Economic development efforts made after liberation day

Mr. Nguyen Van Huu (Mot Huu), former Secretary of provincial People’s Committee and Chair of Thu Dau Mot Military Management, said: “After the glorious victory of the people and nation unification, Thu Dau Mot had faced tremendous difficulties caused by the war. Promoting the revolutionary tradition and self-sustaining spirit and well as the victory pride, all-level people of the province have promoted the unity to recover and build up new economic constructions in the newly liberated land.”

People’s unity

Mot Huu recalled the preparation of early May 1, 1975 to recover water and electricity supply to local people of Thu Dau Mot City. Thu Dau Mot Marketplace returned to its normal pace. In the first days of liberation the Thu Dau Mot Military Management had timely delivered 160 tons of rice to help 40,000 get out of famine. Over 500 turns of bus trips had been made to transport over 40,000 people from Binh Long and Dau Tieng where they had been gathered by the puppet government to Go Dau and Binh Hoa so that they could return to their homeland. Famine prevention was upheld across Ben Cat, Chau Thanh, Lai Thieu, Di An, and Tan Uyen. Local authorities had to coordinated with the Military Management, Fatherland Front Committee, and People’s Mass Mobilization to familiarize the people of the new era of revolutionary result protection and economic construction in a newly liberated homeland.

War veterans of Cay Truong Commune in Bau Bang District, the formers of wartime and economic construction in the first days of nation unification, are planting trees at Cay Truong Commune as memorial items. Photo: D. Chi

Receiving us at a rubber tree plantation at Cay Truong Commune of Bau Bang District, Mr. Nguyen Bach Dang, a war veteran, said: “As many youth generation, the liberation and unification of the nation gave us opportunity to return the warfare to the army and be back home for household businesses. I was back in Bac Lieu to be assigned by local authority to new economic zones. As a key officer, I stayed on the land and considered it my second homeland.”

Meantime, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc An “Xe”, at his 77 and home at Ba Dinh Quarter, Thai Hoa Ward, Tan Uyen Town, said with delight: “I was in the communal council and after self-training reforms by the new authority, I was assigned to collective economy of the commune. By the pardon and people’s unity, no one in the then Tan Ba had suffered from famine.”

Economic re-construction

In the lengthy resistance war, Mr. Huynh Van Thu (Bay Thu) used to hold the position of Ben Cat Military Head of Division C61. After the nation unification, he applied to training courses to be qualified for new-stage duties. In 1977, he returned and was assigned to the position of permanent Secretary of Ben Cat District and Phu An Collective Head by the central government decisions.

Bay Thu recalled: “The first days of collective creation, participating people were so eager; however, they failed to work in reality. I discovered that a collective managed by a board of up to 60 people and tens of others in the trustee. It was awkward. The seedlings and breeds failed to get used to local environment; thus, I discussed the changes which should be agreed upon without questioning on reality implementation. Then we switched to rubber trees and cashew with more suitable choice of breeds and channels of trading.”

Phu An Collective was forced to stop by the senior authority; however, by explanation of Bay Thu, he was appraised for good selection of seedlings and breeds which had helped local people to emerge in economic positions a few years later.

Following President Ho Chi Minh ideology

Returning to Tan Ba Collective at Thai Hoa Ward of Tan Uyen Town, Nguyen Ngoc An “Xe” retold the first year of operation in 1978 when the whole nation was facing crop deficits. He was very supportive to the collective by seeking out methods to maintain the crops.

Elaborate the success in the first days of economic construction, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc An “Xe” could not hold back his emotion as saying: “The heart and determination decide your success in any fields. In the first days of nation unification, challenges and hardship were everywhere, requiring good role of a leader. Mr. Vo Van Ban, the then Secretary of highest determination. He was there to every home and people to encourage them to join the collective for nation building. The success had lured them to join and the following of President Ho Chi Minh had guided Mr. Vo Van Ban much.”

Reported by Duy Chi – Translated by Vi Bao