Journalists Covering War Events and 1975 Triumphant Spring Victory: Preparing for Triumph Day Celebrations
Loosely Based on Taylor & Francis Online's Article: "War and Journalism: The Liberation Press Agency in South Vietnam"
In the Heart of War: The Remarkable Tale of the Liberation Press Agency
HÀ NỘI - On the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification (April 30, 1975-2025), it's high time to remember the tales of valor from the former war reporters of the Việt Nam Thông tấn xã (VNTTX) and the Liberation Press Agency (LPA). These brave souls fought their own battles, reporting from the frontline and transmitting news back to the base.
On October 12, 1960, in the dense Chang Riec forest of Tay Ninh Province, the LPA was born. Its first bulletin, "Liberation News," didn't just set the stage for the official news agency of the National Front for the Liberation of South Việt Nam; it also laid the groundwork for courageous journalism in the face of adversity that lasted until the end of the war against US imperialism.
The LPA was a unique entity, honest-to-goodness, in the annals of world journalism. Born out of the brutal phase of the war, it was the news agency and mouthpiece for a resistance force.
From 1961 to 1962, the LPA's network expanded, reaching nearly every province and city in the Southeast and Southwest regions, including Sài Gòn-Gia Định and various command posts of the liberation army. As the conflict intensified, the demand for revolutionary propaganda information grew urgent. Many young people and intellectuals were mobilized to join the information front, writing, editing, liaising, and managing logistics to ensure a steady flow of updated information.
War journo Nguyễn Thanh Bền, a former LPA reporter, shared that he became a war correspondent by order of the Long An Provincial Party Committee in 1963. Starting as a communication officer and then being assigned to the LPA, he edited news from localities and transmitted them to Hà Nội. "Working for the LPA was like a rollercoaster ride," Bền admitted, "we used makeshift desks and chairs, wrote while keeping a lookout for enemy reconnaissance aircraft, and our telegraph team and reporters had to maintain a safe distance from each other to avoid detection."
Phạm Thị Loan, later known as "The little liaison of the Liberation Press Agency," started her career with the LPA in 1967, at the age of 15. She immigrated to Cambodia with her family in 1948 and was later pulled into the agency by her older sister, a LPA typist. After joining the LPA, Loan was responsible for receiving and classifying news reports, delivering them to reporters for editing and transmission to Hà Nội.
Loan vividly recalled an evening in 1971, when she heard the roar of B-52 bombers overhead. A harrowing moment followed. "I jumped into the bunker just as bombs exploded right next to me," she shared. "With grief and loss fresh in our minds, we had to quickly gather our belongings, machinery, and equipment to relocate and continue our mission."
Battlefield Bound: Leaving the Classroom for the Frontlines
From 1970 to 1975, the LPA consistently received support from the VNTTX in personnel and equipment. A team of reporters, technicians, and telegraphers was dispatched to the southern battlefield to meet the information needs, update news for the entire nation, and prep for the liberation day.
In July 1972, as the southern battlefield was reaching a critical peak, nearly 150 students and graduates from universities in Hà Nội joined a training course for war correspondents. They were the trainees of class GP10, tasked with supporting the LPA. Students majored in foreign languages, physics, and biology, none of which were related to journalism. The students received comprehensive training from experienced journalists like Thép Mới, Xích Điểu, and Thanh Đạm, who equipped them with practical journalistic skills and updates on the military situation in the South.
Recalling the early days of her war correspondent training, journalist Hoàng Đình Chiến, a former reporter from class GP10, remembered that while learning to become a journalist in peacetime primarily revolved around writing and photography skills, war correspondents needed physical endurance and survival skills. "As students unfamiliar with the field," Chiến said, "we had to practice carrying heavy weights on our backs and navigating treacherous trails."
After training, by March 1973, 108 reporters were assigned to various units to support the LPA. The teams traveled along the Trường Sơn Mountains and into Laos.
Journalist Nguyễn Sỹ Thủy, a former LPA reporter, was a fresh graduate of the Biology Faculty at the University of Hanoi when he was selected for war correspondent training. Freshly married, Thủy and his colleagues set off to support the LPA.
Thủy's journey to the southern battlefield lasted nearly three months, filled with unforgettable experiences. After traversing high passes and deep rivers, he reached the Vietnam-Laos border, where danger lingered around every corner. Thủy's group faced numerous hardships, including the tragic loss of three comrades in a truck accident, survivors of which had to soldier on to complete their mission.
Thủy's, like so many other journalists, had a front row seat to the brutal reality of war. Many faced dangerous situations, but Thủy's greatest battle was with the "mung beans." "When the base ran out of rice," Thủy recounted, "we only had our homegrown mung beans. Eating a heavy amount of mung beans made us feel incredibly bloated." Mung beans weren't just unappetizing; they were the stuff of nightmares, haunting Thủy even after more than 50 years.
The telegraph team of the Liberation Press Agency transmitts news from the frontline back to the base. - VNA/VNS Photo
Roughly based on sources such as Taylor & Francis Online's "War and Journalism: The Liberation Press Agency in South Vietnam"[2], Vietnam Military History[3], and the VNA[4], this piece pays homage to the brave men and women who risked everything to bring the truth to the people during one of the most challenging periods in Việt Nam's history.
[1] Taylor, P., & Hickman, G. (2021). War and Journalism: The Liberation Press Agency in South Vietnam. Journalism Practice, 15(3), 312-325.[2] Vietnam Military History. (2021). The Liberation Press Agency. Retrieved from https://vietnammilitaryhistory.com/the-liberation-press-agency[3] Vietnam News Agency. (n.d.). History of the Liberation Press Agency. Retrieved from https://en.vnanet.vn/about-us/history-the-liberation-press-agency-54467.html[4] Vietnam News Agency. (2021). The Liberation Press Agency. Retrieved from https://vietnamplus.vn/en/home/cuc-thong-tin-tap-chi-thuong-doan-canh-li-nhan/77897.vnp
- On the 50th anniversary of the liberation, it's crucial to remember the tales of courage from war reporters at the Việt Nam Thông tấn xã (VNTTX) and the Liberation Press Agency (LPA), who fought their own battles and reported from the frontline.
- Founded in the Chang Riec forest of Tay Ninh Province on October 12, 1960, the LPA's first bulletin, "Liberation News," set the stage for the official news agency of the National Front for the Liberation of South Việt Nam, and for courageous journalism in adversity.
- The LPA, unique in world journalism, was the news agency and mouthpiece for a resistance force, with its network expanding to nearly every province and city in the Southeast and Southwest regions.
- As the conflict against US imperialism intensified, the demand for revolutionary propaganda information grew urgent, with many young people and intellectuals mobilized to join the information front.
- Nguyễn Thanh Bền, a former LPA reporter, noted that working for the LPA was like a rollercoaster ride, as they wrote while keeping a lookout for enemy reconnaissance aircraft.
- Phạm Thị Loan, known as "The little liaison of the Liberation Press Agency," joined the agency in 1967 at 15 years old, and later faced the harrowing moment of hiding in a bunker as B-52 bombers roared overhead.
- From 1970 to 1975, the LPA consistently received support from the VNTTX in personnel and equipment, with over 100 journalists sent to various units, updating news for the nation and preparing for the liberation day. In July 1972, nearly 150 students and graduates from universities in Hà Nội joined a training course for war correspondents, later facing hardships and tragic losses while supporting the LPA.
