Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Rural Development explains why Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele has not been built yet

Not suitable!

The Provincial Party Committee approved the construction of the Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele in Official Dispatch No. 3257-CV/TU dated June 5, 2018. Two years later, on June 26, 2020, in Document No. 505/UBND-BTD, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development the task of "reviewing and implementing the policy of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee on establishing a project to build the Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele".

Synthesizing related documents shows that, to carry out the tasks assigned by the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has directed the Agricultural and Rural Development Project Management Board to coordinate with consultants and related units to research and evaluate implementation options.

By December 21, 2021, based on Report No. 255/NAPMU-KT dated December 14, 2021, the Agricultural and Rural Development Project Management Board, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Document No. 4767/SNN-QLXD asking for the Provincial People's Committee's opinion on the construction plan of the Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele under the KC1 package - Component 1 - JICA Project 2.

Cover of the article “Hiep Hoa, unfulfilled promise…” on Nghe An Electronic Newspaper.

Here, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development plans the location for the construction of the Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele; detailed information on 2 construction options, of which option 1 is to build a memorial stele house with a total area of ​​400m2.²Option 2 includes building a memorial stele house, a landscape support area and a parking lot for visitors to offer incense with a total area of ​​about 3,900m2.². In case of implementing option 1, the estimated funding source is more than 1.76 billion VND; and for option 2, it will require over 4.49 billion VND. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development also clearly identified the funding source as "taken from the cost of the Hiep Hoa regulating culvert repair item under the KC1 package".

Considering the report of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Provincial People's Committee directed this Department to review and update the implementation status of the above items; provide records, documents and work with the departments, branches and units: Construction, Culture - Sports, Provincial Youth Union, Do Luong District People's Committee and relevant agencies to complete the procedural records and implement (Document No. 9957/UBND-NN dated December 21, 2021).

A few days after receiving the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Construction, the Department of Culture - Sports and the Provincial Youth Union responded in writing to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, with the basic content agreeing to choose option 1. In addition, some suggestions were given to ensure the project's safety, compliance with traditional customs, promoting the landscape and space, creating aesthetics...

Document No. 3671/SNN-QLXD dated October 12, 2022 of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on reporting the suspension of construction of "Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele" and some related documents.

However, on September 21, 2022, the Project Management Board for Investment in Construction of Agricultural Works and Rural Development sent Document No. 91/TTr.BQLDA-KT3 to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development requesting approval to adjust and supplement (7th time) the KC1 package - Main canal and CTTK section from K0+300 to K12+000, under the Project to Restore and Upgrade the Northern Nghe An Irrigation System. Here, regarding the construction of the Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele, the Project Management Board for Investment in Construction of Agricultural Works and Rural Development reported, "According to the opinions of the Provincial People's Committee and departments and branches, this is a project of great cultural and spiritual significance for Nghe An province, and its implementation is beyond the authority of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. On the other hand, due to the nature of the JICA 2 project, which uses ODA loans from the Japanese Government to restore and upgrade the Northern Nghe An irrigation system to serve domestic water supply and improve irrigation efficiency, if the Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele is built according to the opinions of departments and branches, it will not be possible."

On September 28, 2022, this Board continued to issue Document No. 103/BQLDA-KT3 on the construction of the "Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele" to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, reporting that the implementation of the construction of the memorial stele for the "Repair of Hiep Hoa regulating culvert at K7+274.4" project encountered many difficulties and problems. Because this is a "cultural and spiritual project and there are many different opinions. On the other hand, due to the specific nature of the JICA 2 project using ODA loans from the Japanese Government to restore and upgrade the Bac Nghe An irrigation system to serve domestic water supply and improve irrigation efficiency, if the Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele is built according to the opinions of departments, branches and sectors, it will not be in accordance with the regulations of the sponsor".

This Committee requested the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to report to the Provincial People's Committee "not to build the Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele in the KC1 package, the project to restore and upgrade the Northern Nghe An irrigation system, and at the same time have a policy to use socialized capital to build...".

Perspective drawing of Hiep Hoa sewer memorial stele.

Reported to the Provincial People's Committee...

On October 21, 2022, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Document No. 3805/SNN-QLXD to the Project Management Board for Investment in Construction of Agricultural and Rural Development Works, agreeing to temporarily suspend the construction of the Hiep Hoa Sluice Memorial Monument due to "not meeting the conditions to implement according to regulations".

By October 12, 2022, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Document No. 3671/SNN-QLXD on reporting the suspension of the construction of the "Hiep Hoa Sluice Memorial", under the KC1 package, the Project to Restore and Upgrade the Northern Nghe An Irrigation System (JICA 2) with the content: "In the estimate and contract volume of the KC1 package, the item Repairing the Hiep Hoa Regulating Sluice at K7+274.4 includes the construction of a Memorial Sluice with a value of VND 2,059 billion to commemorate the victims who died during the construction of the Hiep Hoa Sluice in 1978. However, the implementation of the above item is not consistent with the basic principles in state management of ODA capital and preferential loans (Section 2, Article 6, Decree No. 114/2021/ND-CP dated December 16, 2021) and is not consistent with the overall goal. Overview of the project (through investment in repairing and upgrading key works, canal systems and facilities to contribute to ensuring national food security, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, while enhancing the capacity of management teams and beneficiaries in effectively exploiting and operating the irrigation system).

Therefore, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported to the People's Committee of Nghe An province about not using JICA loan capital to invest in the construction of the Hiep Hoa sluice memorial stele, under Package KC1, the Project to Restore and Upgrade the Northern Nghe An Irrigation System (JICA 2).

Hiep Hoa culvert, where the work accident occurred in 1978.

Talking to Nghe An Newspaper reporters on the afternoon of May 15, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Thanh Vinh acknowledged that the Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele is a spiritual and cultural project, and at the same time, he affirmed that JICA funding cannot be used to implement this project. Mr. Phung Thanh Vinh informed that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's viewpoint is that the construction of the Hiep Hoa culvert memorial stele is very good, because the merits of those who came before need to be remembered, demonstrating the spirit of "When drinking water, remember its source". However, the implementation needs to be strictly ensured.

Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Thanh Vinh said: "If the source can be utilized, it would be good, but because it cannot be utilized, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, based on the tasks assigned by the Provincial People's Committee, has sent a document reporting to the Provincial People's Committee since October 2022."

When asked that, in Document No. 3671/SNN-QLXD, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported and requested the Provincial People's Committee not to use JICA capital to implement the Hiep Hoa Sluice Monument project, but had not made any proposals or recommendations, Mr. Phung Thanh Vinh replied: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported the actual situation like that but did not make any recommendations because the Department does not have the authority to determine which source and which unit will implement it. From a personal perspective, I think this project is a cultural and spiritual project, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development only carries out projects serving production, so it should be transferred to a specialized sector to implement it...

Small temple by Hiep Hoa culvert.

The Hiep Hoa Cement Memorial Monument Project is very meaningful in commemorating the contributions of those who died during the construction of Hiep Hoa Cement, responding to the wishes of the relatives of the deceased and promoting the tradition of "When drinking water, remember its source" of the Vietnamese people.

Excerpt from Document No. 4767/SNN-QLXD dated December 17, 2021 of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

The construction of a memorial house to commemorate the event that occurred at Hiep Hoa culvert, Hoa Son commune, Do Luong district is a very meaningful work to pay tribute to the forces who sacrificed here in 1978...

Excerpt from Document No. 3685/SVHTT-QLDSVH dated December 28, 2021 of the Department of Culture and Sports