researching and traveling. Sometimes I go for days without finding a topic. Another problem is that as a collaborator, I also encounter some difficulties when accessing information, so I need to be very skillful and careful. However, the more I travel and take photos, the more I love the genre of photojournalism and I want to contribute more to the photography section of Nghe An Newspaper" - Cuong added.

Where I got good lessons

Huong still remembers, the first poem published in Nghe An newspaper was tiny, smaller than the palm of my hand, but I read it over and over again all evening. I read it in a state of excitement. I was even more excited when I went to the editorial office to receive the 20,000 VND royalties. My mother advised me to take 1/10 to buy... snacks to treat my friends, and the rest I could buy any book I wanted. From then on, Huong was proud and excited to share the joy, to use the "sweat and tears" money I earned from writing.

Writer Vo Thu Huong. (Photo: Thuy Vinh)

After starting work, Huong only encountered complaints: writing is hard, lonely, and gives her a headache... but she still remembers the words of the first editor she met. Happiness or suffering depends on one's perspective, so why not choose a cheerful and optimistic perspective as he told her? Huong always respected and considered him as the first teacher who taught her the writing profession. Nghe An Newspaper was the door that led her to the profession - Huong considered it a lucky thing.

Luckily, after nearly 10 years of working with Nghe An Newspaper, Huong can still share joys and sorrows with the editors of the Newspaper. Some are a few years older, some are younger. But they meet each other from joys and sorrows on the writing page to life stories and career stories.

Huong confided: Sometimes, by chance, they and I can meet each other in the emotions in each article, story that we want to share with readers, and can "join hands" to have better, more complete articles. Or sometimes, my articles are not as complete as expected, but when "pushed" to a professional editor who understands me, they are "upgraded", reading "more enjoyable". I think the bond between contributors and the newspaper is not about high or low royalties but about simple things like that.

As a far-away contributor and a “loyal” reader of Nghe An electronic newspaper, Huong considers this the closest, fastest and most convenient information channel for her to read information about her hometown and many things close to life that she is interested in.

Innocent... overcome difficulties!

Over the past year, on Nghe An electronic newspaper and other publications of Nghe An Newspaper, there have been many articles by author Lu Phu. The news and articles about Ky Son district on baonghean.vn are about the beauty of cultural life, economic models, and poverty alleviation of local ethnic communities that this author has done in a rich, diverse, and attractive way.

Lu Phu is the pen name of reporter Lu Dinh Phu of Ky Son District Radio and Television Station. Working in one of the 62 poorest districts in the country, hardship has been a constant for him during his 4 years in the profession. The young district station reporter with his bulky camera has become a familiar image to people in the most remote communes of Nghe An such as Na Ngoi, Keng Du, Bao Thang... Lu Phu shared that thanks to his "local" appearance, he could easily access the crime scene.

Correspondent Lu Phu. (Photo: Huu Vi)

Not only did he do a good job at the "station", he also had news, articles, and photo reports collaborated on 2 publications of Nghe An Newspaper. Through the newspaper readers can partly imagine the difficulties in the propaganda work to fight against drug crimes, human trafficking crimes as well as eliminate bad customs in the remote border land of Ky Son. In his articles, readers can also imagine the increasingly vibrant pace of life with economic development activities, rising out of poverty of ethnic communities here.

When meeting Lu Phu, one can see that he exudes innocence and love for his work. It is the innocence and simplicity of a “local boy” that helps Lu Phu overcome the difficulties of primitive working equipment, or the trips through the forest, walking for days to get to the working area. His main working tool for Nghe An Newspaper is a smartphone. It sounds “amateurish”, but for him, it is an advantage for reporters working in the highlands.

Lu Phu's collaboration was recognized by the Editorial Board of Nghe An Newspaper with a Certificate of Merit for his outstanding contributions in 2016.

Reporter - Contributor Group