The story of a person who spreads “fire”

One person said: “Anyone in journalism who doesn’t know journalist Huynh Dung Nhan is not a journalist.” Then, fortunately, I was able to study the reportage of the lecturer again, when I graduated, I was able to work in the same office with him again, and worked with him many times.

He is a famous social reporter in the Vietnamese newspaper industry. He is also a writer and poet with 30 books, an amateur painter with… 3 exhibitions…; is a reportage teacher of thousands of journalism students.

In 1990, he joined Tuoi Tre newspaper from Tuoi Tre newspaper to join Lao Dong newspaper, then returned to work as Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City Journalists Association, Editor-in-Chief Editor of Vocational Journalism Magazine, and taught at many journalism faculties throughout the country. . He is very active, participates in different fields, has a gentle personality; literature, poetry, music, painting, ping-pong… everything is “above average” (in the words of Mr. Huynh Dung Nhan – PV).

He was one of the first people to go down to the Mong Duong pit, which is hundreds of meters deep and is considered the beginning of the “school” of reportage later on. This is also the first committed reportage in Huynh Dung Nhan’s style: everyday life, close but humane, valuable information.

Few people know that he became the closest friend of a nursing home for seriously injured soldiers after writing a reportage of Wheelchair Traces in the Sand of Long Hai. During the 30 years after writing that first article, he and his colleagues organized hundreds of trips to visit, give gifts, and perform art performances to serve war invalids, so much so that the wounded brothers and sisters considered him like family.

By motorbike, Mr. Huynh Dung Nhan made two trips across Vietnam. And recently, after a year of stroke, he still released two books, he continued to carry out the program Xin one year old, spending a year visiting the places where he lived and worked, meeting close friends again, and in recent months, he has traveled to 13 provinces and cities.

Every time they meet again, journalism students will review their memories of the teacher and are proud to be his student. Journalism students in general are very close to the teacher. When the teacher first entered the class to teach, there were some friends with their heads together and whispering: “This teacher is handsome but… a bit short”. Some friends even naughtily jumped up on the podium to measure the height with the teacher. But when the teacher taught a few sessions, one of the students exclaims: “The teacher seemed to take his guts out and tell the class.” The teacher’s voice is warm, inspiring, eloquent.

But the last thing that remains in the teacher is his rich professional knowledge and the fire of his love for the profession. Literature students also sometimes come to study the reportage subject of the teacher. A janitor at the school told us: “This teacher teaches very well! She hid outside the lecture hall and listened.”

As a pen who walks like crazy, writes like drunk, works like crazy, but he is an emotional, gentle person who considers everyone as a friend, every problem raised – with him is not too complicated. Many students said that he sometimes secretly helped some students with money in difficulty. The teacher who publishes a new book is to give it to students or sell half the cover price to students. As for the fact that the teacher is dedicated and dedicated to guiding the thesis, helping with homework, applying for jobs for students upon graduation, perhaps not all. Some students said that, during the internship period, you almost lived on royalties from the newspaper of which he was the editor-in-chief, partly thanks to the teacher’s favor.

To be fair, we not only study him in terms of knowledge, but also learn from him – and more or less – influenced by his writing style, his work style and his life force. Because students often tell each other that, among visiting lecturers, Mr. Huynh Dung Nhan has the most “most” things, such as: the most positions, the most talents, the most works, the most fun…

One of his remarkable professional qualities is his dynamism, good writing skills and… fearlessness. Mr. Huynh Dung Nhan confided: “I am a person with bold blood. When I was a journalism student, I didn’t know anything about the piano, but I dared to write a book about a famous pianist who had just won an international prize.” When the Writers Guild nominated me to be a member of the People’s Council of Ho Chi Minh City (1999-2004), I also “risked my life” to accept the invitation and officially became a member of the People’s Council of Ho Chi Minh City. From his risk story, he advised: “As a journalism student, write it! Write right from the school chair. The profession of journalism is “no teacher, no book”, no one teaches it all and no one learns it all. Individual effort is essential.” Students like teacher Huynh Dung Nhan because he is a person who directly does the job and teaches, not just teaching theory.

The sharing of journalist Huynh Dung Nhan is not just a confidant or a story; but also the skills and experience of a serious, long-time professional who has experienced and concluded. Having studied with a teacher, going on a business trip with him, did I see that this small person has an abundance of positive energy. Travel a lot, write well, take pictures at any time, meet all kinds of different people, go tirelessly. And especially, he writes very well, very quickly.

During the days of working with him, I was always taught two more “treasures” by him, that is, the goodness and humanity in life. The special thing that our journalism students noted in Mr. Huynh Dung Nhan is that he can always write, travel, and do reportage exercises full of “life”.

He is a person who respects the “me” in his profession. In the first lesson, the teacher came up with the topic “I am in my eyes” and explained: “If you don’t love yourself and understand yourself, how can you feel the deep things in your family and people’s lives? people around me…”.

Just like that, with those first exercises, our teachers and students became closer, closer and loved each other even in the classroom or in real life.

Internships with him, mostly trips to distant provinces and also mostly, in arduous places. Almost only studying the reportage of our teacher have the opportunity to go far. And every trip, he often asks sponsors to help students reduce accommodation costs. There are times when he even invites famous journalists to accompany him to guide students. The class went to practice at the Cape of Ca Mau, the class went to practice in the sanatorium of the seriously wounded Long Hai, or visited naval units, tanks, or practiced in Vam Sat, famous for its battles. of special forces in the anti-American era. The teacher said: “Exercise not only gives professional experience but also helps me to practice more love for the country”.

Each internship trip was evaluated by journalism students as “as rewarding as three or four sessions of sitting in class”, very necessary, very attractive and very useful, a lot of “green tree of life” substance to supplement the theoretical part. the “gray” theory.

He said: “My joy is that in the future, wherever I go on business, I will see my journalism students again. Many children have become famous and successful; many students become masters, doctorates, lecturers of journalism departments at universities or become journalists, managers, businesses, artists…

In the profession, Mr. Huynh Dung Nhan is a successful face, not only used to hold this position, used to be the editor-in-chief, but also was invited to judge press awards from the South to the North and was invited to be a lecturer. majoring in journalism at many universities, being sought by the media whenever they need to find an interviewer.

Now, Mr. Huynh Dung Nhan has retired, but has been involved in the career of holding a pen and spreading fire, he continues to write and hit the road again. Master Huynh Dung Nhan has “washed his hands” but not sure if he has “put down his sword”…