Unforgettable years

For the generation of Vietnamese students studying abroad in the 70s and 80s of the last century, the Soviet Union was always great and sacred like a second homeland, with warm-hearted and kind people who opened their arms to love and help Vietnamese students studying abroad like their own relatives.

On the occasion of the 108th anniversary of the Great October Revolution (November 7, 1917 - November 7, 2025), memories of the Vietnamese people's journey of studying and working in the Soviet Union come flooding back. On that day, the first Soviet students began their journey to the land of the White Birch to study.

One day in late October, we visited the mechanical workshop of Hong Ha Mechanical and Construction Company Limited, Nam Cuong Ward, directed by Mr. Vu Huu Le. In the workshop, dozens of workers were working diligently. Each person had a job from milling, turning to hammering, welding... Among those diligent workers, there was the figure of an old engineer, short in stature, but with sharp eyes, that was Director Vu Huu Le - this year he turned 90 years old.

After a while of introduction, he invited us into the living room to have a drink and talk about his time studying in the Soviet Union. Being an intelligent and studious person, he worked during the day and studied at night. There were days when he had to go on business trips and cycle more than 80 km from Luc Yen to Yen Bai town so as not to miss a class. Seeing his will and talent, the Yen Bai Irrigation Department at that time sent him to the Soviet Union to study at the Belarusian Agricultural Institute - Gorky, specializing in mechanical engineering for agriculture from 1964 to 1971.

In May 1964, he said goodbye to his relatives and went to study abroad by train from Hanoi station to China and continued his 4-day, 5-night journey to the Belarusian Agricultural Institute - Gorky in Gorky city, 50 km from Minsk, Belarus. He was picked up by the Soviet Professor - Head of the Department and 7 Vietnamese brothers from the previous class at the train station. At the dormitory, he was arranged to share a room with 3 local students, the purpose of which was to help him quickly adapt to the Soviet language and culture.

The memory that he will never forget is that the extracurricular class that day showed a film about Vietnam, when the war against the US was in its fiercest stage. Watching the film, seeing the miserable life and the sacrifices and losses of the Vietnamese people, everyone in the hall had red eyes, the head teacher just hugged him and cried. After graduating and returning home, he was assigned to work at Hoang Lien Son Mechanical Factory as Deputy Director.

Colonel Nguyen Trung Thai - Chairman of the Provincial Veterans Association shared: "During 7 years of fighting on the fierce Ha Tuyen front, in early 1988, I was transferred to the Operations Department, Military Region 2. While in the Operations Department, I tried to learn more than ever. With a brave fighting spirit and good work results, I was sent to the Soviet Union to study command and staff training - campaign and strategy at the MV Frunze Military Academy (Moscow). Frunze Academy is a school that trains command officers of combined arms at the regimental level of the Soviet army. The school's campus is next to Lev Tolstoy Square, opposite the Vietnamese Embassy. At that time, for me, culture, military or Russia, were all a dream... The memories of the years living and studying in the Soviet Union are many and very beautiful. The school's dormitory at that time was right in the center of Moscow. Life and study at that time were wonderful. Being exposed to culture, studying in development environment, what dream is more beautiful!"

The training class for staff - campaign commanders and strategy that Mr. Thai attended at that time had about a dozen people from Cuba, Czechoslovakia, North Korea... but there were 4 specialized teachers so Mr. Thai received attention and dedicated instruction.

"In the first year, we only studied Russian culture and language. In addition to the hours in class, the teachers took us to local farms, where we practiced as we learned. Artillery, tank, air force, and navy units were all in combat, and sometimes we even went on submarines in the Baltic Sea while studying this subject. The school's teaching method focuses on cultivating students' ability to think independently and solve problems. Therefore, everyone had to "plow" continuously, often until 10 pm. Some days we studied for up to 20 hours to understand the lesson."

Although years have passed, the beautiful memories of the days of living and studying in the heroic Soviet country are still clear in Director Vu Huu Le, Colonel Nguyen Trung Thai and many generations of Vietnamese students in general, and Lao Cai province in particular. And then, every time we celebrate the great October Revolution in Russia, everyone is moved with emotion, pride, gratitude and appreciation.

Presented by: Thuy Thanh

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/nhung-nam-thang-khong-quen-post886209.html