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| Journalist and researcher Nguyen Dac Xuan worked diligently on his writing during his days of good health. Photo: Hy Kha |
On these June days, inside the house overlooking the window with gentle afternoon sunlight and cool breezes beside the poetic Nhu Y river, memories of his journalism days come flooding back to Mr. Xuan.
A time of vigor
“It was precisely those journalism years, especially my time at Lao Dong Newspaper [Labor], that gave me opportunities to travel to many places. Beyond news reporting, I wrote feature stories and essays about history and culture related to the Quang Trung Dynasty, the Nguyen Dynasty, and ancient Hue. The articles published in newspapers I collaborated with were later collected, edited, and published as multiple books. If I hadn’t been a journalist, I couldn’t have produced the books that helped me become a Hue researcher,” shared researcher Nguyen Dac Xuan to begin his story. Among Mr. Xuan’s famous books are “From Hue I Go”, “Pham Duy knows love on the Huong river”, “Asking about the life of concubine Mong Diep with former Emperor Bao Dai”, and “Compilation Studies”.
Going back in time, after graduating from Hue Faculty of Pedagogy, young Nguyen Dac Xuan was passionate about creative writing. He had poetry published, with his first poem appearing in Rang Dong Newspaper [Dawn] in 1959. In the summer of 1963, he joined the movement against the dictatorial Ngo Dinh Diem regime and began vigorous journalism activities, with many articles from the resistance movement being read on the radio.
By 1964, Mr. Xuan was invited by a Saigon journalist to attend a journalism training course, after which he received official press credentials as a correspondent for Ngay Nay Newspaper [Today]. At that time, he not only wrote for Ngay Nay Newspaper [Today] but also worked with friends on the journal “Nhan Thuc” [Recognition] and participated in newspapers of the resistance movement, collaborating with Professor Le Van Hao on the “Vietnam Studies” journal.
In early autumn 1966, Mr. Xuan was hunted by the Saigon authorities, so he escaped to join the resistance, assigned to work for the Co Giai phong Newspaper. [Liberation Flag] of the Hue City Party Committee alongside poet Thanh Hai. After 1968, the United Front launched the “Cuu lay que huong” newspaper [Save Our Homeland], where he collaborated with Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong (teacher). In the following years, with youthful energy and love for the profession, he engaged in vigorous journalism activities. From 1964 until he “laid down his pen” in 2023, Mr. Xuan completed 60 years in journalism.
Despite experiencing various circumstances, from participating in urban resistance movements to operating in extremely harsh resistance zones, to writing newspapers after the country’s reunification, Nguyen Dac Xuan had four memorable milestones in his career. These were learning modern journalism from Mr. Hieu Chan and receiving press credentials from Ngay Nay Newspaper [Today], working for the Co Giai phong Newspaper [Liberation Flag] of Hue City Party Committee in late 1966, which helped him easily collaborate with the revolution, becoming a member of the editorial board of Huong River Magazine (1983) that is considered the beginning of his period researching and honoring Hue’s history and culture, and serving as head of the Lao Dong Newspaper [Labor] office in Central and Central Highlands regions (1993-1998), which allowed him to demonstrate his knowledge and experience in journalism and is considered his most brilliant journalism period. By the time he retired in 1998, he had written hundreds of articles on history, culture, the Nguyen Dynasty, people, and ancient Hue, as well as dozens of published books.
Writers must understand Hue to love Hue
In his professional career, Mr. Xuan recounts countless ups and downs, but an unforgettable memory is his article “Wind calls again in the heart of the tunnel”, which won the A Prize of the National Press in 1997. This was an article about the Khe Trai tunnel - a revolutionary base of the Tri Thien Zone Committee. Instead of finding the exact traces of this tunnel to make it a historical site, a group of officials couldn’t locate it, and instead, arbitrarily had earth dug up, rebuilt tunnel entrances, made paths to the tunnel, then submitted it to competent authorities for recognition as a National Heritage Site. This incident was exposed by Mr. Xuan and caused a sensation at the time.
Those articles, along with numerous journalistic materials that Mr. Xuan collected and carefully preserved, formed the foundation of his work. Thanks to this scientific approach, he accumulated a massive resource of thousands of valuable books, serving the research he wholeheartedly pursued later.
Looking back on nearly 90 years of life, researcher Nguyen Dac Xuan says each era is different. Now, instead of traveling and writing, he updates current news and journalism trends domestically and internationally.
“Perhaps the difficulties facing journalists today are different from those we faced in our time,” says Mr. Xuan, recognizing that in today’s social life, competition exists in many aspects, and news is not outside this whirlwind. All fields, such as education, healthcare, culture, society, economy, military, and security, must rely on journalism. The difference lies in accurate and fastest information.
“In the past, there were print newspapers. In recent years, electronic journalism has exploded across multiple platforms. I believe the more civilized society becomes, the more important journalism becomes,” adds the Hue researcher.
As a person working in journalism and then research, Mr. Xuan is deeply concerned about Hue. He says the generation of journalists from his era has passed, while the current generation has matured, with many reaching master’s level. However, he remains passionate about the profession and those who write and pursue stories about the culture and history of the Former Capital.
He advises the new generation of journalists entering the profession that understanding and writing about Hue must be done with a national and scientific spirit, eliminating incorrect perspectives that occurred in history.
Hue has gone through many tragic periods, so writers must understand Hue and then love Hue. Additionally, due to historical circumstances, much information about Hue has been inaccurate. “To contribute to building Hue into a national and international city, writing about Hue and information about Hue must be truthful,” concludes Mr. Xuan.
At his venerable age, researcher and writer Nguyen Dac Xuan continues working diligently with books and research projects. For him, this is not just passion but also joy in life.