Lynette Lee Corporal talks to Nguyen Ngoc Tran, a professor at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, about his take on the Mekong Media Forum.TerraViva: What is it about the Forum that stood out for you?

Nguyen Ngoc Tran: That people keep talking and raising their voices. It’s good, especially for networking. I myself met some new faces here so it’s good for me also and for them as well. I’ve met familiar faces, the people I got to know years before.

TerraViva: You have been a journalism professor for many years. How do you find journalism books being used in Vietnam’s schools today?

Nguyen Ngoc Tran: I use and write my own textbook because I want to share my own experience. I have more than 20 years of journalism practice so I have to write that also as well as my own theories (about journalism and communication). These are things like what I did when I was spot reporting, or how I conducted interviews and observed, how I tried to get sources to talk, how to write compelling stories. I don’t want to rely on other sources.

I’d also like to be able to discuss and share my experiences with others in the region, including journalists and academics. This is why I’d like to write and distribute a textbook on journalism around the region. I’d like to see a textbook that people here can use and relate to, and not something that the west brings. There have been a few projects coming from western countries, but I don’t think these will suit the regional journalists’ needs 100 percent.

TerraViva: You use the Internet to reach out to your students. How does that work?

Nguyen Ngoc Tran: It’s just a simple blog as I’m not very good at the Internet. It’s where I put my comments and when I have something to communicate. Sometimes I put some of my writings on the blog, or parts of my textbook also to help my students learn. I have students everywhere, including some in the north (Hanoi), so I need something that will allow me to communicate quickly for them to access and get materials from.

TerraViva: How would you compare the journalists of your generation and this younger one?

Nguyen Ngoc Tran: They are young, more active, eager to learn… those are their strong points. But they need experience and guidance also. They also need to brush up on their language skills but the education system in Vietnam is not up to the demand these days. For example, the younger ones don’t learn very good English or French, like us. My generation had a solid base in foreign language. I think they should learn more English or another language in the region. Their skills are okay so far; they are dynamic and more aggressive too. I’m very optimistic about the media landscape in Vietnam as well as in the region. I’ve been with the (Imaging Our) Mekong programme for five years already, so I’ve seen a lot of improvement. The Mekong fellows are very outspoken and very good.

TerraViva:  How would you assess restrictions in the Vietnamese media?

Nguyen Ngoc Tran: You can’t say that; it’s something you don’t want to talk about. However, you also have the right to raise your voice in such cases as corruption, etc. I think the media now are doing a good job. For example, who is going to protect the poor if not the media? We also raise questions about big issues in the country. The west tends to see media in Vietnam as something related to the government. Of course, but we do our job because we are journalists. So far I am satisfied with big dailies in Vietnam, such as the widely read ‘Tuoi Tre’ and ‘Thanh Niên’, both of which means ‘young’. From the technical side as well as content, both are doing a very good job. I can say the same thing for other media organisations.  I’ve nothing to complain about so far.