RECEIVING THE SPECIAL CARGOS
Colonel NGUYEN QUE
Former Chief of Unit 195
President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command
The construction site of Uncle Ho's Mausoleum was bustling with a new wave of enthusiasm in February 1975. The focus was on accelerating the construction progress and installing machinery to meet the deadline for the mausoleum's inauguration in September in the same year. Despite the joyful and energetic atmosphere, people worked tirelessly day and night, even forgoing Sundays and holidays. However, underneath each person's outward enthusiasm lurked apprehension and dread. Why was the air conditioning system, akin to the mausoleum's critical lungs, still cloaked in mystery, and why was the complete set of glass coffins still waiting their turn?
Toward the end of the month, exciting news arrived from Hai Phong: the ship carrying the air conditioning equipment had arrived at buoy "0," bringing relief and excitement to the whole work site, particularly to the members of the Engineer Brigade 259 of the Engineering Corps.
Deputy Prime Minister Do Muoi, the Head of the Mausoleum Construction Committee, assigned a crucial task: a process that usually took a month, but the equipment must reach the Mausoleum within 5 days.
The situation demanded urgent action. As night fell, a truck transported us to the Vietnam Railway General Authority to provide the orders for shipping the goods. We rushed to Hai Phong after finishing this operation to transmit the directives to the Port Director. It was already late, and after a quick thought, the Port Director stated, "It's too late now." You and your friends will go to buoy '0' tomorrow morning to meet the ship owner." We considered to ourselves that this arrangement was really advantageous.
At exactly 6 AM the next morning, a small boat carried all of us out of the port, gently gliding through the vast misty expanse. In about an hour, we reached buoy "0" to meet the ship owner. This ship was a brand-new ocean liner just completed in Poland, hired by the Soviet Union to transport goods for us.
The Port Director informed the ship owner, "This afternoon, wait for the tide, and your ship will enter the port to unload the cargo." Needless to say, the ship's owner and crew were overjoyed. The joyous booze began to flow immediately, and a feast was planned, consisting primarily of dry and chilled food but being fairly plentiful.
There were still dozens of ships at buoy "0" waiting to enter the port in a planned order, so this ship would have to wait at least 15 days. The officers and sailors on board the ship were allowed to get in the port in the afternoon, which was beyond their expectation. No one can hold back their happiness.
Returning to the Vietnam Railway General Authority, it was determined that, within one or two days, nine flatbed rail cars had to be present at the Hai Phong port. Due to the large and tall dimensions of the equipment, regular railcars wouldn't pass through Long Bien Bridge. At that time, there were about ten flatbed rail cars scattered at various stations from Lang Son to Thanh Hoa in the Northern region. To meet the deadline, any station that had a flatbed railcar with the appropriate size would send it back to Hanoi, forming a convoy headed for Hai Phong. It was a remarkable race against time.
Back at the port, the cargo ship had been guided that night. The next morning, after unloading the cargo, the train convoy, mainly consisting of flatbed railcars, arrived punctually.
Even though the port deployed the most skilled and safe stevedore team, the train convoy had a Hero of Labor driver with an advanced service team that had worked for many years.
After unloading, and once the equipment was securely fastened, the train convoy immediately departed for Hanoi. The locomotive was splendidly adorned with flags and slogans, exuding a powerful atmosphere. The police force had developed a very detailed protection plan for the train convoy, ensuring absolute safety. Each railcar had police officers guarding it. The train didn't stop at any stations along the way. The railway staff at each station wore uniforms, expressing their respect. National Highway 5, running parallel to the railway, had police officers stationed along it, preventing any accidents where cars might lose control and collide with the train. Large bridges like Lai Vu, Phu Luong, and Long Bien were all meticulously guarded both above and below the river. Surrounding each bridge column were police patrol boats, ensuring safety.
The train arrived at Giap Bat station, and it was just getting dark. Four days had passed. The police force, as well as modern equipment, had been mobilized to ensure the train's safety while resting here overnight.
The next morning, the construction site's convoy of vehicles was present at the station, ready to receive the cargo. Due to the cargo's height and importance, each vehicle had a police officer for protection and an electrician with an insulating rod ready to lift the power lines for the vehicles to pass. Police cars led the way and secured the convoy's tail. The transportation procession was safe and sound, reaching the Mausoleum exactly five days after the cargo was at buoy "0."
When the cargo arrived at the construction site, the foreign experts and our team immediately opened the crates for inventory. It was truly excellent. The air conditioning equipment, weighing over 160 tons and designed by the Soviet Union with hundreds of components from various machines purchased from countries like Japan, the United States, Denmark, etc., had been transported over tens of thousands of miles without the slightest damage. If even a minor issue had occurred that required replacement, it would have been impossible to meet the deadline.
With the machines in place, without a moment's rest, the Machine Installation Command launched a new phase of competition: "Complete the air conditioning system in 40 days."
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On a late spring morning in 1975, the reception team from the construction site of Uncle Ho's Mausoleum awaited the arrival of specialized vehicles at Gia Lam Airport. The distant rumbling sounds became increasingly audible around 10 AM, under magnificent sunshine, when the aircraft with registration number 42988 softly dropped into the runway. The pilot team and the receiving team promptly joined forces after taking a group photo and began unloading the cargo from the plane onto the specialized vehicles, amidst the euphoria of those celebrating the arrival. The aircraft's rear door opened, and each vehicle took turns accepting the load.
This cargo was the full set of glass coffins, meticulously disassembled and securely packaged for transit. These objects were designed and manufactured by the Soviet Union and were created in a variety of highly specialized facilities, displaying modern and exact craftsmanship. Individually manufactured with sophisticated technology, the translucent glass panels were several dozen layers thick and allowed light to travel through without refraction. The lifting equipment was built on the screw axis idea, ensuring ultimate precision and safety. Multiple sets of multi-beam lights were routed through a lens filter system, ensuring adjustable light hues while limiting heat generation.
Due to its importance, it was transported by air, even though it incurred significantly higher costs compared to sea transport.
Once secured, the convoy traveled slowly and cautiously towards the Mausoleum construction site, under the close protection of Hanoi's police colleagues. A new concern surfaced just as the receiving team was getting thrilled. When exposed to extreme weather fluctuations, these precision instruments warped, endangering the essential air tightness during assembly. As a result, it was suggested that they be stored in air-conditioned rooms with controlled humidity. It was difficult to find medium-sized air conditioning systems at the time. People, however, were prepared to offer their equipment wherever they could because of their strong devotion to Uncle Ho. The usage of the Ba Dinh Club, a senior officers' club, was allowed by Comrade Do Muoi, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Mausoleum Construction Committee, as a temporary storage location.
The club's table tennis area was immediately refurbished, with walls perforated, wide doors installed, and four medium-sized air conditioning units installed. Following successful trial runs and parameter checks, the equipment was opened for storage in accordance with rules, ready to be relocated for installation inside the Mausoleum as soon as conditions permitted.
The foreign expert from the Soviet Union was primarily responsible for building the glass coffin equipment inside the Mausoleum, with Vietnamese technical officials and others supporting and overseeing the operation.
So, if the air conditioning system represented the "special lungs of the Mausoleum," the glass coffin apparatus represented the "big heart." The Soviet and our teams collaborated successfully to achieve quality and timely progress.
Many years later, the apparatus is still operational, contributing greatly to the long-term preservation of Uncle Ho's bones. This is a priceless gift for the officers, soldiers, and operators that labored on the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum construction site.
