Historical memory and symbolic value

Reporter (PV):

Colonel Phan Van Binh: Ba Son has a history of more than 230 years. It originated from Chu Su Shipyard (Watercraft Factory) established by Lord Nguyen Anh in 1791 in Saigon-Gia Dinh to build and repair ships and boats. This was considered the largest shipbuilding facility at that time, with the scale and shipbuilding techniques of Western countries. Ships and boats built at the Watercraft Factory were quickly equipped for forces carrying out missions of reconnaissance, inspection, control, rescue, surveying and mapping, establishing sovereignty steles, responding to disputes, exploiting chemicals and seafood... contributing significantly to the establishment of Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos.

Colonel Phan Van Binh.

After conquering Saigon-Gia Dinh, on April 28, 1863, the French built a shipyard named Arsenal de Saigon (Saigon Shipyard or Ba Son Shipyard) on the old Thuy Xuong land. Ba Son became one of the largest and most modern shipyards in Southeast Asia at that time.

After 1975, Ba Son Factory was taken over by the Vietnam People's Army, built and developed into today's Ba Son Corporation. With a history of more than 230 years of formation and development, Ba Son is known as the cradle of Vietnam's shipbuilding and repair industry. This is also one of the first cradles of the working class, where the Secret Union was established - the predecessor of the Vietnam Trade Union, where President Ton Duc Thang and many outstanding cadres of the Party, State and Army worked as workers and participated in revolutionary activities.

A memorable milestone was the 1925 strike of the Ba Son Trade Union, led by comrade Ton Duc Thang, which had profound political and international significance. This was a strike of more than 1,000 Ba Son workers led by the secret trade union organization of comrade Ton Duc Thang, against the French colonialists to detain the battleship Misole, preventing them from going to suppress the Chinese revolution. The echoes of the struggle went beyond the national scope to reach the world proletarian and workers' revolutionary movement. Therefore, August 4, 1925 was chosen as the Traditional Day of the Ba Son General Company.

From being just a naval workshop, Ba Son has become a revolutionary "red address", the cradle of the Vietnamese working class, where many generations of excellent cadres and workers are trained and nurtured. Throughout the resistance wars, Ba Son has always played a key role in repairing, maintaining, converting, building, and supplying ships and boats for the navy, contributing to creating position and strength at sea, fighting for national liberation, unifying the country, and firmly protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

PV:

Colonel Phan Van Binh: That's right! The relocation from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to Phu My port is a correct policy, demonstrating the strategic vision of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense to modernize infrastructure, expand development space, and create a solid foundation for Ba Son to integrate into the international environment in the shipbuilding industry. The Corporation has quickly stabilized its organization, restructured its operations, and built a corporate culture that adapts to the new situation. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is re-planning the Ba Son area (old) into a complex of cultural and historical relics, with construction projects connecting history with the present, towards the future. That is the way for Ba Son to not only exist in memory but also be the foundation and spiritual motivation for development, especially in the seaport economy...

Modern shipbuilding area of Ba Son Corporation. Photo: HUNG KHOA

Capacity to perform defense and economic tasks

PV:

Colonel Phan Van Binh: Continuing the tradition and experience of many generations of soldiers and workers over more than two centuries of construction and development, up to now, Ba Son Corporation has successfully built many new products for the Army and its partners and customers. Typical examples include: the first two combat patrol ships TP-01 (in 1979), TP-01M (in 1983); ship 381 (in 1999) - one of the first missile ship classes to be built in Vietnam. In particular, Ba Son Corporation has successfully completed the task of successfully building a series of 6 Molniya-class fast attack missile ships for the Navy to protect the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland, marking a major breakthrough for the Vietnamese military shipbuilding industry in accessing modern military shipbuilding technology. At the same time, it affirms the ability, intelligence and creativity of Ba Son soldiers and workers in the new era.

In the field of national defense, we clearly identify two key missions: One is to build and repair modern military ships for the Vietnam People's Navy, Coast Guard, Fisheries Surveillance... Two is to be ready to ensure technical support, conversion, and maintenance of warships and special ships according to mission requirements.

Along with building new military ships, the Corporation also repairs and ensures the technical performance of hundreds of military ships of all kinds; builds and repairs economic ships for domestic use and export; expands the market to many countries in the world such as the Netherlands, France, Norway, etc. In addition, the Corporation also participates in the construction and upgrading of offshore platforms; processing super-sized and super-heavy structures; processing wind power towers; logistics services; maritime transport support services; production of marine paint and industrial paint of all kinds.

Currently, Ba Son has become a strategic partner of many large domestic and foreign enterprises, playing the role of a key defense enterprise of the General Department of Defense Industry in the South.

PV:

Colonel Phan Van Binh: It should be added that, in addition to the achievements, Ba Son Corporation has encountered many difficulties and challenges in the development process, such as the impact of the global economic recession, the Covid-19 pandemic, fierce price competition... However, Ba Son has gradually overcome difficulties and achieved the achievements as mentioned above. There are 3 main factors that help Ba Son firmly overcome difficulties, which are:

Ba Son has always received close attention and direction from the leaders of the Party, State, Central Military Commission, Ministry of National Defense and General Department of Defense Industry; always supporting and creating conditions for Ba Son to develop and accompanying to overcome difficulties in the process of performing tasks.

Traditional values and pride are the foundation for development. In any circumstance, cadres, employees and workers of all generations always put their trust, affection, pride and responsibility into Ba Son, to overcome difficulties together, conquer new heights in production and labor. This is the traditional beauty that has been built, nurtured, tempered through practice and preserved, passed down from generation to generation. That tradition is also one of the important elements, a solid foundation for Ba Son to create outstanding marks in the journey of construction and development.

The spirit of respecting the word "trust" and the morality of "When drinking water, remember the source". The spirit of respecting the word "trust" in business creates a civilized, industrial, and friendly working environment; the spirit of respecting loyalty, loving comrades and teammates, all for the sake of the workers. Responsibility and love are always linked together as one, creating a bond between the leaders and commanders of the unit and the workers and between the workers and the leaders and commanders of the unit. The morality of "When drinking water, remember the source" is always imbued by generations of cadres, employees and workers of Ba Son. We sincerely thank the previous generations who have worked hard to build the tradition and growth of Ba Son Corporation through the ages through many practical actions, such as: Performing well the work of "Repaying gratitude"; visiting and giving gifts to families with preferential policies; sharing, encouraging and helping workers in difficult circumstances to rise up in life. Along with that is the love, care and protection of the Party Committee, government and people where the unit is stationed, creating a source of strength to help Ba Son grow and develop, ready to receive and excellently complete all assigned tasks.

A corner of the shipbuilding factory of Ba Son Corporation. Photo: HUNG KHOA

Technology integration and strategic direction

PV:

Colonel Phan Van Binh: Thoroughly grasping the policies of the Party, State and Central Military Commission, Ba Son Corporation has firmly determined the goal of developing the unit into an exemplary military enterprise focusing on serving national defense and security tasks while improving production and business efficiency.

There will be many difficulties and challenges in the process of carrying out the mission. However, with the pride, history and glorious tradition of Ba Son; with the consistent mission of developing into the leading shipbuilding unit in the country and in the region, Ba Son focuses on developing on 3 main platforms:

Building high-quality, disciplined human resources, valuing talents, training and fostering them to become leading "Chief Engineers" in the shipbuilding industry.

Second, always update technology innovation, modern production lines; actively transform digitally and combine artificial intelligence in business management, increase competitiveness for sustainable development of Ba Son.

Promote available resources, proactively develop other industries and services, such as: Building new super-sized and super-heavy structures, offshore construction modules; exploiting wharf and logistics services; producing a variety of paint types...

Ba Son determined that economic development must be closely linked to strengthening national defense, maintaining its role as a model military enterprise; gradually building Ba Son into a modern military shipbuilding center, with a solid position in the region... With a long history of glorious tradition and great historical mission, Ba Son has built a solid foundation, constantly growing, worthy of being a core, dual-purpose, modern defense industry unit, an important part and becoming the spearhead of the national shipbuilding industry.

PV:

PHAN TUNG SON (performed)

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/chieu-sau-lich-su-va-khat-vong-vuon-khoi-839894