The miner with the spirit of innovation

workers of Ha Lam Coal Joint Stock Company (Vinacomin).

Nguyen Van Khai - a miner with a spirit of innovation.

After graduating from the University of Mining and Geology, Khai went to the Quang Ninh mining area with the dream of starting a business. After more than 7 years working in coal mining, from a young and confused worker, he became a level 3/5 miner, Secretary of the Youth Union, Vice Chairman of the Trade Union of Mechanized Construction Site 1, with many outstanding contributions both in production and the union movement.

What makes Nguyen Van Khai unique is his spirit of innovation and creative thinking in his work. For him, working in a mine is not only about mining coal but also a journey to find more effective, safer, and more economical solutions for the collective. He shared: “To work in a mine, you must have both strength and passion to overcome the difficulties, hardships, and potential dangers of the job. You must constantly learn, listen to your teammates, and then from practice, think of ways to overcome difficulties.”

Mr. Nguyen Van Khai and his colleagues before starting the production shift.

His production team at Mining Mechanization Site 1 is always in the group that completes its tasks excellently, often exceeding the production plan. Not only creating high productivity, the team is also a united collective, with a stable income of 25-30 million VND/person/month - higher than the average of the whole company. Nguyen Van Khai alone is always in the group with high productivity of the company and TKV. In 2024, his total income reached over 540 million VND, and in 2025, he is striving to reach the 600 million VND mark by maintaining nearly 27/30 working days per month.

Recently, Khai has had 2 recognized technical initiatives, bringing in a profit of 364 million VND for the company. Both originated from small shortcomings in the working process but had a big impact on operational efficiency.

The first initiative helped eliminate the manual sawing and processing of old beams - which was laborious, dangerous and consumed many working days. By being creative in construction and applying available equipment, he and his production team saved tens of millions of VND in costs while ensuring labor safety.

The second initiative was implemented during the rainy season, dealing with the flooding at the tail of Platform 96 - which was a "bottleneck" of the coal transport route. Thanks to the rearrangement of the settling pit, the installation of suction pumps and reasonable flow direction, the amount of water was significantly reduced, helping the machinery operate smoothly, reducing the loss of up to 100 tons of coal per shift - a significant number in an industry that always values each volume of output.

With his efforts, Mr. Nguyen Van Khai was awarded a certificate of merit by the Provincial People's Committee on the occasion of Workers' Month 2025.

Not only a devoted miner, Nguyen Van Khai is also an active youth leader, Vice President of the Construction Site Union, He always actively supports and guides young workers, inspiring love for the job and pride in the mining industry. He also takes on the role of chief safety officer, helping the workshop to have many consecutive years without serious accidents.

In Workers' Month 2025, he was one of 50 outstanding workers honored by the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province, and is currently being honored by the Labor Union. TKV Group Proposal to award the Creative Labor Certificate of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khai (4th from left) representing the unit's Youth Union received gifts from Quang Ninh Provincial Youth Union in March 2025.

Vice Chairman of the Trade Union of Ha Lam Coal Joint Stock Company - Mr. Vu Cong Phuc commented: “The image of Nguyen Van Khai - a young, diligent worker, constantly seeking and creating in each shift - contributes to highlighting the portrait of a miner in the new era: having both skills and innovative thinking, ready to approach technology and improve techniques. He is a living testament to the key role of the working class in the period of promoting industrialization and modernization of the country”.

Thanh Hang

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/nguoi-tho-lo-mang-tinh-than-doi-moi-3358252.html