Human resource development policy 17/12/2025
BROWN RIVER - STORIES OF LIFE AND PROFESSION (P1)
Author: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quy, former lecturer in the Department of Building Materials Technology - Faculty of Building Materials.
My fate has been intertwined with this river for nearly 10 years, and my life and professional experiences have grown richer over time. Joy, pride, and a mix of anxieties compel me to write these personal accounts, hoping for understanding, empathy, and a small piece of this story. I hope that through this small piece, my colleagues and former students will gain a multifaceted and humane perspective on people, society, and life during this period of transformation and rebirth as our country is becoming a dragon.
A chief engineer, a graduate of the 4th class of Hanoi University of Technology, who spent many years in the expert team of the State Acceptance Council, told me why this majestic river, a river that has written a miracle with its century-long projects, is called the Da River. "Da" in the Muong Vietnamese language means brown, the brown color of the alluvial soil that contributed to building the Red River Delta. Yet, in Russian and English, someone translated it as "Black River" (or Trua-rơ-nai-a re-ka). They don't understand how familiar the color of the Da River is to us. It's the color of the robes our grandparents, parents, and we wore during our childhood. Sadly, that once beloved color now only exists in memory, perhaps only the brown robes worn by monks and nuns remain. But the brown color of the Da River's alluvial soil has remained unchanged for thousands of years and will continue to do so forever.
Back then, when I participated in the technical design appraisal team for the Son La hydroelectric project as a domestic consultant alongside the international appraisal consultant, Nipon Koye Company of Japan, I felt both happy and worried. I'm delighted that after more than 25 years since graduating in civil engineering from the Russian Federation and over 5 years of training at four renowned international universities, I'm participating in a project of this world-class scale, the largest in Southeast Asia. It's true that you train an army for 30 years and use it once. I'm excited, but the responsibility is also immense.
During this time, I've had the opportunity to meet and work with senior colleagues, both Vietnamese and international. These include Associate Professor Huynh Ba Ky Thuat, Associate Professor Nguyen Van An (Hanoi University of Civil Engineering)... Chief Engineer of the Mining and Geology Institute, Senior Engineer of the Ministry of Science and Technology, former Director of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, Professor TPN, Government Special Envoy, former Minister and Director of Hoa Binh and Thac Ba Hydropower Plants, Dr. LQH, Director of the Ministry of Construction, Engineer P.D.D., former General Director of the Construction Corporation... And then there's Dr. Kajimoto, Dr. Kitamura, a leading expert from Kanagawa Hydroelectric Power Company, Japan's number one company in the field of hydroelectric power; engineer Araki; engineer Shuchida from Nipon Koye…
I learned many things from these people, but what I appreciated most was their dedication to their profession and their commitment to ensuring the quality of the project. I cannot fail to mention those who, although not directly involved in the Son La Hydropower project, would not have been able to write these lines today without the knowledge they imparted to me: Professor Aoyagi Y., former scientific director of CRIEPI Tokyo and former lecturer at the Asian Institute of Technology; Professor Stroeven P., Delft University, Netherlands; etc…
(To be continued)
My fate has been intertwined with this river for nearly 10 years, and my life and professional experiences have grown richer over time. Joy, pride, and a mix of anxieties compel me to write these personal accounts, hoping for understanding, empathy, and a small piece of this story. I hope that through this small piece, my colleagues and former students will gain a multifaceted and humane perspective on people, society, and life during this period of transformation and rebirth as our country is becoming a dragon.
A chief engineer, a graduate of the 4th class of Hanoi University of Technology, who spent many years in the expert team of the State Acceptance Council, told me why this majestic river, a river that has written a miracle with its century-long projects, is called the Da River. "Da" in the Muong Vietnamese language means brown, the brown color of the alluvial soil that contributed to building the Red River Delta. Yet, in Russian and English, someone translated it as "Black River" (or Trua-rơ-nai-a re-ka). They don't understand how familiar the color of the Da River is to us. It's the color of the robes our grandparents, parents, and we wore during our childhood. Sadly, that once beloved color now only exists in memory, perhaps only the brown robes worn by monks and nuns remain. But the brown color of the Da River's alluvial soil has remained unchanged for thousands of years and will continue to do so forever.
Back then, when I participated in the technical design appraisal team for the Son La hydroelectric project as a domestic consultant alongside the international appraisal consultant, Nipon Koye Company of Japan, I felt both happy and worried. I'm delighted that after more than 25 years since graduating in civil engineering from the Russian Federation and over 5 years of training at four renowned international universities, I'm participating in a project of this world-class scale, the largest in Southeast Asia. It's true that you train an army for 30 years and use it once. I'm excited, but the responsibility is also immense.
During this time, I've had the opportunity to meet and work with senior colleagues, both Vietnamese and international. These include Associate Professor Huynh Ba Ky Thuat, Associate Professor Nguyen Van An (Hanoi University of Civil Engineering)... Chief Engineer of the Mining and Geology Institute, Senior Engineer of the Ministry of Science and Technology, former Director of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, Professor TPN, Government Special Envoy, former Minister and Director of Hoa Binh and Thac Ba Hydropower Plants, Dr. LQH, Director of the Ministry of Construction, Engineer P.D.D., former General Director of the Construction Corporation... And then there's Dr. Kajimoto, Dr. Kitamura, a leading expert from Kanagawa Hydroelectric Power Company, Japan's number one company in the field of hydroelectric power; engineer Araki; engineer Shuchida from Nipon Koye…
I learned many things from these people, but what I appreciated most was their dedication to their profession and their commitment to ensuring the quality of the project. I cannot fail to mention those who, although not directly involved in the Son La Hydropower project, would not have been able to write these lines today without the knowledge they imparted to me: Professor Aoyagi Y., former scientific director of CRIEPI Tokyo and former lecturer at the Asian Institute of Technology; Professor Stroeven P., Delft University, Netherlands; etc…
(To be continued)
Some pictures
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