The old man gathered

Mr. Can happily recounted: In February 1954, he was one of 21 people from Quang Ngai who went to the North for regrouping. He was assigned to Yen Thanh with the task of re-educating prisoners of war before their repatriation. Afterwards, he was sent to study basic economics in Bac Ninh and then worked at the Vinh Power Plant. In 1958, he was put in charge of the unit constructing the food warehouse at Veo Market in Yen Thanh, then took charge of the technical aspects of the Song Lam Sugar Factory, the construction of Huynh Thuc Khang School, the Provincial People's Committee Headquarters, Vinh Railway Station... He spent his days enduring rain and sun, moving from one construction site to another, his longing for his wife and children always gnawing at him. One late winter day, he received news that his wife had been captured by the enemy and taken to a strategic hamlet in Lam Dong, forced to marry a puppet regime soldier. He had no choice but to remarry and decided to make a long-term commitment to the land of Nghe An. In 1977, he was appointed Director of Construction Enterprise No. 2 (Construction Company No. 6), and retired in 1984. After retirement, he was trusted by the people and elected as the Party Secretary of Phuc Vinh block and Vice Chairman of the Veterans Association of Vinh Tan commune. In the locality, he lived a simple and honest life, so he was loved and respected by the people. Because of his expertise, he was invited by the local authorities to supervise 22 construction projects in the area. Every project he supervised achieved high quality results. For him, that was a debt of gratitude to his second homeland.

Even now, despite his advanced age and declining health, he remains deeply involved in local community activities, contributing many ideas to build a strong neighborhood. He says: "I owe my life to the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, so as long as I live, I will continue to contribute."

Text and photos: Ha Linh