Tay Ninh - a resilient borderland rich in revolutionary tradition is not only a witness to the fierce years of war but also deeply marks the footsteps of journalists and soldiers of the Liberation News Agency.
Over 80 years of establishment and development, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) has firmly affirmed its position as a strategic information agency of the Party and State; and at the same time become a common home connecting many generations of reporters, editors and technicians.
For revolutionary journalists, especially those who worked in Tay Ninh today, that memory and pride are even more profound.
About the "red" land
On October 12, 1960, in Chang Riec forest, now part of Lo Go-Xa Mat National Park, Tay Ninh province, TTXGP broadcast its first news bulletin, marking the birth of the official news agency of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam.
This is not only a base against American imperialism to save the country, but also a place that holds profound memories during the 15 years (from October 12, 1960 to April 30, 1975) of stationing and fighting for the cause of national liberation and national reunification of the team of cadres, reporters, editors, and technicians of TTXGP.
During the 15 years of resistance against American imperialism, despite facing numerous difficulties, from lack of means and equipment to having to move headquarters dozens of times due to enemy attacks, the TTXGP cadres still steadfastly held their ground, constantly consolidating their forces, organizing and maintaining a continuous and smooth flow of information.
More than 200 officers, reporters and technicians of TTXGP heroically sacrificed their lives on the information front. With such great achievements and sacrifices, TTXGP was awarded 16 golden words by the Central Office for Southern Vietnam: "Diligence, courage, self-reliance, overcoming difficulties, completing tasks."
Journalist Pham Quang Hung, VNA Information Center in the Southern region, recalled: "The first time I visited the TTXGP monument was on the War Invalids and Martyrs' Anniversary on July 27, 2011, with more than 10 people, including veterans and reporters. When I arrived at Tan Binh Border Guard Station (now Tan Nam International Border Gate Border Guard Station), the station chief said that the road to the TTXGP monument was muddy during the rainy season, 16-seat vehicles could not pass, only a 4x4 pickup truck could carry 5 people."
"I thought I would stay behind to make room, but when the veterans asked who had never been to the monument, it turned out that only I was given priority to continue with the four of them. The distance was not far but very difficult to travel, the car slid sideways, avoided potholes, and finally arrived at the TTXGP monument next to the border patrol road."
"Lighting incense in memory of the fallen reporters, telegraphers, and technicians of the Vietnam News Agency, listening to the men who used to live in this war zone recount their years in the base, amidst the murmuring of the wind in the border forest, my heart was filled with emotion. Those were the days when they dug tunnels, built huts, increased production, and always had to receive news and photos and transmit them to the General Office, always having to fight against enemy sweeps to keep secrets and ensure the safety of people and machinery."
Veterans, former war correspondents of TTXGP, still regularly return to visit the old battlefield.
Journalist Nguyen Sy Thuy (75 years old, former reporter of the GP10 course of TTXGP) shared: "Generations of cadres, reporters, editors, and technicians of TTXGP are always proud to have dedicated and sacrificed their blood and bones to contribute to the cause of national liberation."
Journalist Bui Thanh Liem (77 years old, former war correspondent of VNA) expressed his hope that the VNA Memorial Monument will always be a "red address" for the younger generation and the VNA staff and reporters to continue to inherit and promote the achievements of previous generations, continue to study and work to build the homeland to become increasingly strong and prosperous.
During a working trip to Tay Ninh in March 2024, VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang was moved to commemorate and review the heroic revolutionary tradition and the great sacrifices of the staff and reporters of VNA.
The General Director also expressed his gratitude to the Border Guard officers and soldiers who have regularly taken care of and renovated the TTXGP Memorial Monument to keep it neat and clean. This shows the concern and responsibility of the entire industry and the consensus of the community in preserving and promoting the value of this historical relic.
Continuing the tradition, continuing the glorious history
The VNA Memorial Monument Site is not only a place to pay tribute to heroic martyrs, but also a “red address” for generations of VNA staff and reporters to continue and promote the glorious tradition. For reporters working in Tay Ninh, this is a source of spiritual motivation, adding will and pride to each news report and each image sent back.
Journalist Pham Thanh Tan, Deputy Head of VNA's permanent office in Tay Ninh, said: "I remember very clearly the first time I visited the VNA stele in October 2013, the first days when I first joined the industry and was assigned as a resident reporter. At that time, I was both excited and nervous. Standing in front of the moss-covered stele, which bears the heroic mark of the previous generation of reporters and soldiers, I saw more clearly the responsibility of a revolutionary journalist: not only reporting and writing, but also continuing the indomitable spirit and steadfastness of those who held pens amidst bombs and bullets to write the truth."
In the following years, on every business trip that passed by, journalist Pham Thanh Tan would stop by to burn incense and clean up fallen leaves around the stele. For him, it was not only an act of gratitude, but also to keep the "flame of memory" burning forever, so that his predecessors could "sleep peacefully" in the care of their descendants.
Mr. Pham Thanh Tan affirmed: "The memory of the first time I visited the stele is still vivid in my mind, as a reminder that journalists not only need professional courage but also a grateful heart. Every time I return, the emotions are still intact: solemn, emotional, urging me to live and work worthy of the legacy that came before. The TTXGP stele under the shade of the Kơ nia tree will always be a spiritual support, protecting the souls of the deceased journalists."
For many generations of young reporters today, this place is also a symbol reminding them of the responsibility to preserve and light the "revolutionary flame," so that the "torch" of information of VNA never goes out.
For reporter Nguyen Minh Phu, VNA's resident office in Tay Ninh, working in a land rich in revolutionary traditions is a great honor.
He shared that under the “roof of the VNA,” he had studied, trained and matured, and increasingly understood the responsibility of inheriting and promoting the glorious tradition of VNA. For him, each news bulletin and each frame is not simply information, but also a thread connecting the past with the present, a bridge of gratitude to previous generations and a boost for the new journey. It is this awareness that urges him to always strive so that each journalistic work is timely, accurate, and filled with the spirit of a VNA reporter - a soldier on the ideological front today.
Sharing the same sentiment, young reporter Truong Giang, VNA's permanent office in Tay Ninh, said that as a generation continuing the heroic tradition of VNA, he always feels honored and proud every time he visits the VNA Memorial Monument at Lo Go-Xa Mat National Park. He is proud to live and work under the common roof of VNA - a unit that has been with the nation for 80 years, with nearly 260 fallen journalists, and has been awarded the title of Hero three times.
That indomitable tradition is the fire that urges him to constantly study, practice, create and compete to be worthy of the sacrifices of the previous generation.
He always tells himself to complete all tasks well, contributing a small part to the development of VNA - the official news source, the main news stream of the country, which is steadily entering a new era, towards prosperous development, rich identity and happiness.
Previously, the VNA Youth Union launched the Digital Transformation youth project introducing VNA's relic sites, expressing the desire to continue the heroic tradition and promote the enthusiasm and creativity of the youth, with QR codes introducing information about VNA attached to the relic sites. This shows that the information torch of VNA not only burned brightly in the past but is also continued and spread in today's digital age.
Mr. Huynh Long Ho, member of the Standing Committee of the VNA Youth Union, Secretary of the VNA Youth Union of the Southern Region, always felt a special emotion every time he and his members and young people visited the VNA Memorial Monument in the Lo Go-Xa Mat forest. In front of the memorial stele, he clearly felt the responsibility of a youth leader - to arouse in each member pride, will to strive and spirit of dedication. The sweat, blood and youth of the previous generation have created the foundation for today's generation to continue writing the noble mission of revolutionary journalists. That pride becomes the driving force for the youth to constantly strive, maintain their courage and enthusiasm, worthy of the glorious tradition of VNA.
The silent stories about the dedication and sacrifice of the previous generations on the red land of Tay Ninh will forever be the guiding principle for VNA journalists today.
Here, under the shade of the sacred Kơ nia tree, next to the moss-covered stele, not only memories are preserved but also the fire that urges each reporter to continue to devote himself, to constantly strive to be worthy of the glorious tradition; from there, continue to write the heroic history of VNA, accompanying the nation on every new development path./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/vung-dat-do-tay-ninh-noi-thap-sang-ngon-lua-ky-uc-va-khat-vong-post1059564.vnp
![[VIDEO] Petrovietnam – 50 Years of Keeping the Heritage Torch, Building National Energy](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/402x226/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/9/3/3f5df73a4d394f2484f016fda7725e10)
Comment (0)