Journalist Tran Thu Dong and memories of a war correspondent

Journalist Tran Thu Dong was a war correspondent of the Rach Gia Province Press and Information Subcommittee (B43) during the resistance war against the US to save the country. After the complete liberation of the South, he worked as a manager of many press agencies in An Giang Province, then held the position of Director of the An Giang Department of Sports and Physical Training, before retiring he was Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation...

We are the younger generation of journalists, the grandchildren of journalist Tran Thu Dong, often calling him by the intimate "names" "Brother Tam Dong", "Uncle Tam Dong", "Uncle Tam Dong".

Childhood by the Xa No River

Journalist Tran Thu Dong, born in 1944 in a relatively well-off farming family, had nearly 100 hectares of rice fields in the Muoi Hai Ngan canal in Long My district, Rach Gia province, now Vi Thanh commune, Vi Thuy district, Hau Giang province.

Mr. Tam Dong, recounted in his memoirs, when Japan overthrew France, his hometown people were left with nothing and had to evacuate to remote areas to make a living, mainly the Upper U Minh and Lower U Minh regions. Journalist Tran Thu Dong's family drifted to Kenh Nam in Chac Bang, Vinh Thuan district with nothing, "Uncle (calling his father Cau) dug the ground and worked as a hired hoe. Mother spun silk for neighbors to earn money to buy rice to make ends meet." In 1952, Mr. Tam's hometown was liberated, his uncle went to Kenh Nam to take his whole family from Chac Bang (Vinh Thuan) back to their homeland, and was given land to live by the revolutionary government.

Not yet 10 years old, Tran Thu Dong witnessed the devastation of war in his homeland. Deeply hating the enemy, the burning dream of the 16-year-old young man Tran Thu Dong was determined to join the army, "especially the main force army to reinforce the Eastern region like Tuong, Nghieu in the neighborhood, or at least like Chut, Giao, my friends. I confided this intention to Uncle Ma and my brothers and sisters, but no one in the family agreed" . All because the family was worried about him being too young, not knowing if he could join the fight or not!

Journalist Tran Thu Dong (1944-2024).

The dream of joining the army and the village guerrillas was not fulfilled, which was the great disappointment of the enthusiastic young man Tran Thu Dong. Not giving up his dream and ambition of youth, Tran Thu Dong asked the Secretary of the Youth Union to ask his mother to let him join the revolution, and finally his family accepted him to be a hamlet guerrilla in his hometown. Not long after joining the Hamlet Guerrilla Team of Muoi Hai Ngan Canal, Tran Thu Dong and his brothers bravely participated in many battles to destroy enemy posts, and to stop American ships from carrying bricks and stones from Vi Thanh to Muoi Hai Ngan Canal to build a post in his hometown. Later, journalist Tran Thu Dong excitedly recounted: "Not only did we surround the posts, we also shot at enemy warships."

After the Dong Khoi movement in 1960, the young man Tran Thu Dong was brought by his uncles and brothers from Muoi Hai Ngan to the U Minh Thuong revolutionary base, leaving his family to fight the resistance. The first job Tran Thu Dong was assigned by comrade Le Minh Hue (Hai Huynh), Head of the Propaganda Department of Rach Gia province, was to work as a cadre at Ho Van Tau Printing House, an agency located right in the U Minh Thuong base area.

Holding a pen and a gun to fight

In early 1966, in the midst of the fiercest resistance war against the US, Tran Thu Dong was transferred by the leadership of the Rach Gia Province Propaganda Department to a new job at the Rach Gia Province Press and Information Subcommittee with the code name B43. Returning to the new unit, bewildered by the new job, “I was both happy and worried…, happy because I fulfilled my wish to become a journalist,… worried because I had not yet learned the profession…” – Journalist Tran Thu Dong recounted.

After a short time, young cadre Tran Thu Dong and Truong Thanh Nha were sent by their unit to attend a journalism training class opened by the Propaganda Department of the Southwest Region in Nguyen Phich Commune, Thoi Binh District, Ca Mau Province in the U Minh Ha base. The class was directly taught by journalist Nguyen Thuy Nga (1925-2018), wife of General Secretary Le Duan. She was a female journalist who had received university training in journalism in China and held many leadership positions in the Party, government and press management in Bac Lieu, Can Tho, An Giang, and Ho Chi Minh City provinces. Before retiring, journalist Nguyen Thuy Nga was Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Saigon Giai Phong Newspaper - the mouthpiece of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.

Since the journalism course in U Minh Ha opened by the Propaganda Department of the Southwest Region, Tran Thu Dong truly became a war correspondent at the Rach Gia Province Press and News Subcommittee (B43), a profession that he was passionate about and thought that being a journalist was "satisfying".

With the youthful resilience, love for the profession, passion, and enthusiasm of the Ho Chi Minh generation, trained in politics and revolutionary journalism, during the fiercest years of the resistance war against the US, it seemed that there was no place without the footsteps of the young journalist and war reporter Tran Thu Dong.

The wartime journalism works of journalist Tran Thu Dong contributed strongly to encouraging the fighting spirit of cadres, soldiers and people in Rach Gia province, and made an important contribution to the propaganda task of the Rach Gia province Propaganda Department in the resistance war against the US to save the country.

Reports on the 76-day and night battle at Ba Hon - Hon Dat or the ambush at Thuy Lieu post, Go Quao district in 1967 with the resounding victory of the army and people of Rach Gia province were promptly published and broadcast on publications of the Liberation News Agency, Voice of Vietnam Radio or printed in the Chien Thang newspaper - the mouthpiece of the Rach Gia Provincial Party Committee.

Delegates attend the 80th birthday of journalist Tran Thu Dong in Rach Gia city.

Until now, journalist Truong Thanh Nha still keeps many publications of Chien Thang newspaper, including many journalistic works by author Tran Thu Dong and war reporters in B43, such as: journalist Truong Thai Hoa, journalist Le Trac, journalist Thai Dong Thang, journalist Pham Xuan Yen, journalist Truong Thanh Nha, journalist Le Nam Thang, journalist Ngo Hoang Van... Those are dear colleagues that journalist Tran Thu Dong cannot forget, when someone mentions them.

Everyone knows that journalism, especially war correspondents, is a sacred and noble task, but it is also extremely hard, difficult, dangerous, and can lead to sacrifice at any time. When entering the profession in the middle of a brutal war, young journalist Tran Thu Dong always carried within himself the love for his homeland and country, the ambition, dreams, and burning aspirations of a young man.

Journalist Truong Thanh Nha, former Chairman of the Kien Giang Province Journalists Association, once shared that “back then, there was no salary for working in journalism, but bombs and bullets were shared equally among the brothers”. In his memoir, journalist Tran Thu Dong once wrote: “I don’t know if there are any frontline reporters like us in the world. We went to the battlefield mainly with our pens, our heads and our courage, and we didn’t have any tools or machines to help us.”

During the war, journalism was lacking in many things. Not everyone had their own cameras. Cameras were mainly given by the agency when they went on assignment, and photographic film was extremely scarce, so every reporter had to save film. Journalist Tran Thu Dong said: “Cameras did not have modern telescopic guns like today. Therefore, we had to use our naked eyes… to observe and our heads… to remember! And taking photos? We had to let the enemy get really close or chase them really closely before pressing the shutter.”

After the complete liberation of the South, journalist Tran Thu Dong worked as a manager at press agencies in An Giang province, then held the position of Director of the Department of Physical Education and Sports of An Giang province for many years, and before retiring he was Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation.

The Last Birthday Party

More than a year ago, a few days after the Lunar New Year of Quy Mao 2023, journalist Le Nam Thang called me, "Tomorrow, Mr. Tam Dong will come to Rach Gia to wish a happy new year to his former colleagues at the Rach Gia Provincial Press and News Subcommittee (B43). That year, Mr. Tam Dong just turned 80 years old."

The Standing Committee of the Provincial Journalists Association, including journalist Le Thanh Phuong (Chairman of the Provincial Journalists Association), and I, along with journalist Le Nam Thang, organized a simple and warm birthday party at Nam Nho restaurant, Rach Gia city to "secretly" congratulate journalist Tran Thu Dong on his 80th birthday. The party was attended by all of his colleagues, such as: Journalist Pham Xuan Yen, journalist Truong Thanh Nha, journalist Truong Van Nhu, journalist Nguyen Thanh Ha, journalist Ngo Hoang Van, journalist Le Nam Thang, etc.

At that party, journalist Tran Thu Dong was moved and surprised, thanking the Provincial Journalists Association, colleagues and the younger generation for their warm and affectionate care. Saying goodbye to Kien Giang with great emotion and regret, Mr. Tam also promised that when he had the chance, he would come back to visit his colleagues, but now he could not do so. And that birthday was the last time that his colleagues and colleagues in Kien Giang could not see Mr. Tam again.

At 8:00 p.m. on August 23, 2024, journalist Truong Thanh Nha called me to inform me that journalist Tran Thu Dong had passed away at 5:44 p.m. on August 23, 2024, the 20th day of the 7th month of the year of Giap Thin, at the age of 81.

Journalist Doan Hong Phuc

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nha-bao-tran-thu-dong-va-ky-uc-phong-vien-chien-truong-nam-ay-post309146.html