Reporter Vu Thi Bau, born in 1986, works at the Center for Communication and Culture of Co To district, and went to the island to take up the assignment in April 2008. At that time, she only thought simply, practiced for a few years in a difficult place and then applied to move to the mainland. But as time passed, the bond became increasingly deep, and I could not bear to leave.
Recalling the early days of being confused by the journalism profession in the middle of a remote island, she could not help but exclaim: My first business trip to the island, the sea was rough, the waves were big, the waves were cramped and I could not get up. As soon as I set foot in the port, it rained heavily, and at night I had a fever because of a cold. The initial impression of the island was that it was a deserted place, the electricity went out at 10pm, and inside the house, I could only hear the wind whistling over the corrugated iron roof and the leaves of the banyan shoots charging in the yard. I was really depressed at the time. I called my mother back and said: "Let's go home. When I was young, I was studying under oil lamps, now that time is back, it is so miserable". The mother just gently said: "If people can live, I can live. As for young people, don't be afraid of difficulties". That saying is the fulcrum for me to be confident in my 17 years of working on the island".
She burst out laughing when recalling a "ghost" memory when she first entered the profession: "At that time, I was a reporter in charge of broadcasting. Once, I missed the clock, woke up at 3am to turn on the loudspeaker to issue a bulletin, calling the whole district to follow!
Reporter Vu Thi Bau's unconventional mobilization is not only her professional courage, but also her perseverance and love, loving even the smallest things, silently at the border of the Fatherland.
"Once I went on a business trip to Tran Island, sitting in a small boat in the middle of rough seas and waves, but I still had to gradually work and get used to it. Now that is no longer a problem for me.
She still remembers the difficult period at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020: "At that time, I had a 9-month-old child. Taking care of my child and running news and cards, there were times when I really thought I could not survive. Luckily, I have great neighbors. They took turns taking care of their children, bathing, feeding, even when I went to Tran or Thanh Lan island, I had to sleep all night. Co To people live affectionately and sincerely".
In the midst of parallel life, being a journalist with all your passions
Reporter Pham Thi Thu Cuc - Ms. Bau's colleague, also working at the Center for Communication and Culture of Co To district - shared: "The most difficult business trips are when the storm comes. The storm off the island is more intense, greatly affecting the processing process. As for going to Tran and Thanh Lan islands, being able to withstand the waves is normal for us.
Long on the island, reporters are gradually getting used to the daily tasks of the islanders such as fishing at night, fishing for star fruit, shavingep, and digging snails every morning to increase income or improve daily meals.
Looking back on the past, Ms. Vu Thi Bau confided: "Now Co To has electricity and is constantly developing. We also have better working conditions. But the journalism profession is still the same - with glory, also a lot of hardship. The important thing is whether journalists dare to commit or not. I am grateful for my job, because being a journalist gives me the opportunity to travel, learn, understand and live more fully with every daily story. I still believe that: doing what I like is free, loving what I do is happiness. And being a journalist, for me, is a happiness.
Amidst the vast experience of overcoming difficulties, reporters from remote islands have become a bridge between the mainland and islands. They bring the breath of life of fishermen and soldiers in the sacred sea and islands to readers across the Fatherland.
Not only reporting news, we also have to sow hope
In the Southern land, where rivers are crowded and the sea is vast, reporter Tran Trang is a close friend of fishermen and people in the West. As a reporter residing in Kien Giang province, one of the large areas with seas, islands, borders and areas frequently affected by natural disasters, Ms. Trang has almost always been "independent in action". Sometimes they set foot in flooded areas, landslides, sometimes they along with armed forces to border areas, remote islands.
The stories and news are recorded in reality, promptly conveyed to the most authentic readers. Not only stopping at reporting news, Ms. Trang's articles have repeatedly created a positive social effect. "There are overly difficult circumstances, such as the elderly, women, children in miserable circumstances, illnesses, and poverty, which have been promptly known by readers of Lao Dong Newspaper to help through the articles she reflects.
She calls it "the bond of love extended from the words". What makes her happy is not only the article being accepted by readers, but also the lives of people reclaimed from the community's attention. "The permanent reporter not only reported the news, we also had to sow hope, from hope to a positive result, no matter how small" - she said.
With that commitment and responsibility, Ms. Trang is loved and admired by her colleagues and local people in her workplace, because "there are Lao Dong reporters everywhere".
From the Central Highlands to the Northwest, from the Western Delta to the Central region, each reporter is a link in the chain of connections between the press and the people. They silently stick to the area, so that the voices of the people are raised, so that the distant lands are not forgotten. And in that journey, their commitment is a beautiful symbol of love for the profession, social responsibility and the desire to spread the humanistic values of the journalism profession.
