Veteran journalists who fought side by side with soldiers on the battlefield at Dien Bien Phu 50 years ago shared their memories about the historic battle at an exchange held in Hanoi on April 26.

A former reporter of the Quan doi Nhan dan (People’s Army) daily, 91-year-old Nguyen Khac Tiep talked about how 33 issues of the newspaper were published right at the battlefield with the contribution of only five reporters including himself.

82-year-old Colonel Nguyen Xuan Mai, former Editor-in-Chief of the Vietnam War Veteran Newspaper recalled the time when he served as a liaison soldier at Dien Bien Phu battlefield with reading the Quan doi Nhan dan newspaper to other soldiers as one of his assigned missions.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association Ha Minh Hue stressed that the news stories, photos and video clips produced during the battle are precious historical documents. The war journalists became soldiers, using their special weapon - their pen, to fight for the final victory.

Besides the Quan doi Nhan dan, the first and only newspaper published at the battlefield, other media agencies including Radio the Voice of Vietnam, the Vietnam News Agency and Nhan Dan (People) daily also performed well their political missions to serve the Dien Bien Phu campaign.

The “Dien Bien Memory” exchange was jointly held by the Vietnam Journalists Association, Vietnam Television and the Vietnam National Communications Group Joint Stock Company.

Also on the anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, the Vietnam Journalists Association organized a trip back to the former battlefield to pay tribute to fallen war journalists and soldiers.-VNA