VOV wins ABU 2026 Award with story of healing Rang Cua peak

The work tells the story of Mong ethnic people in Sin Suoi Ho replanting rhododendron forests following a wildfire, highlighting a journey of natural and human healing.

the podcast reportage by journalists An Kien and Khac Kien from VOV's Northwest Bureau was honored with the Excellence Award in the radio category under the ABU Theme Perspectives Award genre for 2026 on the evening of November 1 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, within the framework of the 63rd General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). This marks the sixth consecutive year that VOV has been honored with top awards at the ABU Awards ceremony.

The reportage takes listeners to the peak of Rang Cua, 2,852 meters above sea level, located in Sin Suoi Ho commune, Lai Châu province, where a century-old rhododendron forest was burned down in a wildfire in early 2025. Just a week after the disaster, Vang A Chinh, who previously worked with local residents to transform Sin Suoi Ho from an impoverished, opium-plagued village into an "ASEAN Community Tourism Village", quietly shouldered 5 kilograms of seeds up the mountain to replant the forest.

More than a year later, two VOV journalists undertook a 16-kilometer round-trip journey, including 8 kilometers of steep, rocky uphill climbing through hail, to seek answers from the primeval forest. Right on the burned mountain peak, the journalists replayed a video clip for Chnh showing him breaking down in tears before the scorched rhododendron forest over a year ago, evoking raw, enduring emotions.

At the mountaintop, they discovered rhododendron sprouts just about 5 centimeters long rising from the ashes, alongside fresh shoots emerging from the blackened tree stumps. From there, the work relates a story about the healing of nature, the community, and past wounds, tied to a simple philosophy of the Mong people: "narrow a path to spare a tree."

The soundscape of the work is woven from heavy breathing on the mountain trail, the crackling of wildfire, stream water, and three traditional instruments of the Mong people: the mouth harp (kèn môi), leaf flute (kèn lá), and bamboo pipe (khèn). Prior to the ABU 2026 Awards, the work won the Gold Award in the podcast category at the 17th National Radio Festival.

Speaking at the award ceremony, journalist An Kiên shared: "Today, standing on the stage of the ABU 2026 Awards Ceremony is a great honor and pride for me. I want to share this joy and honor with Vang A Chnh and the Mong compatriots in Sin Suoi Ho. To me, this award rightly belongs to them, the people who day and night diligently heal the Rang Cua ancient rhododendron forest as a promise to nature, conveying a noble healing message to the community. On this occasion, I would like to express my sincere thanks to VOV's leadership and the ABU for always creating the best conditions for journalists to spread the value of radio works that raise community awareness."

According to him, what gives the work its weight at the ABU Awards is physical presence: "No technology can replace a journalist's duty to go, to travel, and to listen with the whole heart. The heavy breathing on rocky slopes, the moment a Mong man chokes up right on a burned mountaintop, those things can only be found in the field."

The ABU Awards are annual international journalism awards presented by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). Established in 1964, ABU currently has 224 member broadcasters across 66 countries and territories. This year, the radio category featured 133 entries from member broadcasters competing across seven genres.

VOV had three entries advancing to the finals in the Podcast, Current Affairs News, and 2026 Theme Perspectives Award categories. This is also the first time a domestic regional bureau of the broadcaster has participated in the ABU Awards and claimed this prestigious professional prize.

The recognition of a work from a highland resident bureau at the ABU 2026 Awards affirms the vitality of field radio in the digital age as a to spreading the image of a humane Vietnam that preserves nature and cultural identity to international friends.

VOV wins ABU 2025 Excellence Award in Social Message category

VOV.VN - The Voice of Vietnam (VOV) has claimed the Excellence Award in the Social Message category at the ABU 2025 Awards for its radio production “Late Regret”, delivering a strong call to parents against child marriage.