General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong – A close and profound teacher of journalists

These days, the mass media and websites at home and abroad are flooded with articles, interviews, poems, and vivid images about the simple, honest life and impressive career of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong presents the Ho Chi Minh Medal of the Party and State to Vietnam News Agency at the ceremony to celebrate its 65th founding anniversary (September 15, 1945 - September 15, 2010). Photo: Tri Dung/VNA

Leaders of countries, diplomats, experts and scholars, and ordinary people at home and abroad, all expressed their respect and sorrow at the passing of a dedicated and visionary leader of the Party, State and people of Vietnam, an exemplary role model for the country and the people, a close comrade and brother, and a sincere friend of international friends. For the specialized reporters who had the honor of accompanying and reporting on the activities of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the profound memories and lessons about the leader of our Party will forever be engraved and resonate with time. The first Tet interview with National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong It was an honor and a blessing for me to be assigned by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) as a specialized reporter for National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong and later General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong from September 2006 until the completion of the 13th National Party Congress. During that time, I was able to participate in reporting and writing articles on many of his business trips, traveling to all 63 provinces, cities and many countries around the world. But until now, I still remember clearly the first Tet interview on the occasion of Tet Mau Ty 2008, when he had been Chairman of the National Assembly for more than a year. This was also the time of transition between two terms of the National Assembly, summarizing the term XI and orienting the term XII with many important tasks. He answered the interview directly, in a simple working room at the National Assembly Office, 37 Hung Vuong. His words were simple, rustic but clear and profound, making me, a young reporter, understand and express in the article fully and accurately the ideas, enthusiasm, wishes and determination of the head of the highest state power agency, the highest representative agency of the people. When asked “What is the most meaningful thing in the work of directing and operating”, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong shared: “I think, I am still among the people, from the people, so from the elderly, children, women…, I respect and really listen. Practical life experience, opinions from the people, feelings from the people, that is an inexhaustible source, enriching me a lot. I see that I have not traveled much and still want to travel much more. But the important thing is to choose a practical way to travel; travel to learn from the people, learn from practice, how to make policies and laws not far from life”. And his greatest wish is “to improve and innovate the organization and operation methods of the National Assembly towards increasingly high quality and efficiency, promoting democracy in a real way, and the National Assembly operating substantially”. As Chairman of the National Assembly or General Secretary, he spent a lot of time traveling to localities, to areas with many difficulties, ethnic minority areas... to understand the reality, understand the people better, from there make the right decisions, in accordance with the people's wishes. He once shared: "Respect, listen and filter, at the same time must have opinions to organize the work well. When traveling to localities, or working abroad, I am deeply aware of that". His ideas were expressed in the program of visiting countries later, the General Secretary often requested to arrange to visit localities, new development models of other countries to "study and refer" to good experiences. For me, a journalist, his sharing is also a motto for action later. Practice shows that quality articles, well received by the public, are journalistic works drawn from life, from reality and from the people. The maturity of a writer also comes from practicing the lesson of humility, learning and seeking knowledge. Right role, right lesson

Editor-in-Chief of Communist Magazine Nguyen Phu Trong receives a commemorative banner from the Party Central Committee presented to the Magazine at the ceremony to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the first issue of the Party Theory Magazine and the 40th anniversary of the first issue of the Communist Magazine (December 15, 1930 - December 15, 1995). Photo: Xuan Lam/VNA

Having worked for nearly 30 years at the Study Magazine, now the Communist Magazine, as a sharp and erudite writer, Journalist Nguyen Phu Trong has always paid special attention to press information work in general, including the group of specialized reporters, creating favorable conditions for them to complete their tasks. With photojournalists such as journalist Tri Dung of VNA, colleagues Chu Tuan or later Le Tuan of Vietnam Television (VTV); Trung Hung, Duc Thanh of Hanoi Television (HTV) ... surely all were very touched and always grateful to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong because during his business trips, he always paid great attention, creating favorable conditions in terms of time for reporters to move in time, recording images of important moments of events. During meetings and work, he often took a few rare minutes during breaks, going down to the end of the meeting room to talk with the group of reporters in a friendly and humorous manner. This is also the way the General Secretary opens up to us a lot about the content that needs to be conveyed. The General Secretary's way of speaking, talking or exchanging is always concise, logical, tight, the language is simple, easy to understand, easy to remember, convenient for reporters to report, write articles, and convey accurate information to the public. For some important articles and interviews, he always spends time editing and giving us comments, so that the language is standard in journalism. The group of specialized reporters includes colleagues from a number of key press agencies with different job characteristics, each with a different task, but always accompanying, sticking together, and supporting each other in work and life. I always feel lucky to work in a professional team, from style to expertise, and to be accompanied by many sharp, experienced reporters. The bond that connects and unites us is the General Secretary's advice: "must be in the right role, know the lesson", each person must try to do their part well.

That advice was also reminded by the General Secretary to many people, when working in many places, the more we thought about it, the more we found it true and applied it to our daily work. During the General Secretary's business trips, with a tight schedule, working in unfamiliar locations, and different time zones, journalist Tri Dung and I both tried our best to send photos and news to the agency as soon as possible to provide them to newspapers and radio stations for publication, contributing to the completion of the task of a national news agency. Or journalist Phuong Mai (VTV), at all costs to have information and images in time to broadcast at the prescribed time of the National Television Station. Each reporter in the group made the greatest effort to complete the assigned task, also contributing to the success of the business trip. A true communist, the Commander-in-Chief of the people's hearts

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong participates in a traditional dance of ethnic minorities in Kon Ro Bang 2 village, Vinh Quang commune, Kon Tum city. Photo: Tri Dung/VNA

In recent days, all over the country, Vietnamese people in their own way continue to express their precious feelings and mourn General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and affectionately call him "Commander-in-Chief of the people's hearts". It is touching to see his image in simple clothes, using the official car for many years, the simple office surrounded by many books at the Party Central Committee Headquarters, the gentle smile and the firm handshakes with the people when visiting the regions, from urban to rural, mountainous, island... When coming to the people, he blends in with the people, visits and talks with the elderly, affectionately holds children in his arms, like relatives. He often introduces himself as being born and raised in the countryside outside Hanoi, telling stories about himself, his family and many other families during that period. His simple and friendly way of telling stories made everyone very happy... Wherever he went, he left a deep impression of a simple style, close to the people. And perhaps it was his love for the people and respect for the people that forged the spirit of a true leader, humane but also extremely persistent, determined, and uncompromising in the fight against corruption, negativity, and in building and rectifying the Party. Kind but resolute, simple but extremely steadfast, that style and personality followed him in diplomatic activities to many countries around the world, when standing shoulder to shoulder with heads of countries, no matter how powerful, in any situation, the interests of the nation and people were always the ultimate goal. The people of the whole country and international friends mourned him - a true communist who combined intelligence, personality, and courage.

Nguyen Su (Vietnam News Agency)

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/tong-bi-thu-nguyen-phu-trong-nguoi-thay-gan-gui-va-sau-sac-cua-nhung-nguoi-lam-bao-20240722072819827.htm