THE BAR SOAP
BUI SON HAI
Worker of Unit 595
President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command
The story I'm sharing happened more than 20 years ago. On that day, to clear the land for the construction of the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the unit requested land in the Hao Nam area, O Cho Dua ward. It is located at the border between Cat Linh ward in Ba Dinh district and O Cho Dua ward in Dong Da district, now serving as the headquarters of Unit 595 and the logistics and technical area of the High Command. Due to its location at the boundary of two districts, the security situation in the area was very complex. During the land clearance, the entire 1.4-hectare area was a reservoir and drainage system for the surrounding population. The foundation filling and the construction of a reinforced concrete drainage pipe system for the entire area were carried out simultaneously. At that time, I was still a staff member of the Project Management Board, assigned to directly monitor and supervise the foundation filling and drainage system construction.
Throughout the construction period, water from the reservoir and sewage from the residential area continuously flowed out, the roads were narrow and muddy, and, at this time, the residents of the Kl and K2 collective housing areas even installed concrete piles to prevent foundation construction vehicles from entering. Excavating and placing pipes were extremely challenging; the excavator would scoop up water, causing the soil to flow back down. With a tight schedule, urgent completion of the plan assigned by the High Command was necessary, and the unit had to replace two construction units due to insufficient capacity to meet the schedule and plan set by the High Command. The entire unit's personnel took turns monitoring day and night, finding solutions to overcome difficulties and challenges. Eventually, the construction progressed smoothly, excavation proceeded favorably, the area expanded, bamboo and coconut piles were woven into anti-erosion barriers, water pumps operated 24/24, and the drainage system was completed and put into operation. Under the guidance of the Chief of the High Command and the guidance of the Political Department, community work was effectively carried out, addressing concerns of the people in the area, and neighborhood teams were resolved. Each sand delivery truck worked day and night to meet the deadline for handover.
During construction, due to a significant amount of water discharge, the construction force had to build barriers section by section to prevent water from flowing into the manhole and dry the joint connections. During the acceptance and handover at each location, I vividly remember that if the soil was not excavated, the pipes would become clogged, affecting other drainage lines. At that time, the wastewater had nearly flooded the mouths of the pipes, and waste overflowed, causing environmental pollution and hindering construction. I suggested to the construction force to excavate and clear the pipes, but they insisted that they had already done so, and the pipes were not clogged. To prove the truth, I had to personally dive into the deep sewage pit up to chest height, dig up soil and rocks, clear the pipes to demonstrate to them. While doing that, the leader from Group B (Comrade Toan, belonging to the Vietnam Science and Technology Application Center) showed a somewhat annoyed and uncomfortable expression. However, after calming down, Comrade Toan was very enthusiastic, saying to the construction workers on their side, "As soldiers, when necessary, even if we have to jump into the fire, we will do it," and he asked his workers to dig up all the soil and rocks.
Appreciating my sense of responsibility, the next morning when I arrived at the office, Comrade Toan personally gave me 2 bars of soap and jokingly said, "You have to go back and use up these 2 bars of soap before coming to the office," in front of all the comrades in the office. That afternoon, Commander Nguyen Van Tuong came to encourage and praise me.
From then until now, in every situation, no matter what task I'm assigned, I always remind myself to try my best with utmost dedication, working with the highest sense of responsibility to complete the assigned mission. In doing so, I contribute in my small way alongside the unit to fulfill the political mission entrusted by the Party, the military, and the people.
