Writer, journalist Diep Vam Co
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 - June 21, 2025), composer and journalist Diep Vam Co composed the song "Proud of a Hundred Years of Vietnamese Revolutionary Journalism" to portray the profession as a source of pride. Long An Radio and Television Newspaper and Station reporters had a conversation with composer and journalist Diep Vam Co about this song.
- Reporter: When did author and journalist Diep Vam Co start working in journalism and what awards did he win during his years of working as a journalist, author?
Writer and journalist Diep Vam Co: I started working at Long An Radio and Television Station in 1995 when the station started broadcasting on September 23, 1995, and retired in early 2019. In 1995, the arts sector had not yet been established, so reporters all did reports and news. In 1996, the arts sector was established, and I was assigned to be an arts editor.
During my 25 years at the station, I made a number of reports, including a documentary called Living with Floods, edited by me and filmed by journalist Vo Huy, which won the Silver Medal at the National Television Festival in 1996. It was a beautiful start when I first entered journalism.
In the following years, I had works that won certificates of merit at the National Television Festival in 2000 with the work "The Road to Uncle Ho's Hometown", and in 2005 with the play "The Sun Passes Through the Night". At the National Radio Festivals, I also had works that won awards such as the Silver Medal in 2010 with the work "The Returning River", the Bronze Medal in 2012 with the work "Thanksgiving", and the Ancient Temple in 2014.
- Reporter: When mentioning composer Diep Vam Co, the audience will remember songs like Tinh bau muon thoi (I want to stop), Yeu em nhu thoi binh nhi (Love you like a private), Ky uc hoa dao (Peach blossom memory), Bao gio anh dau kho (Come to me), Bang lang tim (Purple jacaranda),... So did the composer participate in composing first or work for the newspaper first?
Writer and journalist Diep Vam Co: Before that, I knew nothing about journalism but loved literature and art, loved vọng cổ songs. At first, I wrote poetry, and the poetry and lyrics of vọng cổ songs were like a shadow, very close, so anyone who knew how to write poetry would switch to vọng cổ writing very easily. Knowing that my poetry was not as good as others, I switched to vọng cổ writing and luckily succeeded.
Thanks to that, I was transferred to work at Long An Radio and Television Station at that time. After that, the agency created conditions for me to participate in a professional training course with a university program in journalism, so I became more confident in journalism. Thus, I participated in literary and artistic creation before coming to journalism.
In literary and artistic composition, in addition to poetry and vọng cổ songs, I also participated in writing cải lương scripts. Among them, the play Hồi xuân Dược was my first cải lương script, staged by the Long An and Tây Ninh cải lương troupes, then plays such as Mat troi qua dem, Mua bong dien dien,... and later I also wrote a few bolero songs.
- Reporter: On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day, do any writers and journalists have any works written about this special event?
Composer and journalist Diep Vam Co: On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day, the provincial Cultural and Artistic Center - the unit in charge of the performing arts program at the celebration, asked me to write a vọng cổ song for this event. Thanks to that suggestion, I feel honored and lucky because this is something I have cherished for a long time. I wrote the song Pride in the 100th Anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press.
=PV: Since it is a beloved and cherished topic, how did the composer put the emotions accumulated over many years of working as a journalist into this song?
Composer and journalist Diep Vam Co: With this song, if I only convey my own thoughts, it is certainly not enough. Because the 100-year journey of journalism has gone through many hardships and it was Uncle Ho who founded journalism with the first Thanh Nien newspaper on June 21, 1925, the first vọng cổ verse I wrote was: “... Remembering “June 21, 1925, Guangzhou, China. Beloved Uncle Ho remained steadfast. He published the first issue of Thanh Nien newspaper, laying the foundation for the Vietnamese revolutionary press to develop continuously”.
It is impossible to tell everything with just a few vọng cổ verses, but with the 100-year history of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press, the song partly depicts the image of journalists who participated in the early stages, especially Uncle Ho - who was both a journalist and a teacher for many writers.
So that the foundation of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press becomes increasingly solid, contributing to the cause of national liberation, moving towards building a rich and beautiful homeland. And in verses 5 and 6 of the song, I put in the special moments later, that is, when the country is at peace with the column "Things to do immediately" by the General Secretary , journalist Nguyen Van Linh in the Nhan Dan Daily, which has breathed new life into the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press, which is even more precious to everyone. I hope the song will be well received by delegates and journalists at the 100th Anniversary of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press Day.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day, I wish all journalists a very happy anniversary, always keep your passion for the profession bright, continue to make positive contributions to the journalism of your province in particular and the whole country in general.
- Reporter: Thank you, writer and journalist Diep Vam Co!./.
Diem Trang (performed)
Source: https://baolongan.vn/gap-go-tac-gia-bai-ca-tu-hao-tram-nam-bao-chi-cach-mang-viet-nam-a197349.html
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