Spring and memories…

Mr. Phan Van Quy - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Pacific Group. Photo: Contributor

PV:Please tell us about your hometown background before joining the army?

Mr. Phan Van Quy:In the years 1970 - 1971, the resistance war against the US entered a new, fierce and arduous phase. In my hometown Yen Thanh district in particular and many localities in the country in general, young people eagerly signed up to join the army with the burning desire to contribute a small part to protecting their homeland and country.

At that time, I was 18 years old, a 9th grade student. I remember, every class, our teachers and students listened to the news of the battlefield and discussed it enthusiastically. We students were also eager, wanting to register our names for the first draft to "put down our pens and go to war". And pride exploded when I heard my name called out on the enlistment list right at the first semester summary session at the end of 1971 of Yen Thanh District High School.

Hero of the People's Armed Forces Phan Van Quy (center) received a Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister for his contributions to the emulation movement "The whole country joins hands to build new rural areas" in the period 2016 - 2020. Photo: Contributor

PV:Do you remember the memories of the day you joined the army?

Mr. Phan Van Quy:It was a cold winter day, hundreds of young people from Yen Thanh district lined up neatly in the ranks of those going to war, starting to realize the ideal of the youth class at that time: "The most beautiful life is on the front line fighting the enemy". Before the nostalgia of their relatives, our new recruits were gathered at the football field of Hop Thanh commune for the district to hand over to the military units. Everyone was very moved when listening to Mr. Nguyen Ba Ton - Chairman of the district, a severely wounded veteran during the war against the French, speak and encourage. The organizing committee of the farewell ceremony also read poems and performed songs about the soldier: "Oh soldier, oh soldier/Your homeland is from nine streams and ten rivers...".

The verses that the girl from the district cultural office recited during that farewell to my hometown still resonate, following me to the battlefield, and until now... That winter afternoon, reluctantly saying goodbye to my hometown and family, our group of new soldiers got on the bus, marched to Quang Binh, and were assigned to our units one by one.

Granting funding to build a medical station for Nhan Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district (Nghe An). Photo: Contributor

PV:50 years have passed, but surely the military years, especially the time on the battlefield, are always precious memories, sir?

Mr. Phan Van Quy:We are just the “descendants” of Truong Son soldiers. Just entering the battlefield, listening to the poems left by our predecessors, we saw how fierce and brutal the war was: “Darling, go get married. I will go through Tha Me, but I will not return”. Those were key points such as Tha Me, Ta Le tunnel, Lum Bum intersection... Those were bomb craters crisscrossed like the footsteps of wild animals, the burnt forests with only a few leaves left because of Agent Orange and bombs. In that fierceness, I also witnessed many examples of resilience and bravery of my comrades and teammates. I myself also thought that maybe I would not die today, but death could happen at any time.

Although we were close to death many times, when we met our comrades again, we forgot everything with an optimistic spirit. We told each other countless stories on the roads, laughing loudly throughout the forest. For me, it was fortunate that during my time in the Truong Son battlefield, there were some brothers from Yen Thanh district in the same unit. Occasionally meeting them helped ease my homesickness. There were brothers from other units, even though we briefly met each other on the march, only having time to wave goodbye through the car window, but somehow we felt strangely attached. The image of our homeland appearing through the figures of our comrades was an invisible force that helped us strive harder to get through the successive campaign seasons.

Visiting, encouraging and giving gifts to war veterans in Yen Thanh district. Photo: Contributor

PV:After returning to civilian life, how do veterans connect with their comrades, sir?

Mr. Phan Van Quy:Until now, the soldiers of Yen Thanh district in the past are still alive, some are dead. Although we have returned to normal life, we always determine that we are still soldiers to live and work for the rest of our lives worthy of the title Uncle Ho's soldiers that the people have given us.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the day Yen Thanh district soldiers left for battle, my business and I coordinated with the local government to visit and give gifts to encourage more than one hundred comrades who joined the army and shared the burden on the battlefield years ago.

PV:It is known that over the years, you and your business have sponsored tens of billions of dong for many meaningful projects for social security in your hometown. Before the new year, with the innovation and development of your home province, what are your next plans?

Vinh Tan International Port, invested by Pacific Group, with a capacity of 8 million tons/year, is the largest port in the South Central region. Photo: Contributor

Mr. Phan Van Quy:In July 2021, our unit celebrated its 20th anniversary. Over the years, we have consistently focused on investing in three main areas: Industry, General Contractor and Real Estate with projects such as: Vinh Tan International Port (Binh Thuan), Thai Hoa Wind Power Plant (Binh Thuan), Huong Tien Dong Tourist Area (Hoa Binh)...

After some initial successes of the above projects, we proposed and were approved by the People's Committee of Nghe An province to study and invest in the Dong Hoi International Port project next to the Quynh Lap Power Center, in Hoang Mai town. Our group has completed the survey plan and reported to the Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone (Nghe An). Recently, we and our partners have proposed to the People's Committee of Nghe An province and the Government to allow us to participate in the study and investment in an LNG power plant in our province.

Like many other children far from home, we always look forward to good news from our homeland and want to contribute a small part to build Nghe An - the homeland of our beloved Uncle Ho - to become more and more beautiful, as the old song goes: "The road to Nghe An is winding. The green mountains and blue waters are like a picture".

PV:Thank you and good luck with your plans!