People with heavy Vietnamese-Russian affection

Heavy gratitude between Vietnam and Russia

Our story with Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy begins with his love and pride for his birthplace. He was born in Dai Dinh village, Thanh Van commune, Thanh Chuong district (now Dai Dong commune) - a village with a rich tradition of learning. This land is famous for the Nguyen Nhu "doctor" family with dozens of doctors, hundreds of masters and bachelors who are trying their best to contribute to building the country. Since his childhood, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy has overcome difficulties, always put education first, and conquered the pinnacle of knowledge.

Going beyond the bamboo fence of Dai Dong village, graduating from high school, Thanh Chuong 1 High School, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy passed the university entrance exam and became a member of the intellectual class sent to study in the Soviet Union in the years 1970 - 1980. At that time, being sent by the State to study in the Soviet Union was an extremely great honor. To be recruited, candidates had to go through a very strict entrance exam, usually those who excelled in the exams at that time.

You are going to study in the Soviet Union, a country with high levels of science and technology. When you go there to study, you should learn things that are practical and that people need.

President Ho Chi Minh met and instructed the first class of intellectuals sent by the Party and State to study in the Soviet Union in 1951.

Rostov-on-Don is considered the southern capital of Russia, located 46 km from the coast of the Azov Sea. It is a major industrial and cultural center, a traffic hub, and is known as the "gateway to the Caucasus." Photo: Livejournal

Coming to the Soviet Union, new student Nguyen Nhu Quy was assigned to study construction at the Faculty of Construction Technology, Rostov Don University of Construction - one of the three famous construction schools in Russia. For the new student at that time, construction was a completely new and confusing concept, because in his mind he only knew "first Medicine, second Pharmacy, okay Polytechnic". Those worries soon disappeared, because Rostov University of Construction provided students with a basic understanding of theory as well as practice. The theoretical system of Soviet schools in general and construction schools in particular is very rich.

Rostov State University of Civil Engineering. Photo: Internet

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy shared: “The day I packed my suitcase and left for the Soviet Union, I never thought that it would be the beginning of the journey that followed. I studied and worked in large laboratories and with leading professors from Russia and the world in engineering and materials. That was lucky, but also extremely stressful. Luckily, I grew up thanks to what I learned from my Soviet teachers, from knowledge foundation, scientific thinking to personality, behavior, and management. There was also pressure because the teachers always had very high demands and were extremely strict about the quality of their work. That was not simple at all.”

The attachment and affection of the Soviet generation of teachers towards Vietnamese students is something Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy will never forget. He said: “In the years 1971-1972, the country was struggling in the resistance war against the US, economic conditions were extremely difficult. The students who went to study in the Soviet Union were very young at that time. In that situation, the Vietnamese students received special affection from the Soviet teachers. They not only considered the students as students but also as their children, taking care of them in class and outside of class, when they were healthy or sick, sharing both happy and sad stories. Those warm and close feelings are always engraved in the hearts of the generations of Vietnamese who studied in the Soviet Union.”

With that same care and dedicated guidance, the student always received a score of 5/5, and the faculty's golden list of achievements always had the name of Viet Nam Nguyen Nhu Quy. And the degree“Отлично”(Excellent) is the sweet fruit of years of training, research, and knowledge acquisition. Later, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy had the opportunity to research and work in several other countries such as India, Thailand, the Netherlands, and Japan, but for him, being sent by the Party and the State to study in the Soviet Union was the greatest luck - a solid foundation for future development.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy at the awarding ceremony of the 30-year Party membership badge. Photo: NVCC

Contribute to building the homeland

After graduating and returning home after years of studying abroad, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy was assigned to work at the University of Construction, becoming a senior lecturer and head of the Department of Materials Technology.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy's fate with his hometown Nghe An was that, right in the early stages, he was involved in the technical appraisal of the Ban Ve Hydropower Project - the largest hydropower project in the Central region. Ban Ve Dam was constructed using roller compaction technology - the latest advanced gravity dam construction technology applied in Vietnam, and is also the field that Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy has pursued since 1994, and has left many "footprints" in many large projects such as Son La Hydropower Plant, Play Krong Hydropower Dam...

With his experience in appraisal, in early 2006, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy was asked to help design and construct the test embankment for the Ban Ve Hydropower Dam Project, in parallel with the design plan of the contractor PECCI of the Swiss Elinco Company. With urgent speed, after a short time, the design was completed. A team of engineers was sent to Ban Ve Hydropower Plant to directly guide the construction of roller compacted concrete according to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy's plan. It only took a few days of testing, with initial positive results. The quality of the roller compacted concrete layer of the University of Construction was better than expected. Therefore, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy's plan was chosen for the construction of the dam.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy is the designer and constructor of the test site for the Ban Ve Hydropower Dam Project, Nghe An - the largest hydropower project in the Central region, using roller compacted concrete technology. Photo: My Nga

After more than 3 months of construction, in the seminar on roller compacted concrete construction of Ban Ve Hydropower Dam at the Electricity Corporation, once again in front of hundreds of domestic and foreign experts, in front of leaders of the Government, ministries, departments and branches, the roller compacted concrete solution was named because of its very good construction quality. "At that time, I felt extremely happy. I had done something meaningful to show gratitude to the land where I was born - the poor and beloved land - Nghe An" - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy shared.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy (third from right) with colleagues at the Faculty of Construction Materials, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering. Photo: NVCC

Although living far away from home, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy still has special feelings for his homeland. He shared: “Nghe An has a “gold mine of knowledge”. The potential of Nghe An people far away from home to contribute to their homeland is huge. It does not stop at volunteering, but also in contributing ideas to build the homeland to be more and more innovative, improving the quality of life. Everyone wants to contribute, especially the scientific and technological team. No matter what they do or where they are, they always turn to their homeland with all their heart. For me, being grateful to my homeland is never enough”.