From the memories of my father...
One morning in Huong Tra ward, Da Nang city, in a divided office at a private house, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dung (born in 1975) - Deputy Head of the Propaganda and Support Department for Social Insurance participants in the XXII region - carefully turned each page of Lao Dong newspaper and colored it with time. That is a special printed version dated August 16, 1994, released 31 years ago. For others, it is just an old newspaper, but for Mr. Dung, it is a precious memory - both a testament to the times and a souvenir connecting with the venerable father, a former union official of Quang Nam province.
I keep that newspaper today not only because of its special content, but because it was the newspaper I read with my father in the early years of working. He often takes notes on important information about labor and employment policies to discuss at union activities. For me, the newspaper is still a memory, an image of my father - a man who silently devoted himself to workers and laborers, Mr. Dung said emotionally.
Born and raised in a family with a tradition of doing trade union work, Nguyen Thanh Dung was soon exposed to Lao Dong Newspaper from a young age. His father - Mr. Nguyen Quang Hiep (born in 1927) - has worked for many years at the Quang Nam Provincial Labor Federation, often bringing Lao Dong Newspaper to read every day. That year, Dung boy was used to the image of a father grumbled at the tea table, meticulously taking notes on each data, each news line related to labor policy, to prepare for the union meeting or writing reports and policy proposals.
My father does not read newspapers by loudspeaker. He considers it a source of vital documents, to protect disadvantaged workers. The articles reflecting on workers' lives, analysis of salary policies, and employment - he read very carefully and cut each piece to keep" - Mr. Dung recalled.
When he started working as a communication officer on social insurance and health insurance policies, he became more closely connected with Lao Dong newspaper - which not only provides accurate information but also truly reflects the working life from rural areas to industrial parks, from remote areas to large cities.
gom old newspaper pages, kept for a period
Not only reading newspapers, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dung also spent many years collecting and preserving thousands of Lao Dong printed newspapers, especially newspapers associated with the country's historical milestones. Having successfully collected each daily newspaper, Mr. Dung now has a complete "collection" of all Lao Dong Newspapers of 1995, 1996, 1997... For him, those are vivid documents about the past, many of which are no longer present in electronic newspapers or digital archives.
Print newspapers have a very unique value - they preserve the mark of each period. Each page of the newspaper is a milestone of the times, a direct reflection of society at that time. There are articles and short news lines, but they contain the whole spirit of a period, Mr. Dung shared.
He cited Lao Dong newspaper in 1985 with a short report on the money exchange policy: Each household is allowed to exchange a maximum of 2,000 VND, each individual is not more than 1,500 VND. A short piece of information but reflecting a period of economic fluctuations, which up to now, according to Mr. Dung, "there is no such specific original data found on the internet".
I keep it so that future generations or the generation doing research can read and understand more deeply about history through the lens of journalism. Lao Dong Newspaper not only reflects reality but is also a part of that reality" - he said.
Connecting and spreading human values
During the COVID-19 outbreak, when print newspapers were not easy to access and people gradually switched to electronic newspapers, Mr. Dung still persistently tried to buy and save each issue of Lao Dong newspaper published every day. Although the broadcasting was interrupted, he went to agents, even ordered newspapers from Hanoi to be transferred, just to avoid missing any publications during this special period.
Each report released during the pandemic season is a truly touching picture, reflecting all aspects: From the lives of unemployed workers, quarantine areas, frontline health workers, to social security policies being urgently implemented.
Those are unforgettable days - where the press and social insurance work side by side with the people, spreading trust in the crisis period. I do not want to lose any documents about this period, he said.
During his 30 years of working, Mr. Dung has never given up the habit of reading Lao Dong every morning. It is an information channel, a document for work, a social perspective and... a part of family memories. Every time he turned back the pages of old newspapers, he seemed to see the image of a devoted father to workers. His warm reading voice, focused eyes when exposing news, and perseverance in collecting knowledge - all became silent motivations to help him continue on the path of policy communication.
Lao Dong Newspaper has been and continues to be a trusted friend of millions of workers, union officials, and civil servants in the social security sector across the country. And for people like Mr. Dung, Lao Dong Newspaper is not just information, it is a part of memories, a part of their lives" - he said.
