Back when Vietnam was still separated as North and South, the president of
South Vietnam then was President Thieun
As he was getting a lot of unfavorable treatment from his own country's news
agencies, he invited Tara Singh, a journalist from Malaysia, to brief him about
the setup of Bernama.
After Tara Singh had briefed the president about Bernama, the president was
impressed. He declared that it was time for him to set up his own Bernama, to
counter all the criticism he has been receiving lately.
Tara Singh politely said, "But Mr. President, the name 'Bernama' is
already used by Malaysia... maybe if you chose another name."
"Of course, you're right! I shall name it after myself then. It will be
known as Thieunama !! ", said the president. Tara Singh nearly choked on
that! " Ahh, Mr President, that may not be the best name. To the Cantonese
speaking people, that name is a four-letter word concerning mothers," said
Tara.
The president was touched by the journalist's sincerity, "Thank you for
being so honest with me. You deserve recognition for that. Why don't we give the
news agency a name formed from our names. How about ThieunaSingh ?"