The suitcase from the West
After the Lunar New Year 2026, I received a decision to rotate from the Representative Office of Lao Dong Newspaper in the Mekong Delta region to the Multimedia Communication Center in Hanoi. That was a decision that made me both excited and worried.
Excited to have the opportunity to learn in a new environment, but the worry is also greater when living far from home for the first time, starting life alone in a city more than 1,700km from home.
In the days before leaving, I confided a lot to my family, to Mr. Truong Nhan - Deputy Head of my Office and my colleagues. What I received were not lengthy instructions, but just a very simple sentence: "Go there and study, no one is good from the beginning". That sentence helped me embark on a new journey with the mindset of a student.
I still remember the first morning I entered the editorial office in Hanoi. It was Sunday, but everyone was still busy with work like any other day of the week. Mr. Cat Tuong and Ms. Ha instructed me on basic regulations, briefly introduced the operation of the center, and told me to rest for a few days, get acquainted with the environment before starting to receive the topic.
I used to think I would have time to relax. But it turned out that the days of "rest" were the most tiring time. The first time living far from home, I missed my family and was struggling to find a way to integrate when I saw everyone busy running news and editing videos. Then I told myself, I can't stand still forever. I have to start. Oh no, I have to start... running.
Days of learning how to do journalism
If in Can Tho, I mainly wrote text combined with print newspapers and making videos, then when I came to Hanoi, I almost had to re-learn how to do journalism in a multimedia environment. The first thing that surprised me was not machinery or technology, but... my voice.
A strange female reporter, speaking with a Southern accent and introducing herself as a reporter for Lao Dong Newspaper, made many people need a few more minutes to trust and open their hearts. There were also times when I did not have time to start the conversation but received a shake of the head in refusal.
But then, that voice helped me have very cute meetings. Some people said they like to hear the Southern accent because it is gentle and familiar. Some people have been to Can Tho, excitedly telling me about their trips along Ninh Kieu wharf or Cai Rang floating market. Even a retired photographer stayed to chat for quite a long time just to share memories with the Southern land.
From such meetings, I gradually became more confident every time I held the microphone, stepped forward to a character and started a conversation.
In parallel with learning how to work, I also started to get acquainted with many new forms of content production.
Coming to Hanoi is also the first time I have done Interactive content - interactive quizzes. From finding a problem that is attractive enough, thinking about how to ask questions to choosing a way to express it in a way that is close to readers, everything is new and forces me to patiently learn every little bit.
Also here, I wrote the script for the YouTube news bulletin for the first time. The first news bulletins made me struggle from morning to afternoon. There were very small things, but I also had to ask colleagues: How to set attractive headlines, which images to choose that are suitable, or what time before the news bulletin needs to be completed? Each time I asked, I remembered one more time. Thus, what used to worry me every week has now become a familiar job, so each time I complete a news bulletin, I feel like I am taking another step on the journey of journalism.
Another thing that impressed me was the machinery and technology at the Multimedia Communication Center. The first time I stepped into the studio, I was really surprised by how a news bulletin is created. Each person takes on a stage, coordinates smoothly, so that after a few minutes of broadcasting is a lot of effort that I had never imagined before.
But above all, what Hanoi taught me most was speed. Not only fast in finding topics or processing information, but also fast so as not to be left behind by the changes of modern journalism.
There were days when I roamed under the harsh sun of the Capital to find characters. There were rainy afternoons when I rushed to the scene to report hot news. There were days when I was busy filming until the end of the day and still didn't have time to submit my paper. But there were also days when I finished a few consecutive products. Just like that, without me realizing it, I got used to the pace of work in Hanoi.
What Hanoi keeps
Hanoi not only gives me more journalism skills. Hanoi teaches me how to adapt. Teaches me to be calmer before each interview, more proactive when standing in the middle of the field and understand that journalists today not only need to write well but also need to know how to tell stories with many different foundations.
More than 5 months ago, the suitcase I brought from Can Tho to Hanoi only had a few sets of clothes, a laptop and a camera. Today, that camera still follows me on every route of work. The only difference is that the person holding it has become much more confident.
I will still remember the early days with colleagues roaming the streets of Hanoi searching for characters; remember the times we attended events together, filmed the scene; remember even the afternoons wandering around a few streets just to decide what to eat today. Those are all very simple memories, but they will follow me for a long time.
If one day I return to the Mekong Delta, perhaps Hanoi will no longer have the small reporter who was once bewildered in crowded streets. But for me, Hanoi will always be a beautiful milestone. Because I understand that the most precious thing about a trip is not how far I have traveled, but how much more I have matured after that journey.
