Journalist Tran Thien Nhien: ”Young journalists should be patient”

Despite having retired many years ago, veteran journalist Tran Thien Nhien still has a strong attachment to his former career in journalism.

 

During war time, he tried to be on the scene as soon as he heard no more sounds of B52 bombers flying ahead. During peace time, he visited many different areas throughout the country and today, the name Tran Thien Nhien is still associated with VOV articles.

 

Mr Nhien confided, “Even though I have been retired for a long time, I am still keen on writing work. I write at least eight articles a month.”

 

Regarding current journalism, Mr Nhien said that now, young journalists have many more opportunities to improve their professional skills thanks to the advanced technology, easier travel and better working conditions. However, they have to cope with fiercer competition in seeking out new sources of information so that they can relay their stories to the public as soon as possible.

 

According to him, young journalists should be “patient” as no one gains fame and fortune as soon as they begin a career. Young journalists should accumulate array of professional experiences and devote themselves to their work. They need to pay more attention to their writing style, especially in the words and sentences they use to keep the purity of Vietnamese language, stressed Mr Nhien.

 

Many of Mr Nhien’s articles were awarded and appreciated by the public. He said he has constantly broadened his journalistic knowledge by keeping himself updated on latest developments in the country as well as by reading books and newspapers.

 

Looking back on his time spent at VOV, Mr Nhien said, “If someone asked me, what was the best decision I made in my career, I would not hesitate to say that it was my decision to work for VOV, since only VOV could help my articles pull more weight and reach a wider audience.

 

 

Journalist Doan Cong Que, Editor-in-Chief of VOV News Online: “The important thing is to be devoted to journalism.”

“Returning from the battlefield after the war of resistance against the American invaders, I continued my studies at the College of Foreign Languages, where I had just finished the first month of my third academic year in the English Department six years before.

 

In August 1978, we students were absorbed in preparing for our graduation exams when representatives from the Radio and Television Broadcasting Commission came to the college to recruit two English students with excellent academic records and a good voice for Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV). I was one of the two students recruited. Three days after graduating on August 15, 1978, I received a word from VOV that I had been accepted.

 

Mr Que interviewed former state president Tran Duc Luong

When I started working for VOV, I was asked to complete the necessary procedures to get to India to learn Hindi so that VOV could broadcast a Hindi-language program. After waiting for a month, we were informed that the trip had been postponed. Then I was moved to the English section of the VOV overseas service, which is now VOV channel 5.

 

I admit that I didn’t know much about journalism at that time and didn’t know where to begin. When the war on the northern border broke out in 1979, our trip to India was cancelled indefinitely.

 

I began setting out a plan to self-study. I said to myself that I needed not hide my professional ignorance but learn from my colleagues and the daily bulletins released by the Vietnam News Agency.

 

Recognizing my progress, some of the then senior editors such as Vuong Thinh and Nguyen Van Van appointed me to work in the General Affairs Section of the overseas service. In my new position, I got a lot of assistance from senior colleagues.

 

A young colleague confided in me: “Uncle, you seem to have special ties with our VOV, because you have been working there over the past 30 years.” I told him “It might have been by chance but once you chose this career, you would feel enthusiastic and confident about your job.”

 

 

Journalist Pham Manh Hung, deputy director of VOV bureau in the Central Highland region: Encountering problems are part of a journalist’s career.

Pham Manh Hung

After ten years of working in VOV, I found that what I had learned from the older generations, the training courses I had attended had helped me tremendously in my career. 

 

Journalists often encounter problems when writing investigative reports just as in other types of media. In these circumstances, journalists should know how to overcome both subjective and objective difficulties to write good articles, which address the issues that affect the country and the people. You come to realize that it is impossible to avoid problems and confrontations when you are a journalist. 

 

I chose the radio broadcasting service journalism and VOV by chance. After graduating from the Law University in 1996, I took a test held by VOV with the aim of recruiting new reporters. Fortunately, although many candidates registered for the examination, I was selected and began to work for VOV.

 

Without support from outstanding journalists such as Nguyen Quang Huy, Tran Nam Binh and the knowledge I gained from training courses offered by VOV, I would not have become a good journalist. I also had opportunities to work for other news agencies, but I still decided to stay at VOV to develop my career.

 

Journalists should travel to gain more real life experiences to be able to write good articles. Each region has its own attractive characteristics and if journalists take the pains to accumulate experiences, they will discover many new things happening in society which encourage them to write good news stories./.