BAGUIO MIDLAND COURIER
By : Hanna C. Lacsamana
HANOI CITY, Vietnam – Five journalists from different Baguio City media outfits toured this agricultural and tourist city together with their colleagues from Feb. 17 to 20 as part of their prize for winning in the 9th Bright Leaf (BrightLeaf) Agriculture Journalism Awards.
Accompanied by some members of the award’s judging committee and BrightLeaf officials, winners David Leprozo Jr. of Manila Standard Today (Agriculture Photo of the Year), Frank Cimatu of The Baguio Chronicle (Tobacco Photo of the Year), Rizaldy Comanda of Manila Bulletin (Agriculture Feature Story-National), Mauricio Victa of Business Mirror, (BrightLeaf Oriental awardee) and this writer of the Baguio Midland Courier (Best Agriculture News Story-Regional) visited historical sites of the more than 1,000-year old city, including its well maintained and preserved natural wonders like the Ha Long Bay, a world heritage site located in Quang Ninh, a four-hour bus drive from Hanoi.
Other winners who joined the tour were Ian Ocampo Flora of Sun Star Pampanga, Cherry Ann Lim of Sunstar Cebu, Henrylito Tacio, Edge Davao, Ronde Alicaya of DXCC RMN Cagayan de Oro, and Ruben Gonzaga of ABS-CBN Davao.
The four-day tour with guide Hung Nguyen included visits at the Hoa Lo Prison, Hoan Kiem Lake, and Ngoc Son Temple.
They have seen the Traditional Water Puppet Show, which presented ancient Vietnam agricultural work by eminent artists of the Thang Long Puppet Theater, directed by Nguyễn Hoàng Tuấn. They also got to see the Hanoi market at the Old Quarter, where they were introduced to Vietnam’s main agricultural products and other farm produce, as well as to local food and crafts that deeply reflect the relationship of its people with their history.
Highlights of the tours were visits to cultural and historical sites Ba Din Square, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s house on silts, the One-pillar Pagoda, and Temple of Literature, as well as a four-hour boat cruise of the islands of Ha Long Bay, its natural landscapes and its Heaven Palace Grotto and Dau Go Grotto (Hidden Wood grotto) caves.
The Bright Leaf Awards are given to the most outstanding and relevant agriculture stories in print, radio, and television. It acknowledges the efforts of the Filipino journalist to bring to the forefront the current issues, new best practices, safety issues, and other subjects relevant to the country’s agriculture industry.