For families where both husband and wife work in journalism, behind each news broadcast and each article published are countless silent efforts, arrangements, understanding and sharing. They are both life partners and colleagues, shouldering the pressure of work together, and maintaining a peaceful home amidst the hustle and bustle of journalism.
“Today, the reporter couple Minh Dung - Huyen Trang had a small filming session about giving opinions on the draft Resolution of the National Assembly amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 2013. Minh Dung - Huyen Trang are husband and wife, and in the near future, following the new direction, these two reporter friends will return to Yen Bai for work. So the couple decided to take a souvenir photo together…”, shared Ms. Truong Thi Van Anh, Secretary of Lao Cai City Youth Union on her personal page after working with the two reporters Minh Dung - Huyen Trang of Lao Cai Newspaper last May.
Perhaps, Ms. Van Anh is only one of the few people who know the reporter couple Minh Dung - Huyen Trang, because the two names are not too prominent and always quietly behind each work. Over the past ten years, they have accompanied each other to overcome many hardships to preserve their small family and still maintain their passion for journalism.
I started working at Lao Cai Radio and Television Station (now Lao Cai Newspaper) with Mr. Do Minh Dung and Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang since July 2013. Mr. Dung is from Yen Bai city, 15 km from Ms. Trang's hometown in Ha Hoa district, Phu Tho province. Living far from home and working in the same profession, they gradually became close, chatting and sharing every day. Their feelings blossomed from the harmony in thinking and companionship in work. Two years later, Minh Dung and Huyen Trang officially got married. Once, I joked: "Who "wooed" who first, Mr. Dung or Trang?" The couple laughed: "No one "wooed" the other, both of them "fell" on their own, it's truly an irresistible fate.
This year marks 10 years since the two got married. Ten years, seven moves, from cramped rented rooms to now settling down in a small apartment in Lam Vien apartment building. Ms. Trang said: “Ten years sounds fast, but sometimes when I think back, I don’t think I’ve gone through such a difficult journey.”
After entering the agency, the two received assignments in two different specialized departments, Ms. Trang worked as a reporter, while Mr. Dung worked as a cameraman. When talking about cameraman Minh Dung, his colleagues all acknowledged his enthusiasm and responsibility for his work, not being afraid of hardship, willing to go to communes, villages, and highland hamlets, there are few places in Lao Cai that he has not set foot. The work is hard, he travels a lot, is exposed to the sun and rain, but Minh Dung still looks much younger than his 40 years.
Ms. Trang said: “Living with Mr. Dung, I also feel that life is much easier. I learned from him the carefree and thoughtful nature.”
The first two years after getting married, Dung and Trang devoted all their time to work. In 2017, when baby Do Nhat Minh was born, and then his younger brother Do Minh Quan in 2020, life became much more hectic and busy.
Working far from home, both parents' families live far away, the couple had to manage on their own. They hired a babysitter for a while, then sent the child to kindergarten, the couple took turns picking him up and dropping him off. Many days, they were both on business trips, and could not arrange time to pick him up, so they asked acquaintances or neighbors to pick him up. Not to mention when the child was sick, the couple took turns taking leave to take care of him.
Journalism work has its own characteristics in terms of hours and nature of work. During the day, you go to the base to collect materials, and at night, you write and edit news and articles to continue your journey the next day. "Many times, when I get home, I still have to complete the articles to send in time for broadcast. I'm in a hurry, but my children are always nagging me, which makes me angry and I scold them. After finishing work, thinking back, I feel very guilty towards my children," Trang confided.
After working as a reporter, Huyen Trang transferred to work in the radio news program production department, and also as a radio announcer; her father went on a business trip, after each class, the two children often followed their mother to the office. Their mother went into the recording studio, the two brothers waited outside, watched by the technical staff. Trang laughed and said: "He followed his mother so much that the eldest son Nhat Minh knew by heart the melody of the song Giai Phong Lao Cai - the theme song of the News program. He even knew when the program was about to have a weather report."
After 10 years of working together, despite many hardships, Dung and Trang have never raised their voices at each other. Perhaps the happiest thing for couples working in journalism is understanding, sympathy, and willingness to support each other in work and life.
When they first got married, Dung didn't know how to pick vegetables, cook rice, or clean the house, but now it's different, he can do everything. Whenever he gets home early, he picks up the kids, bathes them, cooks rice, folds clothes... he does everything. His mother was surprised when she came to visit because she didn't think her son would change like that!
"Honestly, if I hadn't changed, we probably wouldn't have been able to stay together until now," said Mr. Dung.
Also working in journalism, but at Lao Cai Newspaper, there are couples who are like a compass - one person stands, one person rotates, which seems to be more convenient, but in reality, they also have to struggle to balance work and family. The family of announcer Huy Truong and reporter Hoang Thuong is a typical example of that challenging journey.
I asked Thuong: “On weekend mornings, if there is no work schedule, what does your family usually do?” She replied: “If there is no schedule, the whole family will allow us to sleep in a little, then go out for breakfast together.” It sounds simple and warm, but for this family, leisurely mornings like that are rare.
Mr. Huy Truong is a radio announcer, so most mornings of the week, he has to leave home very early to go to the office to prepare for the first news broadcast at 7am. As for Ms. Thuong, as a reporter, her job often requires her to go to the office. Therefore, peaceful mornings together become rare amidst the busy cycle of journalism.
“Do your two children understand their parents’ work?” I asked. “They do now,” Thuong replied. Then she recalled that when her children were young, one time when they were watching a news program and saw their father was hosting it on TV but… he was still at home, her children innocently asked: “Why is dad on TV but still here with me?” At that time, the program was pre-recorded, but for children, that miracle made them excited and curious.
Now that the programs have switched to live programming, the children are older and understand more about their parents' work, but it is still a lovely habit that every time their father or mother closes the door to the room to read the program, just say "let dad, mom read", the children automatically turn off the TV, keep quiet, and give space for their parents to work. "We are really happy to see the children know how to share and understand like that", said Mr. Truong.
Both of them work in journalism, so going to work early, coming home late, working at night, and on holidays and Tet have become a daily routine. Many times, both of them are busy, that is when Mr. Truong participates in making many news bulletins during the day, while Ms. Thuong goes on business trips, sometimes for several days, the children can only rely on their grandparents and relatives for support.
After more than 15 years together, there were times when the couple stumbled, did not understand each other, and had days when they were “hot and cold” because of work pressure, because of children, because of not having enough time for each other. But then, they chose to sit down, look back and fix it.
Ms. Thuong shared: "We still tell ourselves that: from starting with nothing, now the house is stable, the children are healthy, and the couple is united, that is already a very valuable achievement."
Through the stories of two families of colleagues, I realized one thing: as long as there is passion for the profession, sharing and understanding in daily life, all difficulties will eventually pass. That is also the most stable foundation for them to continue to accompany each other in their profession and in life.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/gia-dinh-nha-bao-post403596.html
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