Accounts from the pandemic frontline 11:58 | 23/02/2021 I would say that the COVID-19 pandemic was most present to me on the night of March 6, 2020 â the night that Hanoi recorded its first case. My family lives just two blocks away â after that one night, Truc Bach street was completely blocked, and the surrounding markets were silent with almost all shops and hotels closed. Health professionals from hospitals in Hanoi were mobilised to Hai Duong province to offer their expertise During this stressful period, I knew that I had to make a choice: to be with my family at this time of confusion, or to be a responsible journalist and do my job. My conscience told me to pick up the camera, and this was when I became something like a soldier, following my mission to bring the most authentic and timely information to readers. But if so, the risk of infecting myself and my family was very high, and both of my children are so young.