[VNA] Missing home but unable to go

By Vu Cong Dinh – Vnews TV Channel correspondent

The trip to the northern province of Vinh Phuc to report on the COVID-19 outbreak in Son Loi commune, Binh Xuyen district was an experience I will never forget. It was Viet Nam’s first coronavirus cluster and also the first site to be put under lockdown in the country. The board of directors at the Vietnam News Agency’s Television Centre (VNews) quickly set out safety guidelines for all reporters and provided us with protective gear to prevent us from contracting the virus while ensuring uninterrupted operations at the centre. Our production crew was divided into groups that separately produced on-site reporting or were stationed at the office. This helped reduce contact among us and minimise the risk of infection. I was in a group of frontline reporters responsible for covering the news in the cluster. We worked very hard to not only constantly report from the site in an effective manner but also to ensure the safety of ourselves and others. Safety had to be the top priority for on-the-scene reporters like us. While covering the news we wore a full set of personal protective equipment like frontline medical workers, while cameras and other devices were covered carefully to avoid contact. We all looked like astronauts. We also used camera drones to capture daily life inside Son Loi, as we weren’t allowed to enter the commune. When we were done, we immediately washed our hands and disinfected the cameras and cars before leaving. I was mentally prepared for the fact that I could easily contract SARS-CoV-2, so I tried to avoid meeting others in person. I did not visit the Vnews station, which myself and other reporters normally consider our “second home”, for weeks. On-site reporters like me shared a similar feeling - missing home but unable to go. We understood that if we had the virus, we could spread it to others at the station and the entire production would be affected. Covering the pandemic was a special and unforgettable experience in my life as a reporter, as COVID-19 forced us to adopt unprecedented ways of reporting, completely different from what we had learned at school and done previously. VNews TV Channel correspondent interviews locals living near Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi), a Covid-19 hotspot in April 2020. VNews TV Channel correspondent reports at the epidemic area in Ha Loi commune (Me Linh, Hanoi), April 2020 VNews TV Channel correspondent shot at Van Don airport when the flight carrying 30 Vietnamese citizens repatriated from Wuhan city (China) landed.