MEMORIES OF A TRIP
Colonel DANG NAM DIEN
Deputy Political Commissar cum Head of Political Department
President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command.
At the end of May 2003, a delegation of officials from the Mausoleum Management Board set off for the Russian Federation to work with the Moscow Biomedical Research Center. The domestic delegation consisted of five members: Major General Nguyen Quang Tan - Head of the Mausoleum Management Board cum Commander of the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command; Colonel Lai Van Hoa - Director of Institute 69; Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Van Tuan - Deputy Head of Logistics; Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Duy Khue - Deputy Head of the Social Affairs Department, Office of the Government; and myself - Chief of staff. Additionally, there were three local officers studying in Moscow at that time: Dr. Le Cong Bang, Dr. Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, and Pham Van Quang, the Head of the Foreign Affairs Department. Thus, our delegation included 8 people.
The working program with our Russian counterparts focused on three main points: evaluating the results of bilateral cooperation from 2002 to 2003, discussing the cooperation program for 2004, with a particular emphasis on preparing for the 35th-anniversary celebration of safeguarding the absolute safety of President Ho Chi Minh's body (1969 - 2004), and conducting the acceptance of Contracts No. 9 and No. 10.
As in previous visits, upon our arrival, representatives of the leadership of the Moscow Biomedical Research Center and officials from the Political Department of the Vietnamese Embassy in the Russian Federation were present at the airport to warmly welcome our delegation.
On the afternoon of the first day in Moscow, at the guesthouse of the Vietnamese Embassy, officers and students sponsored by the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group were also present to welcome our delegation. In a small room of the guesthouse, Major General Nguyen Quang Tan, in a gentle and emotional tone, briefed the officers and students about the unit's situation. He encouraged everyone to study diligently, grasp knowledge firmly, and complete their courses excellently to return to the unit for work. Looking around at the students, Senior Colonel Tan said, "Never before has our unit had as many officers studying in Moscow as it does now. This is a valuable asset that the Party, the State, and the military care about. We must cherish, promote, and appreciate that attention." Everyone promised to diligently fulfill Commander’s instructions.
The next morning, two cars from the Research Center arrived at the guesthouse to pick up our delegation for work. As soon as the cars stopped, the Heads of the Anatomy and Biochemistry departments were already waiting, ready to welcome us into the reception room. Professor V.A. Bukhop, the Director of the Research Center, four deputy directors, heads of departments, and the secretary of the scientific council were all present to greet our delegation. The warm handshakes and sincere hugs among these long-lost friends created a warm, open, respectful, and understanding atmosphere. Before starting the work, Major General Nguyen Quang Tan, as the head of the delegation, introduced each member. When introducing Mr. Pham Duy Khue - Deputy Head of the Social Affairs Department, Office of the Government, who was also part of the delegation, Director V.A. Bukhop couldn't hide his excitement and joy, standing up to shake hands with Mr. Pham Duy Khue. This was a special moment during this working trip – the first time that the leadership delegation of the Mausoleum Management Board had included a representative from the Office of the Government. This event instilled confidence in a long-term cooperation between us and them in the new phase.
At the end of the first day's work, all members of the delegation were excited because there was unanimous agreement on all the proposed programs and work content. Additionally, our Russian counterparts actively raised some principled issues for us to study and prepare for long-term cooperation programs in the coming years.
Back at the embassy guesthouse after a short rest, Commander held a meeting to discuss and exchange thoughts with the delegation members regarding the content of today's meeting. Although we were all part of the same delegation working with the Russian counterparts, when hearing Commander review the discussion and the determination of the leadership before the trip to Moscow, we, the delegation members, gained a more specific and comprehensive understanding of the content of the meeting with the Russians. Commander said, "Our working trip is an effort to convince them to agree to collaborate with us in preparing a special solution in Vietnam." Sitting next to Commander, we understood his thoughts. This was also the guidance of the Standing Committee and the Mausoleum Management Board before the delegation left for Moscow, as well as the hope of generations of unit officers when entrusted by the Party, the State, and the military with the special political mission of long-term safeguarding and ensuring the absolute safety of President Ho Chi Minh's body. We also understood that preparing a special solution to preserve the body is akin to preserving human blood; accomplishing this task is indeed a significant success on the unit's path of fulfilling its political mission.
Looking out of the window, Commander suddenly raised his voice, "The results of analyzing the solution between us and the Soviet Union, based on framework of Contract No. 10, will be a scientific foundation, allowing us to cooperate with the Soviet Union in preparing the special solution in Vietnam." After saying this, he turned to Mr. Pham Duy Khue - the Government Office official, to report and explain to the higher authorities about the unit's additional tasks. Our group members were filled with both joy and concern, hoping for a sooner tomorrow to come, implementing the discussions on preserving Uncle Ho’s body with the Soviet Union.
The next morning, as usual, the delegation had breakfast and prepared to leave for work. After everyone finished breakfast, Commander called Lai Van Hoa and Mr. Pham Van Quang to his room for a private discussion. About 20 minutes later, the discussion between Commander and the two men was complete. In front of everyone, Commander assigned the task to Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hong Minh and Mr. Le Cong Bang to double-check the results of the solution analysis, making sure no difference from the results of Russian production, things should be done before the acceptance test. Following this, Commander told he had much thinkings last night, wondersing how to discuss on related issues with the Soviet Union. Comrade Hoa and Mr. Quang were not an exception from Commander. The discussion should be conducted in a very sophisticated way, otherwise no chance for the Russians to accept, even worse, we might be a victim of the misasumption, consider as an ungrateful attitude. A question might be wondered by the Soviet Union: “Why there is no such commercial support from our side? Why no purchases of chemicals during their diffucult time?” Admitting the challenges, Commander decided, this day was not the right time for disscussion, assigined Mr. Hoa and Mr. Quang to get to know them better, whether was there a chance to produce the chemicals here in Vietnam. Sitting next to me, Comrade Pham Duy Khue shouted “Such an amazing decision of humanity”. It sounded like a solution, making everyone smile, and immediately having to work.
The next two working days passed quickly, and the tasks assigned by the Commander to the team of Mr. Hoa, Mr. Quang, Ms. Minh, and Mr. Bang had all been successfully completed. Each member reported their specific tasks to the Commander.
On the fifth day of the mission, the Commander officially raised the issue with the Russian counterparts regarding the collaboration in preparing a special solution in Vietnam, set to take place for the first time in the spring of 2004. Upon hearing our formal request, it seemed that the leadership on the Russian side was a bit surprised, and no one responded immediately. While waiting for a response, the Commander proactively added, "We will prepare the solution in Vietnam, but we will still sign contracts with our Russian counterparts. The only difference is that they will hand over the solution to us in Vietnam."
The Commander's opinion aligned with the thoughts of Professor V.A. Bukhop, the Director of the Research Center. As soon as we raised this issue, he promptly stated, "In principle, we agree to cooperate in preparing the solution in Vietnam. However, we need to wait for the results of the acceptance test for Contract No. 10 to see if the data from both sides are consistent." The Commander's face lit up with joy. Unexpectedly, the Russian response came quickly. Although the solution analysis had not been officially accepted, the comparison between our results and theirs showed almost no deviation. This was a solid condition indicating that they would formally sign a contract to hand over the chemical composition for us to prepare the solution in Vietnam. The working session proceeded swiftly and achieved the desired results.
The following day witnessed the acceptance test for Contracts No. 9 and No. 10. Due to thorough preparations by both parties, the acceptance test proceeded as scheduled and achieved excellent results. The leaders of the Research Center highly praised the collaborative research efforts between Russian experts and Vietnamese doctors. Based on these results, our counterparts affirmed that they were ready to hand over the chemical components and collaborate with us in preparing the solution in Vietnam from the spring of 2004.
Saying goodbye to our Russian counterparts and returning to the guest house, every member of the delegation was filled with excitement. From now on, we would have a solution prepared in Vietnam, eliminating the difficulties and hardships associated with transporting the solution by air. This marked a milestone in the growth and strength of our team of officers and doctors and was also a success attributed to the leadership and guidance of the Standing Committee and the Chief of High Command throughout different periods. Reflecting on this event, my mind returned to significant milestones in the unit's political mission. These included the decision to invest in building T77 as a scientific research base to serve the preservation of President Ho Chi Minh's body, the proactive production of medicine during regular maintenance in 1992, the acceptance of the task of making medicine for regular preservation of Uncle Ho's body in 1995, and in 2003, before the 35th-anniversary celebration of safeguarding President Ho Chi Minh's body, the official handover of the essential components of the special solution by our Russian counterparts. Memories along the timeline remained vivid in my mind. Indeed, "the past, present, and future are a continuous flow." The success of today is the result of countless individuals dedicating themselves to the long-term preservation and absolute safety of President Ho Chi Minh's body.
Then, the awaited moment arrived. At exactly 2:00 PM (Moscow time) on June 04, 2003, the last day of the mission, the Director of the Moscow Biomedical Research Center and the Head of the Mausoleum Management Board officially signed the handover protocol for the chemical composition, agreeing to collaborate with our officers and doctors in preparing the special solution in Vietnam in the first quarter of 2004. Thus, the working mission of the delegation of leaders from the Mausoleum Management Board in the Russian Federation concluded successfully.
Three years have passed since then, and Institute 69 and Russian experts have successfully prepared the special solution in Vietnam three times. This outcome further affirms the correctness and foresight of the unit's leadership and the goodwill and enduring tradition of Russian experts towards Vietnam.
