Among the brothers, sisters, and colleagues under the "common roof" of the beloved Quang Tri Newspaper who have gone to the distant "white clouds" since the province's re-establishment (July 1989), perhaps journalist Dang Tho is the one with the most memories for me.
The article "Land waiting for harvest" published in Quang Tri newspaper on December 17, 1998 and portrait of journalist Dang Tho - Photo: D.T
Before Dang Tho joined Quang Tri Newspaper, he worked as a specialist at the Office of the Gia Lai - Kon Tum Provincial People's Committee, a reporter for Kon Tum Newspaper, and before that, he was a student at Hue University, and was sent to study to improve his qualifications at the Faculty of International Relations - Kiev University (former Soviet Union).
With such a "cool" resume, but unlike what I imagined, Dang Tho returned to the newspaper, working in the economic subcommittee with us with a unique appearance, a bit of the pensive mountain shadow, the quality of a tough, mature countryman who devoted himself to the hometown journalism community.
In Quang Tri, there are two people who, with their sharp intuition and deep understanding, have sketched the most realistic and clear portrait of Dang Tho. In my opinion, they are journalist Lam Chi Cong and Tong Phuoc Tri, a close literary friend and fellow countryman of Dang Tho.
In the article “Portraits of the Reporters of Cua Viet” published in Cua Viet Magazine, August 1998, on the occasion of the launch of the Cua Viet Magazine Report Team, journalist Lam Chi Cong introduced Dang Tho as follows: “The journalist nicknamed “The Revolting Farmer” Dang Tho is a reporter for Quang Tri Newspaper and a “special envoy” of Cua Viet Magazine in the Northern Quang Tri region.
In his professional biography, Dang Tho wrote: “The countryside and the fields are where I was born, grew up, and vowed to be faithfully attached to for the rest of my life...”. Perhaps that is why Dang Tho’s reports often carry the breath of the soil, the scent of rice, and the salty taste of farmers’ sweat.
Just looking at the titles of Dang Tho's articles: "Where is the forest?", "Don't forget the salty salt", "Drifting fishing village"... is enough to see that he is a reporter specializing in... "dark side reports", determined to go to the end of the truth, exposing and condemning the negatives and injustices in society. Dang Tho has the power to attract readers with a strong, somewhat... rustic writing style. He writes with difficulty and pain with each word. Although he doesn't appear much, the name Dang Tho has remained in the hearts of readers with beautiful feelings"...
Mr. Tong Phuoc Tri said in the article “Remembering Dang Tho - a farmer journalist”: “Dang Tho is a journalist, and I am a... farmer. When we were together, people thought Dang Tho was a farmer, and I was a... journalist! He was as simple as a farmer. When he worked at Quang Tri Newspaper, he specialized in writing about rural areas, agriculture and farmers! The editor-in-chief was good at choosing who to assign work to.
His whole person exuded a simple, honest air to the point of looking older than a farmer. Everything about him was old, except for his press card, which was brand new, because he kept it very carefully, so carefully that when he needed to find it... he couldn't find it! He said: "A press card is like a certificate of practice. When you become like a farmer, you don't need to show your card when interacting with farmers to work smoothly because they have accepted you"...
When Dang Tho was seriously ill and had to be hospitalized for treatment, in the final stages, knowing he would not survive, he asked me to come in and give me the black-covered workbook that had accompanied him back and forth during his hectic days of working as a journalist. He asked me to keep it for him to commemorate the days when we worked side by side in a difficult but joyful job.
Not long after Dang Tho passed away (he passed away at 11:20 a.m. on November 15, 1998, at the age of 43), I happened to take out the notebook to read. Right in the middle of the nylon cover, Dang Tho had clipped a letter dated September 24, 1998, written at Hue Central Hospital.
The content of the letter was a farewell to his brothers and colleagues with the sincere feelings of someone who knew he was about to leave. In addition to the letter, there was also a handwritten manuscript of an article with the title: “Rice Revival”, which he was writing unfinished. Reading the article, I had a fleeting thought of continuing this article. So the next day, I arranged to go to Vinh Thuy, Vinh Linh, to meet the character that Dang Tho mentioned, then complete the article.
Not long after that, on the headline of the article “Dat doi mua” published on December 17, 1998 in Quang Tri newspaper, there was a line in italics, underlined, and bold: “Continuing the article of a deceased colleague”. The article was jointly signed by Dang Tho and Dao Tam Thanh with a sapo, clearly stating: “Among the relics that journalist Dang Tho left behind, there is an unfinished article he was writing with the title: “Rice revival” of only nearly 200 words.
The article is about his hometown Thuy Ba, Vinh Thuy, Vinh Linh with the great efforts of the land and people to overcome the drought, fighting with the sky for every drop of water, saving for the harvest. Now the drought has passed, storms and floods have stopped raging in his beloved homeland, another new harvest has been urged from the plows, bringing a full year to a close.
The reporter of Quang Tri Newspaper was present (albeit very late) at the very place where Dang Tho had been, gratefully and gratefully completing the article, as a stick of incense to commemorate his dear colleague who is no longer here. Please allow me to not keep the original title of his article to suit the current time. Surely in the afterlife, Dang Tho would agree with the writer like that"...
The epilogue of the article is the co-author’s confession: “I bring the good vibes of a new harvest back to Dang Tho’s house. So the article after our two short trips has ended. Life is still moving vigorously according to its daily rhythm to end a difficult old year, opening a new year full of love and hope.
I lit an incense stick on Dang Tho's altar and lit a cigarette for him. The cigarette burned, leaving a faint smoke. I saw behind the portrait, Tho smiling as if just recently, after a stop on a business trip, Tho lit a cigarette, blew smoke into the sky, squinted at me with a mischievous smile"...
Because we have worked together for quite a long time, Dang Tho's writing style is not much different from mine. This is the only time up to now that there has been a co-signed article published in Quang Tri newspaper in which one person has passed into eternity, the other is still struggling with each word every day to continue to fulfill his job...
Dao Tam Thanh
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nho-nha-bao-dang-tho-186859.htm
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