“Vietnam on the wave of current events” through the lens of journalist Ho Quang Loi

(Baonghean) -Although he has left journalism for more than 3 years, we journalists still want to call him a journalist - that is journalist Ho Quang Loi. His name is deeply engraved in the memories of readers of the People's Army Newspaper - a sharp commentator of the contemporary Vietnamese press; the enthusiastic Editor-in-Chief of the Hanoi Moi Newspaper - the capital's party newspaper. The collection of Timely Comments that he introduced to readers at the end of 2012 with the title: "Vietnam on the wave of current events" published by the People's Army Publishing House, somewhat summarized the situation of Vietnam in the turbulent international and domestic context, especially in the early years of Vietnam's renovation.

Born and raised in a farming family in Quynh Doi commune - Quynh Luu district - a poor land but famous for its academic achievements, Ho Quang Loi's childhood was full of hardships, but his dream of studying urged him to study and pass the entrance exam to the prestigious specialized school of Nghe An - Phan Boi Chau School. From Phan school, his studies continued to flourish, he passed the exam with excellent results, and was able to study abroad. He graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages ​​and Literature - Bucharest University (Romania) in 1979. Returning from Europe in 1979, he volunteered to join the army, participated in an accelerated officer training course, became a reporter for the People's Army Newspaper (QĐND), and was stationed at the front lines in the arduous and dangerous frontline units on the northern border of the Fatherland.

Journalist Ho Quang Loi

After 3 years of practical experience, at the end of 1981, he was transferred to the International News Department of the People's Army Newspaper. His journalism career has taken him to dozens of countries. With a broad worldview, deep understanding, sensitivity, the ability to cover, judge, and predict, he has created sharp, in-depth, and unique commentary articles that are eagerly awaited by readers. With Ho Quang Loi, his point of view is that writing about the International always has a direct connection with Vietnam and vice versa, writing about Vietnam is always placed in the flow of the world.

During 28 years of holding the column "International Commentary" of the People's Army Newspaper, Ho Quang Loi has written hundreds of articles with strong influence, providing guidance in each sensitive and important political moment. The Time Commentary collection with the title:“Vietnam on the wave of current events”distilled over those years. The book is divided into four parts according to problem clusters.

Part 1: Truth and perspective:In this part, the author expressed his views on the views of the US and some other Western countries on the issues of democracy, human rights and religion in Vietnam, with the articles: "The war called peace", or he refuted the slanderous and distorted arguments of the enemy through "peaceful evolution" with a sharp pen in the article: "What did they see in the "hot spot" of the Central Highlands?". In the context of turmoil and then the collapse of the socialist regime in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, with a sharp eye, a penetrating view of "a turning point in history", he had a premonition when looking at the Vietnamese revolution in that difficult context, and made a good, confident assessment of a renewed Vietnam when it knew how to pass through the "turning point of history", in the article "The wind of the times"...

Part 2: “Need new eyes”:In this section, Journalist Ho Quang Loi devoted his entire writing to the ups and downs of the relationship between Vietnam and the US over the past quarter century: tension and complexity during the embargo period; going through many ups and downs, reaching the inevitable juncture of the development trend of normalization and cooperation between the two countries Vietnam and the US, which is the main theme of this section.

Part 3: "Childbirth" in peacetime:This is the period when Vietnam overcomes difficulties and escapes the storm of world affairs, using Vietnamese courage and intelligence to transform itself in thought and action, to catch the wind of the times and move forward.

Part 4: “In the direction of the Dragon”:In this part, he expressed his burning desire with a passionate and intense love for Hanoi. Through his political pen and essay writing style, he dreamed for Hanoi, was proud of Hanoi - the heroic capital, the city of Peace - a civilized capital through the article "The Sound of the Red River". The author had a premonition of new opportunities and new challenges for our country: "Vietnam's situation is one of stepping on thorns to move forward!... Our country's situation is that of a nation located at the convergence point of civilizations, of important exchanges, of the most complex and sensitive international relations. The opportunity is here, the challenge is also here!. It is at the compressed juncture of the historical transition that we recognize more clearly the problem: Creating situation - dealing with situation; creating force - using force".

Journalist Phan Quang - former President of the Vietnam Journalists Association was very proud when writing about Journalist Ho Quang Loi: "...After many years of diligent reading, studying, watching, thinking and writing, what he has written recently is soft, multi-dimensional, sparkling with literary quality. The resilience, determination, studiousness, and perseverance - the inherent qualities of the Nghe people have been further cultivated, blended with the elegance, sophistication, and refinement of the Thang Long scholars, with the soul of Hanoi from the love of flesh and blood. ..... Truly worthy of being a son of Quynh Doi village, the hometown of poetess Ho Xuan Huong - Queen of Nom Poetry and many other famous people, Ho Quang Loi has clearly shown his style through the genres of commentary, essays, and essays. Reading his collection of Time, we see that in the midst of hardships and challenges, the vitality of Vietnam still shines, the light of Thang Long - Hanoi culture still shines like the most noble quintessential values ​​of our nation".

For 28 years, the soldier has been diligently working with words. He has collected 66 articles in the book Timely Commentary:“Vietnam on the wave of current events”,Colonel - Journalist Ho Quang Loi with his dialectical and multi-dimensional perspective, his pen always aims at the center of current events, grasping the most essential issues, attracting the attention of readers. He is always sensitive to confront and sharply comment on every "shock", every "tide" pushing and shoving; decoding the "unknowns" of current events with the ability to analyze, judge, and forecast of a writer with courage and deep understanding, clearly demonstrating the responsibility of a writer in times full of events and in need of current premonitions. Thereby, helping future generations understand and contribute to explaining and answering a big question: Why can Vietnam stand firm in the storms of current events and how will Vietnam move forward in a world that has been and is changing profoundly?

During his decades as a writer, including 5 years as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the People's Army Newspaper, he has won 9 national journalism awards, including 5 first prizes. As required by his duties, he "took off" his soldier's uniform and turned to civilian journalism as Editor-in-Chief of the Hanoi Moi Newspaper since January 2008. In just 3 years as Editor-in-Chief of a newspaper in the capital, Ho Quang Loi has left his colleagues with many deep impressions not only as a talented, passionate journalist with abundant writing power, but also for his way of doing social activities and humanitarian charity. Remember, during the record cold spells in 2008, people in the western districts of Nghe An such as Quy Chau and Quy Hop enjoyed the warmth of the capital through the "Warm Fire to the Countryside" Campaign presented by the Hanoi Moi Newspaper. The campaign initiated by him and the Hanoi Moi Newspaper's Editorial Board, mobilizing businesses from his hometown, donated 1,000 buffaloes and cows to poor people in 13 northern mountainous provinces, including Nghe An. His Warm Fire program... has helped thousands of poor households to rise up, warming their hearts during the cold and deprived winter days.

In his leadership position, Deputy Editor-in-Chief and then Editor-in-Chief of the capital's major newspaper, despite being busy, his joy in life is sports, especially football and table tennis. His passion for football has given him health, joy and diligence. For him: "My passion for football never dries up, even at this age (he was born in 1956 - PV), I still play football every week, in 2010, I broke my right arm and had to wear a cast, but I still did not miss any match if I had the chance to play a friendly match". Indeed, in 2009, when he was Editor-in-Chief of the Hanoi Moi Newspaper, fulfilling his promise with Nghe An Newspaper - the party newspaper of his hometown, despite the rainy season and flooded streets, he brought the newspaper's army to Cua Lo to play football with Nghe An Newspaper. The match took place under a blanket of pouring rain, but each team "burned" themselves out, leaving beautiful memories in the hearts of Nghe An colleagues with the Capital Newspaper team, in which he was the striker.

In March 2010, he was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee, Head of the Propaganda Department of the Hanoi Party Committee. Congratulations to him - a son of Nghe An who has become famous in Hanoi. The press regrets that he is no longer a professional journalist. Although he is not directly a journalist, his writing is still abundant and unceasing. He still writes, and writes more than before, writing about the thorny issues of the times, decoding the things that life needs. It is a pity, but congratulations to him - a writer with a wealth of intelligence, rich in political courage, always steadfast in the uneven flow of the world and always "anchored" in the hearts of readers.

Ho Ngan