The national flag flies
Beyond the meaning of a sports festival, the 31st SEA Games has truly become a festival of solidarity and friendship. The theme of the Games “For a stronger Southeast Asia” has shone and spread strongly, leaving a good and unforgettable impression on the members of the participating sports delegations as well as international friends.
This Sports Festival is also a place where many domestic and foreign reporters and journalists come to directly attend, report on events, matches and experience life as well as learn about the country and people of Vietnam.
Attending the competition days of the Vietnamese team in this tournament, photojournalist Le Thuy Nguyen - Nhan Dan Newspaper recorded many memorable and proud moments of the country's athletes. With the work "Proud of the Vietnamese Fatherland" - Le Thuy Nguyen excellently won the Silver Prize, Sports Category at the "Press Moments" Award Ceremony in 2022 organized by the Journalist & Public Opinion Newspaper.
Work: Pride of Vietnam.
Recalling that time, Le Thuy Nguyen said that the reporting process at this Congress was deployed after the Lunar New Year 2022. Although he received support and facilitation from the leaders of the Sports Training Centers as well as the teams, he and his colleagues still had to be very careful in the process of contacting the athletes when everyone clearly understood that just a little carelessness could affect the entire long-term preparation of the athletes, the team, the sport as well as the Vietnamese sports delegation in general.
Le Thuy Nguyen is not a photojournalist who directly follows sports, but he considers working at a major sporting event right at home a rare opportunity and is very excited about this job. In addition, this is also an opportunity for him to meet and exchange not only with colleagues in the country but also in Asia.
Normally, many people imagine that sports reporters will be immersed in the large, airy space of stadiums and magnificent gymnasiums. However, to get beautiful photos, sports reporters need to be flexible, creative, especially have an understanding of the sports field and the ability to judge situations.
Le Thuy Nguyen was allowed by his family to study Taekwondo since he was a child and for about 7 years. Therefore, he proactively registered with the unit's leaders, the department's organizing committee and the gymnasium to be able to work there during the days of Taekwondo competitions.
With the work "Proud of Vietnam", Le Thuy Nguyen recounted that on the afternoon of May 16, 2022, under the enthusiastic cheers of the audience at Tay Ho District Gymnasium, Hanoi, the Vietnamese Taekwondo team had an excellent competition day in the performance competitions when winning 4 Gold Medals out of 5 final competitions.
In the Men's Team Standard Martial Arts event, Tran Ho Duy, Nguyen Dinh Khoi, and Nguyen Thien Phung also brought good news to the Vietnamese Sports Delegation. Each movement was performed decisively and strongly by the athletes. After 2 performances, the athletes achieved an average score of 7.782, thereby winning the Gold Medal for Vietnamese sports.
"The moment Tran Ho Duy, Nguyen Dinh Khoi, and Nguyen Thien Phung raised the Vietnamese national flag in the stadium was captured by me with continuous camera clicks and I was lucky to have a satisfactory photo called "Proud of Vietnam" which won the prize in the "Press Moments" Photo Contest 2022", Mr. Nguyen recalled.
For Le Thuy Nguyen, during his time working at the 31st SEA Games, he also got to live through "historic" moments. "Every time I witness the moment when Vietnamese athletes win the Gold Medal, I am always very emotional, excited and very proud, and our job is to convey those sacred moments to our fans," Le Thuy Nguyen shared.
Choosing to be a photojournalist was the right thing to do.
Le Thuy Nguyen officially became a photojournalist in 2017, when he worked at the Photo Department, Secretariat - Editorial Board, Nhan Dan Newspaper, for nearly 7 years now. However, fate brought him to photography long before that.
"When I was a 9th grader with a film camera that my grandfather brought back during a business trip abroad, then during my high school years with a digital camera that my family bought for me, I started taking the first simple pictures, from pictures of friends in class or wandering alone in the old town or flower market. After graduating from high school, I was determined and passed the entrance exam to the Photography Department of the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema," said Le Thuy Nguyen.
Author Le Thuy Nguyen received the Silver Prize - Sports Category at the "Press Moments" Awards Ceremony 2022. (Photo: Son Hai)
Working at Nhan Dan newspaper helped Le Thuy Nguyen hone her skills and qualities. From a wandering student who took photos with beautiful compositions and lighting and considered them beautiful works, Le Thuy Nguyen understood that photojournalism is different from other genres of photography because it must follow a strict framework of rules and ethics.
The stories told must be true, told objectively and not influenced by the photographer’s personal emotions. The pictures are all aimed at evoking strong emotions in the viewer. While conventional journalism uses words and supporting images to narrate events, photojournalism is the complete opposite, using body language and facial expressions to build the story, something that words alone cannot do.
"More and more, I feel that I chose this job correctly. In 2023, I visited many places in the S-shaped strip of land from North to South, from the capital to the Northwest highlands or down to the Mekong Delta. Everywhere I went, I left unforgettable emotions, memorable memories and recorded many beautiful moments in this life," Le Thuy Nguyen expressed.
Regarding his plans for 2024, Le Thuy Nguyen shared that as a reporter for Nhan Dan Newspaper, he will continue to carry out the tasks assigned by the leaders and agencies. In addition, he plans to make trips to new lands, meet and learn about different people and cultures across the country to be able to produce better quality works.
"In 2024, our country will have many big holidays, along with many festivals, cultural and sports activities. This is also an opportunity for me to immerse myself in those special events and record beautiful moments about life and people in the lands I pass through," said Le Thuy Nguyen.
Phan Hoa Giang
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