Doing journalism in rural highlands region: Challenging but full of pride

ĐBP - Working at the Department of Ethnic Radio and Television under the Điện Biên Phủ Newspaper for over 20 years, I have always been with the people, listening to and reflecting their lives and thoughts in the highlands. As a member of the Hmong ethnic group, I consider it an honor to work in journalism and broadcasting in my native language.

I serve as both a translator and a radio broadcaster in the Hmong language. Beyond my work in the office, I frequently visit the field, working alongside fellow reporters to write news stories and produce reports. This allows me to get closer to the actual lives of the people, listen to their struggles, and understand the difficulties they face. As a result, our news programs are not just pieces of information but also contain emotions, feelings, and a deep sense of responsibility to the community.

Reporters in the Covid-19 hotspot in Si Pa Phìn commune (Nậm Pồ district). Photo: Hồ Quang

Journalism in the rural highlands region is undoubtedly difficult; roads are hard to navigate, weather is harsh, and in some areas, it takes a whole day of walking to reach the filming locations. But it is during these trips that I truly understand the role of an ethnic journalist. We are not only news deliverers, but also a bridge between the Party, the government, and the people. We help raise awareness, preserve traditional cultures, and ignite a sense of pride and confidence in our ethnic communities.

In a highland area like Điện Biên, journalism is not about sitting in a studio and writing news for broadcasting; to get the authentic footage and news in ethnic languages, we have to travel to the farthest villages. Many of these remote villages have weak mobile signals, slippery dirt roads, and sometimes we have to walk through forests or wade across streams, carrying heavy equipment. On some trips, my colleagues and I wake up at 4 or 5 AM, travel by motorbike for many kilometers, and then walk for half a day to reach our destination.

Every time we go to a village, we are not only journalists but also community workers. The people in these areas are kind and honest, but issues like child marriage, drug use, and harmful traditions are sensitive topics, and not everyone is open to sharing them. Journalists must be patient, close to the people, and earn their trust to gather authentic information. There have been times when my colleagues and I had to stay overnight in the villages, enduring a lack of electricity and water, just to capture a story that reflects the true life of the people.

Reporter Lầu Sĩ Di, from the Ethnic Radio and Television Division under the Điện Biên Phủ Newspaper, work in Xa Dung commune (Điện Biên Đông district).

Throughout my career, I have continually learned, both from the formal education I received and from the practical experiences shared by my colleagues. All of these have helped me improve my skills and enhance the quality of my journalistic work. I always strive to present fresh, lively content that is easy for the people to understand and engage with. Every piece of footage, news report, and feature story we produce is the result of passion, responsibility, and love for the profession and the people. We continuously innovate in both content and presentation to make ethnic language programs more engaging and accessible to audiences. This innovation has led to our Hmong and Thai language programs being widely followed by listeners and viewers both within the province and across the country.

In the modern age, maintaining and improving the quality of ethnic radio and television programs not only helps preserve cultural heritage but also provides the people with quick, accurate, and timely access to information. As a journalist, I feel the need to keep learning, creating, and improving to fulfill my role as a reporter in the highlands and to continue evolving the ethnic language programs.

Quang Hưng (as told by reporter Lầu Sĩ Di)
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