"No one should destroy the factory, because it is a necessary source of light for the people"
In the midst of the historic April days, when the atmosphere of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the complete liberation of the South and national reunification was bustling, we visited Mr. Nguyen Van Thien, Hai Nhut himself (year 91 years old this year, former employee of Thu Duc Thermal Power Plant, which was supplying electricity to the entire Saigon City at that time) and Ms. Nguyen Thi Lieu (year 84 years old this year) in Phuoc Long B ward, Thu Duc city, Ho Chi Minh City.
Although they are old, their grandparents are still quite alert. When recounting the event of keeping Thu Duc Thermal Power Plant on April 30,75 historically, Mr. Thien was overwhelmed with joy, as if reliving the vibrant days of that time. Mr. Thien said that before 1965, he studied at Hoa Xa Vocational College, located in Chi Hoa (now District 3, Ho Chi Minh City). This school trains children of workers in the power plant at that time.
Nam 1965, ong bat dau ve lam nhan vien tai Nha may Nhiet dien Thu Duc. In 1972, he was Mr. Le Khac Binh - a revolutionary official in the inner city - approaching and assigning the propaganda of the policy of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam to colleagues and building revolutionary base in the factory with the purpose when necessary, protecting and seizing the factory. Ong Thien da tuyen truyen, van dong duoc 5 cong nhan khac dong y tham gia to chuc voi minh.
Mr. Thien recalled: At around 7:00 p.m. on April 29, 1975, Mr. Ha Van Thong - chief engineer and operator of Thu Duc Thermal Power Plant - invited a team of 12 people, including 3 people in the transportation organization, to the control room on the 2nd floor for a meeting. Mr. Thong announced: I am very sad because the superiors told me to tell my brothers that if the situation is critical and there is no longer any saving, the factory is ordered to destroy important parts and we will be picked up by helicopter on the factory rooftop."
At that moment, Mr. Thien stood up, with a harsh face, looking straight at engineer Thong and firmly declared: I, Nguyen Van Thien, today, in compliance with the order of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, do not allow anyone to destroy the factory, because it is a necessary source of light for the people. If anyone destroys the factory, they will be completely responsible to the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam.
Mr. Thien continued, "From that time, I and the brothers in the public team continued to monitor the situation, prevent the destruction of the factory and also be wary of being taken away by the enemy. Knowing that Mr. Thong would report to Mr. Nguyen Van Van - Acting Director of the Factory - at that time, so on April 30, about 6:30 am, when Mr. Hoa had just arrived, I went straight to Mr. Hoa's room. What and just briefly said: "Please rest assured".
"When I think back, I still think that Mr. Thong and Mr. Hoa must have a crush on the revolution, otherwise they would have directed the destruction of important parts of the factory and reported to the police force at that time that were still guarding outside the factory to arrest us" - Mr. Thien said.
After that, Mr. Thien and members of the army group mobilized the brothers in the factory to take paint and cloth available to draw the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam hanging on the flagpole of the factory. After a while, the Liberation Army Tank passed the Rach Chiec Bridge near the factory to enter the liberation of Saigon. The task of preserving the safety of the factory, providing enough electricity for our whole city to operate normally. ”
The secret to hiding the revolutionary flag in the water plant
In the memory of Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa (born in 1958, former technical officer of Thu Duc Water Plant, under Saigon Water Corporation) still proudly tell the story of his father working at the factory in the last days of April 1975 .
Mr. Hoa said, "My father (Mr. Nguyen Van Muon, born in 1918, died in 2001), has been working at Thu Duc Water Plant since the construction of this plant was under construction. After the factory was inaugurated (in 1966) and put into operation, Mr. Muon worked in the restoration team of Thu Duc Water Plant. Due to the importance of Thu Duc Water Plant, there is always a security company to protect the plant.
Having been enlightened by the revolution and participating in organizing the campaign, in the last days of April 1975, Mr. Muon and one of his younger brothers were assigned the task of sewing flags of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and secretly brought them to the factory to hide them when necessary to place flags in the factory.
At that time, the public officers mobilized many workers to take the reasons for the chaotic situation, so they would like to bring the whole family into the factory to work and work and ensure the safety of the family. The real purpose is to stay completely inside, convenient for the protection when necessary. Luckily, because the deputy director of the factory was also sympathetic to the revolution, so agreed with this proposal.
On April 28 and 29, 1975, it is unclear why there were many tanks and armored vehicles of the Saigon army stationed near the gate of Thu Duc Water Plant. Early in the morning of April 30, 1975, Mr. Muon and a group of core workers secretly hung the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam that had been hidden in the factory before on the roof of Thu Duc Water Plant.
After that, workers and the South Vietnam Liberation Army's news buoys entered the factory, forcing the group of security guards stationed here to leave because they were afraid of danger. Seeing the police group leave, the soldiers driving the motorbikes outside also left. Thanks to that, the water plant is also kept safe, ensuring water supply for Saigon City at that time.
After April 30, 1975, Mr. Muon was elected Secretary of the Trade Union with the main task of taking care of the lives of workers in the factory. In 1985, Mr. Hoa followed his father's footsteps, continued to work and contribute to the water supply industry of Ho Chi Minh City until 2008, when he retired and lived in Thu Duc City.
