Photo: radiovietnam.vn

(VOVworld) – Radio the Voice of Vietnam played as a bridge connecting people of northern and southern Vietnam during Vietnam’s two resistance wars against the French colonialists and the US aggressors. VOV broadcasters endured a lot of hardship fulfilling their tasks during this time, contributing to the success of national resistance wars. VOV’s Thanh Trung reports…

In October, 1956, journalist Tran Dac Loc worked for Radio Voice of southern Vietnam under his pen/broadcast name Vien Kinh. Loc recalled numerous difficulties working under heavy bombardments and extremely poor living conditions: "We worked around the clock. We kept writing, report after report, without thinking of anything else, neither money nor profit."

During Vietnam’s resistance war against US invaders, journalist Huy Lan followed the Vietnamese soldiers to every battlefield to report on latest developments of revolutionary movements in southern Vietnam to people nationwide. Huy Lan recalled his experience of countless enemy raids and bombardments during his 6 years working for the Southern Liberation Radio Station. Lan said even in the most difficult time when his colleagues and him were isolated and left without food and water, they kept their faith in the Party leadership. He said: "Fighting was extremely tense in the southern front and we worked tirelessly reporting news of every development in the front. We even had to write and work in underground shelters during raids and we still remember the feelings of pride and excitement listening to our reports broadcast on radio."

In his house on Ho Chi Minh City’s Thu Duc district, Dang Trung Hieu, former head of the Department of Broadcasting Techniques under the General Department of Post and Radio Broadcasting, reserved a small room to store his souvenirs of his working time for the Voice of Vietnam: an old radio, typewriter, his photos with President Ho Chi Minh and his colleagues at VOV. Hieu recalled one of his unforgettable memories working at VOV: "During the night the US used its B52 aircrafts to bomb northern Vietnam, I was on my working shift at VOV headquarter in Quan Su street. Former Editor-In-Chief Tran Lam was there as well. We shifted our broadcasts via transmitters stationed at 45 Ba Trieu because VOV’s Me Tri transmitting station collapsed under heavy bombardments. This was kept a secret and very few knew of this."

Former VOV broadcasters are now at their old ages. Their contributions to Radio the Voice of Vietnam over the past 70 years have added to VOV historic achievements and contributions to national construction and defense.