From upland roads, amidst the heart of floods, or within the digital transformation flow of modern journalism, they quietly accompany life, recording the heartbeat of the homeland and spreading good values with the mettle, responsibility, and heart of a journalist. On the occasion of the 101st anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 - 2026), journalists and reporters from the Điện Biên Newspaper, Radio, and Television share their memories, emotions, and the journey attached to the profession they have chosen.

Pride and happy journey

31 years attached to the journalism profession is a journey of trips, meetings, and countless unforgettable memories. If anyone asks what keeps my passion for the craft intact until today, it is perhaps the happiness of traveling to many places, meeting many people, and telling beautiful stories with all my responsibility and love for the profession.

As a reporter for the News Department at the Điện Biên Newspaper, Radio, and Television, I always think that journalism is a very special profession. This is because every working day brings new experiences and unforgettable emotions. During my career, I have had the opportunity to set foot in many rural areas, many remote and border villages of Điện Biên province. There are trips that I still remember vividly to this day - the day of joining colleagues to overcome dozens of kilometers of mountain passes, wading through streams, and crossing slippery roads to reach upland residents.

The reporting assignment to the Mường Pồn flood zone in July 2024 is a memory I will never forget. Immediately after the flash flood occurred, we quickly rushed to the scene. Witnessing many grieving families, houses and properties swept away, cut-off routes, mud covering everywhere, and the stunned eyes of residents who lost loved ones and assets after the disaster, I was deeply moved.

In the face of complicated weather conditions, reporting encountered numerous difficulties. However, the closer I was to the heart of the flood, the more clearly I felt the responsibility of a journalist. We did not just report on losses and pain but also spread the spirit of solidarity and community sharing from functional forces who were working day and night to support residents in overcoming natural disaster aftermaths. That trip helped me understand that behind each news bulletin is not just information, but also the responsibility to spread sharing, connect love, and instill more faith in people during difficult times.

Arduous as it was, those very trips made me love the profession even more. I met ordinary but highly resilient people, listened to stories about the journey of overcoming hardships, and the desire to rise up among the people at the nation’s border. What makes me feel happiest is witnessing the day-by-day transformation of my homeland - from villages still facing many difficulties to rural areas that are thriving; from households struggling to make a living to efficient economic models that help people stabilize their lives.

Journalism has also taught me valuable lessons about perseverance, caution, and responsibility, because behind each word is the public’s trust in the journalist. Therefore, every piece of information must be verified to ensure accuracy and objectivity. Through many years in the profession, I realize that the greatest reward is when my work is truly useful to the community. It could be an article that helps spread a good model, a beautiful example, or contributes to reflecting and untangling difficulties and snags in people’s lives.

Looking back on the path traveled, I cherish the profession I have been attached to for more than half my life even more. Journalism has given me unforgettable memories, the opportunity to travel more, understand life better, and mature every day. To me, being a journalist is not just a job, but also a source of pride and a happy journey to continue writing beautiful stories about the land and people of Điện Biên.

Thu Phương

Maturing after each assignment

For reporter Hoàng Út of the Topical Programs Department at the Điện Biên Newspaper, Radio, and Television, nearly 15 years attached to the profession has been a journey of tireless trips, deep commitment, and responsibility for every life story conveyed to the public.

To her, coming to the journalism profession was both a choice and destiny. Loving writing, exploring, and discovering, Hoàng Út decided to choose journalism as her long-term path. “Perhaps the profession chose me,” she said.

In her early days entering the profession, she realized that journalism is not just the work of reporting news but also a bridge between the Party, authorities, and the People. Each working trip, each meeting with a character, and each recorded story helped her understand life better. These very ordinary things have nurtured her love for the profession over many years. Being a journalist in Điện Biên means regularly traveling to deep and remote areas. Arduous as it is, she has never allowed herself to falter, because behind each trip are stories that need to be told and images that need to be captured.

Among many reporting trips, she remembers best the days holding down the scene in the Mường Pồn flood zone in 2024 and in Xa Dung, Mường Luân, and Tìa Dình communes during the 2025 rainy and stormy season. Overcoming eroded, muddy routes to reach people in natural disaster areas, she witnessed houses buried, assets swept away, stunned eyes, and the pain and loss of the residents, which deeply choked her heart. Yet amidst that desolation, she witnessed beautiful gestures of human kindness. It was the image of cadres, soldiers, and rescue forces staying close to the area day and night to support residents in overcoming the aftermath; it was the sharing and sheltering of the community for families in distress. Those moments became not only truthful, emotionally charged footage but also left a deep imprint, instilling more motivation and faith in her on the path she chose.

She added that journalism always goes hand in hand with pressure regarding time, information accuracy, and public responsibility, yet those very pressures help her mature after each assignment. The greatest joy is when her works are embraced by the audience, and when stories are spread and bring positive values to the community.

Nearly 15 years in the craft, what journalist Hoàng Út cherishes most is not the awards or achievements gained, but the opportunity to travel more, understand life better, and accompany the transformation of her homeland, Điện Biên. On the long reporting roads ahead, her professional flame is still being quietly preserved to continue bringing truthful life stories to the public.

Minh Thư

Journalism is a part of my flesh and blood

Throughout nearly 30 years in journalism, working at the Điện Biên Newspaper, Radio, and Television, I have always believed that this is not merely a job to earn a living. The profession has become a source of pride, a part of my own flesh and blood.

The camera on my shoulder has followed my colleagues and me through countless roads from urban streets to remote villages. There have been long journeys, hurried and rushed trips, all just to capture the most truthful moments to bring the Party’s guidelines, the State’s policies, and the homeland’s rhythm of life closer to the audience.

As a reporter who both films and writes news and articles, I regularly participate in working groups. Many days begin before dawn, preparing the camera, tripod, and all kinds of equipment to be on time for departure. Our profession demands sharpness, accuracy, and the ability to process information right at the scene. Time pressure is always present, but to me, it is a responsibility, a trust placed by the agency and the audience.

I still remember reporting sessions where we had to walk for hours, crossing streams and climbing slopes to enter villages. Inside simple stilt houses under flickering oil lamps, residents still resiliently hold onto their land and villages, preserving their lives and cultural values. Children with bare feet and clear eyes walking to class on rugged roads... all have left unforgettable impressions on me. And those very images urge me to practice my craft with more responsibility. Each frame and line of news becomes a form of sharing, a desire to contribute a small voice so that the people’s lives improve day by day.

In the professional journey, there are unforgettable memories. To me, the most moving and proudest was the 21-day-and-night sea voyage with the Vietnam People’s Navy to bring Tet to officers and soldiers in the Trường Sa archipelago during the Bính Ngọ Tet in 2026.

Amidst the vast ocean, cramped living conditions, harsh sun and wind, and continuously rolling waves... we still diligently held onto our cameras, recording every image. Each piece of footage then served as a connection between the mainland and distant islands, with love for the Fatherland conveyed through every frame.

Nearly 30 years behind the lens, I continue to hold the camera, still traveling and recording ordinary moments of daily life. I understand that journalism involves many hardships and potential sacrifices... but it has also given me a journey worth living, a journey to travel, to record, and to contribute my small part to the development of the province.

Đức Bình

Maturing alongside modern journalism

Marking a full year since the Điện Biên Phủ Newspaper and the Provincial Radio and Television Station merged into the Điện Biên Newspaper, Radio, and Television, many reporters have had the opportunity to experience a new, more dynamic, and more diverse journalistic environment. For me, it has been a year of adaptation, learning, and growth in a multimedia journalism environment.

In the past, my work was attached to the pages of print newspapers. The baggage for each working trip back then was a camera and a notebook that grew thicker with residents’ stories, transformations in villages, or the results of implementing local guidelines and policies. After each trip were hours sitting by the computer to filter information and perfect the work. However, alongside the development of digital technology and the transformation trends of modern journalism, the way of doing journalism has step-by-step shifted.

The merger of the province’s two press agencies has opened up a new operating environment where reporters have the conditions to access all types of journalism, from print and electronic newspapers to radio and television. From a person who primarily did print and electronic journalism, I began to learn how to produce television reports and edit radio news. If a working trip previously served mainly one article, currently, for the same event, a reporter must prepare materials for multiple different information platforms. From taking notes, photographing, and filming to audio recording, each step demands proactivity, flexibility, and the ability to quickly adapt to job requirements. The workload is heavier, and demands for speed and quality are increasingly high. Yet precisely during this process, young journalists gain more opportunities to perfect themselves. Each time producing a television report, editing a radio news bulletin, or building a multimedia press product is an occasion to learn new skills.

What is valuable after a year of merger is the opportunity to learn between generations and types of journalism. Reporters coming from print backgrounds gain access to visual skills, and television and radio writing styles. Meanwhile, the television and radio staff also gain more experience in exploiting information depth, writing skills, and building article series from their print colleagues. This sharing of experience has contributed to forming a team of versatile reporters, meeting the development requirements of the press agency in the new phase.

Practicing journalism in the digital era requires reporters to continuously update knowledge and technology. Alongside traditional professional skills, utilizing video editing software, audio editing, graphic design, or applying artificial intelligence to the reporting process is gradually becoming essential skills. Each journalist must renew themselves so as not to fall behind the development speed of modern media.

One year after the merger is not a long time, but it is enough to clearly feel the movements of local journalism in the new era. For young reporters like me, that journey is still continuing. Every day in the profession is an opportunity to learn new skills, approach new ways of doing journalism, and maintain a solid passion for the chosen career.

Thùy Trang