Nguyen Ta, a junior CDM major, returned to her home country this summer to work as an intern for Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper in Hanoi, the official publication of the Communist Party in Vietnam.
As an intern, Ta was not given the opportunity to write any stories, but she did put her considerable language skills to good use. Nhan Dan publishes issues in Vietnamese and English every day, and she is fluent in both languages.
“In Vietnam, they follow very strict policies for journalism, especially at the newspaper that is the official voice of the government, so I didn’t have a chance to do my own work,” she explains. “Instead, I helped other writers by translating their stories into English.”
Ta worked for the publication for about six weeks, from the end of May until early July, and was impressed with the fast pace of journalism and the teamwork that she witnessed. “It was intense, and the writers there are so professional. I was always trying to keep up with them.”
Of course, the contrast with American journalism was also apparent to Ta, who has lived in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, for the last three years.
“Journalists in the U.S. have more freedom,” she notes. “In Vietnam, there are super strict policies for covering political news, social issues, and foreign relations. In the U.S., I have a lot more freedom to write about what I want. It’s much less stressful in the U.S.”
The Nhan Dan website supports her opinion in its description of the paper’s function and mission: “Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper is the central organ of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the voice of the Party, State and People of Vietnam … For more than 30 years, Nhan Dan has contributed to disseminating and encouraging the implementation of the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws.”
Ta’s journalism experience in America is in the academic realm so far. She took a newswriting class at Camden County College and another class here after she transferred. Professor Janis Chakars recognized her writing talent and encouraged Ta, who joined NeuPress as a student reporter and was eventually promoted to news editor.
“I actually learned a lot from the experience in Vietnam. It made me feel even more confident about what I’m doing here,” she says. Ta plans to look for a communications job in the U.S. after she graduates, preferably in journalism or social media.
Feedback from her colleagues in Hanoi confirmed her decision to pursue a career in America.
“They told me that I should have another major because journalism is disappearing in Vietnam and around the world,” she recalls. “Thousands of journalists have quit and switched to jobs in marketing and media management. I was very shocked to hear that.”
The Hanoi experience fulfilled Ta’s internship requirement during the summer break when she had already planned to spend time at home with her parents and older sister, who graduated from Rutgers University several years ago before returning to Vietnam.
It also provided a real-world lesson in journalism.