Dear General Secretary To Lam,
Dear leaders and former leaders of the Party and State.
Dear comrades, leaders of departments, ministries, branches, leaders of provinces and cities.
Dear veteran journalists, colleagues
Dear delegates attending the celebration.
In the proud atmosphere of celebrating the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day, I am honored to represent young journalists to share my feelings at this time.
In recent days, I have had the opportunity to participate in activities celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Vietnam Revolutionary Press with veteran journalists and journalists representing many press agencies across the country. Hearing many confidences, shares and even words of encouragement for our generations of young journalists.
"Have our young journalists of today really devoted themselves to the profession, with all their heart to serve the Party, the Fatherland and the People, have they really tried for the highest interests of their nation and people?" That is what we have thought about the most in these days.
The veteran journalist Ha Dang, who is 96 years old this year, has repeatedly mentioned and reiterated in many shares what he and the younger generation of journalists like us have found very profound, which is: " Jurnalism is a front, journalists are soldiers, doing journalism is not to preserve the ancient title". I understand that this is a reminder for us to continue the journey that many generations of revolutionary journalists have taken over the past century. They always move forward, always ready to take on all tasks, at any time, anywhere when the Party, the Fatherland and the People need enthusiasm, purity, dedication, humiliation and always strive to learn so as not to fall behind with new knowledge, new technology and new ways of making newspapers.
I am a reporter for the News Department, Vietnam Television. From the first days of entering the profession, although we were very young, we were given the opportunity to go to remote lands with many difficulties in our country, to remote border areas and remote islands...
There, we have witnessed with our own eyes many stories about the silent dedication and sacrifice of many people, and journalists like us, when told those stories to television audiences across the country, always feel very small. We have seen that our country is beautiful and our people are heroic, that is the motivation for us to try harder.
100 years of journalism accompanying the country, we young journalists have only gone a very short journey, compared to many of you, grandparents, aunt, uncle, brother, and sister who are here. Although he had only gone a short way on that century's journey, for him those were truly the most beautiful days of youth.
To stand side by side with the people, to listen to many people confide in sharing, to truly reflect life, to become a bridge between the people and Party committees and authorities. After each trip, through each journalism work, we have more love for the profession and faith in the path that we and many generations of revolutionary journalists have been taking.
From island areas, borders, or places with natural disasters such as: floods, landslides, anytime, day or night, in any weather, ... we always want to be by the people's side when people need journalists. According to our News Department's slogan "Where the audience is, the news is there"
I always remember this image, during the historic flood disaster in Son La province 2 years ago. When the reporter group of the Weather Department approached the area of a serious landslide, the phone signal was lost and there was no electricity. We stayed with the people to record realistic images and stories. Amidst difficulties, losses, pain... there are always beautiful stories about solidarity, sharing, and love that shines in disaster.
That is the tireless efforts, regardless of day or night, of the military and police forces to search for victims, level rocks and soil to clear the road, help families with unfortunate deaths... is the image that many people have shared with each other and us every grain of white rice and drinking water; are relief shipments with the whole heart of people across the country sent to the people. The day we finished our business trip preparing to return to Hanoi, on the car covered with dust and mud, I saw a line that someone had written on the car like this: "Journey... I trust you very much". Sincerely and simply felt... are the sweet fruits of journalism to help all hardships and fatigue quickly pass.
Many people often ask me: "Are you rich when you become a journalist?". very rich! Rich experience! Rich in emotions! Live rich!
From a female reporter who specializes in being present in mountainous areas, remote areas, disaster areas, storms, floods, and landslides, we continue to be assigned tasks and have the opportunity to make investigative topics that can be more thorny, more complicated, and take more time and effort to follow. I always keep one thing in mind, being an investigative reporter, but not dangerous, keep a cold head, a warm heart, and an honest soul.
We always want to show humanity and empathy in all our works, finding solutions to problems arising in real life. Because any press work has a starting and ending point for the best interests of many people. The more vividly we get into reality, the more we are attached to the people, the more we understand that the most precious thing is to have and maintain the people's trust in journalists and the press profession, and more deeply, the people's trust in the Party and the State.
In an interview with General Secretary To Lam, when he was the Minister of Public Security, I myself heard the General share a story that I will always remember. At that time, the General had just returned from a working trip to Lai Chau province to build a boarding school for boarding students. The General shared: "Nothing is as beautiful as closeness to the people, nothing is as strong as the people and journalists should go a lot to understand the lives of people there, to know what people need in the journalism profession".
During our working days, we always feel the need to be responsible for each human identity in society, journalists who work for the people will be trusted by the people. With a pure heart, devotedness, and concern for the profession, the profession will never be left unused. Among so many people who are silently contributing across the Fatherland, in all fields, we always want to be one of those small and quiet people.
The land of daughters and sons
Beautiful as roses, harder than steel
I would like to borrow the words of poet Nguyen Khoa Diem instead of the ending of today's sharing. We - today's generation of young journalists - will certainly continue the glorious and beautiful journey of the journalism profession. I hope that future generations of journalists will trust us. Although the journey ahead of many journalists present here may have challenges, difficulties, and may even take another path... but the spirit of "inwardness, beauty" in any circumstances, any path will shine forever to be kind and devoted to the profession and people.
I would like to sincerely thank you!
