HARNESSING INNER STRENGTH FROM THE SMALLEST ACTIONS
Colonel NGUYEN TRONG KHANH
Deputy Commander - Chief of Staff
President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command
In 1977, I bid farewell to my homeland and set off to study at the Voroshilovgrad Vocational School of Mechanical Engineering in Southern Ukraine, specializing in mechanical engineering. After five years of diligent study, in 1982, I graduated and returned to my homeland. Like many other military personnel, I eagerly anticipated applying my knowledge immediately in service to the Fatherland. While awaiting reserve officer training, in August 1982, the Ministry of National Defense directed us to the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command to strengthen the translation force during the periodic maintenance of the Mausoleum.
Born and raised in Hanoi, I visited the Mausoleum on numerous occasions, making it a source of pride for me. Even when studying abroad, whenever I had the opportunity to introduce my Vietnamese homeland to international friends, I always highlighted Hanoi with its sparkling Turtle Tower overlooking the emerald waters of Hoan Kiem Lake, especially the revered Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. At that time, I didn't fully understand the Mausoleum's structure or the unit's mission; I was only assigned to reinforce the work at the Mausoleum. Nevertheless, the sense of honor bestowed upon me was immense. Alongside the joy, I couldn't help but feel anxious, unsure if I could fulfill the task. Upon arriving at the Command, all my worries quickly dissipated, replaced by a warm and open atmosphere from everyone in the unit. We successfully completed the reinforcement mission during that maintenance period.
In April 1983, after completing the reserve officer training, I was officially assigned to the Mausoleum High Command by the Ministry of National Defense. This marked a significant turning point in my life. From then on, I followed in my father's footsteps, participating in the lifelong mission of safeguarding the absolute safety of President Ho Chi Minh’s body.
In the High Command, I was appointed as the technical assistant to the Technical Department. Here, I had the opportunity to become acquainted with and access modern machinery from the Soviet Union, which served the Mausoleum project. Despite my mechanical engineering background and familiarity with various large and modern machines, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the complex system of equipment provided by the Soviet Union for the Mausoleum project. Over time, my appreciation for the sentiments and respect that the Party, the State, and the Soviet people had for President Ho Chi Minh and his Mausoleum deepened.
At the time of 1986, after more than ten years in operation, the machinery system of construction had many deteriorating components that required upgrades and replacements, especially the water droplet separation plates of the central air conditioning system. To ensure the absolute safety of President Ho Chi Minh’s body, in addition to regular healthcare for him, maintaining precise control over the temperature, cleanliness, and aseptic conditions of the central air conditioning system played a crucial role. In the entire air processing line of the central air conditioning unit, each component and each stage was closely related to ensure air quality met medical requirements, disallowing any part of the central air conditioning unit to be idle or malfunctioning pending replacement. The water droplet separation system's task was to separate and retain all the water condensed from steam in the cooling coils and after the high-pressure humidification chamber, preventing air-carrying moisture from passing through the electrostatic filter. The electrostatic filter, operating at a high voltage of 12,000V, would eliminate mold and retain all bacteria and dust before being directed to the medical rooms and the visiting area where President Ho Chi Minh rested. In the case of malfunction or inefficient operation of the water droplet separation plates, even a small amount of water passing through the electrostatic filter at high voltage could cause electrical sparks, necessitating the suspension of the electrostatic filter section. This meant that bacteria and mold would go untreated, directly affecting the mission of safeguarding President Ho Chi Minh’s body. The water droplet separation system with multiple plates had a unique structure, where each plate had to be continuously immersed in water for 24/24 hours in a humid environment. The material used was galvanized steel, resulting in an average lifespan of only 7-8 years, making manufacturing and replacement challenging. Therefore, the command's task was to research and develop water droplet separation plates that met technical requirements and had a long lifespan. This was also the concern of the technical staff. After temporarily handling the system for operation, Mr. Vo Van Tinh, the air conditioning engineer, said: 'I always harbored the intention of creating water droplet separation plates using stainless steel to avoid repairs.' After discussions and careful consideration, we decided to propose the idea to the Chief of the Technical Department and the High Command for investment in producing a test plate in Vietnam meeting the technical standards to replace all the water droplet separation plates for the air conditioning system.
Following the High Command's instructions, I directly received and organized the task. After presenting the manufacturing issue to various large military mechanical factories, it was not successful due to the difficulties in manufacturing technology, with low quantities, equipment investment, and numerous technical solutions. The final stop was Factory Z157. The Director, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Canh, and the technical staff began researching multiple options for manufacturing. Despite successive failures, the most challenging aspect remained the manufacturing technology. The more difficult it became, the more it spurred our determination to research. After nearly a year of hard work with countless experiments, we finally had water droplet separation plates made of high-quality steel according to standards. After examination and discussion, Soviet technical experts highly praised the equipment's quality and the expertise of the Vietnamese technical team, deciding to provide us with steel plates for manufacturing water droplet separation plates in Vietnam. However, to complete the machinery and achieve proficiency in production, it took several more years.
In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed unexpectedly, an event no one anticipated, and the aid for the Mausoleum project was no longer available. However, the equipment and machinery of the independent and self-reliant spirit had come into existence; it was one of Vietnam's intellectual products, a testament to the independent and self-reliant spirit. This contributed to the technical unit's staff gradually rising to become masters of technical equipment, even in challenging circumstances when we had to stand firmly on our own feet. Consider this, if back then we hadn't been determined to research and produce those devices in Vietnam, undoubtedly, when the Soviet Union collapsed, the replacement process would have faced numerous difficulties. Reflecting on those memories, I want to convey one thing: Be self-reliant in even the smallest tasks.
