Celebrating the 63rd Anniversary of Vietnam Oil and Gas Industry Tradition Day (November 27, 1961 - November 27, 2024)
Pride creates the "quality" of oil and gas workers through generations
From the first generation that participated in the establishment of the industry, through the ups and downs of the nation’s history, to the current generation of workers, all have nurtured the pride of contributing to the country’s important energy industry. That has motivated oil and gas officials and employees to strive to build and contribute with the highest ideal “For the oil and gas cause”.
During the days leading up to the Traditional Day of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Industry (November 27, 1961 - November 27, 2024), PetroTimes had a conversation with generations of oil and gas workers to record their thoughts and share.
Historical witness from the first generation of oil and gas people
As the first generation of cadres and workers to join the oil and gas industry right after the first year of its establishment, Mr. Nguyen Duc Tuan, former Chairman of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Trade Union, former member of the Board of Directors of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (now the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group - Petrovietnam ) is still full of enthusiasm when asked about his memories while working.
Although he is 83 years old this year, Mr. Tuan still remembers every milestone in his time in the Vietnam oil and gas industry. Entering the industry in 1962, when he was just 20 years old, Mr. Tuan has devoted 42 years of his life to the Vietnam oil and gas industry, so each stage of Petrovietnam's transformation along with the history of the nation is engraved in his mind.
A historical witness to the early period of the industry's establishment, Mr. Tuan recalled: "I was the first batch of technical staff to join the geological survey team stationed in Bac Ninh , learning from the experience of Soviet experts helping Vietnam explore oil and gas, then working with my colleagues in the field, attached to the environment with oil and gas workers of that period."
Recalling that time, Mr. Tuan said that when he was still studying at Hanoi Technical College II, he heard that Vietnam was preparing to explore for oil and gas. He and the selected staff were very excited to enter a completely new industry, but also bewildered because there was no previous generation to learn from. “The knowledge, experience, and technology at that time were all acquired from Soviet experts. The working style was also influenced and imbued with energy into each of us,” Mr. Tuan confided.
The first administrative staff were also recruited from other places and were all very excited, even though the salary mechanism at that time was the same for all sectors. The enthusiasm and excitement created a vibrant atmosphere, from which they bonded and helped each other overcome difficulties and challenges. The first batch of staff became the backbone of the oil and gas industry at that time.
“At the same time, the resistance war against the US to save the country was also in a fierce stage, so we, the oil and gas workers, understood that we were contributing to the country's resistance. We lived among the people, ate and slept with the people, the people protected us, even when we explored and sometimes worked in the fields, the walls of our houses were cracked and broken, but the people sympathized with us, they understood that this was the country's work. At this time, the oil and gas workers did not have houses, high salaries, but they realized that they had to contribute and devote themselves to the industry. This created the spirit of the workers in the industry: All for the oil and gas career,” Mr. Tuan shared.
Not only participating in labor production to build the energy industry for the country as President Ho Chi Minh wished, a part of oil and gas workers also directly went to the battlefield, contributing blood and bones to the resistance war. Those who were lucky enough to survive the war continued to return to contribute to the industry. That is the reason why Petrovietnam established the Veterans Association within the Group.
In Mr. Tuan's subconscious, the oil and gas industry had undergone a radical change at the time when the state management function was transferred to the Ministry of Heavy Industry (at that time) and production and business activities were transferred to the Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation, now Petrovietnam. This created a new driving force, helping Petrovietnam shape and maintain its mission throughout the process, from a few hundred people at the time of its establishment to the powerful team today.
The oil and gas workforce is maturing with the development of the industry.
Thanks to his excellent performance in the tasks assigned by his superiors, Mr. Tuan was considered for many positions: Head of the Geophysical Team at that time, selected by the General Department of Petroleum as the most outstanding emulation unit. After that, he was sent to long-term training for petroleum industry officials.
After being sent to study at the Nguyen Ai Quoc High-Level Party School for 2 years, Mr. Tuan returned to the General Department of Oil and Gas to hold the following positions: Deputy Director of the Department of Labor and Wages; Deputy Director of the Department of Organization and Personnel; Deputy Director of the Department of Organization and Personnel and Head of the Department of Personnel of the General Department of Oil and Gas at that time, doing staff work for the leadership to prepare staff and human resources for the industry.
“In my 42 years in the industry, most of my time has been spent working with oil and gas people. It would be greedy to say that I understand everything about the industry, but I have lived and integrated with the staff and workers in the industry,” former Chairman of the Oil and Gas Trade Union Nguyen Duc Tuan confided.
According to Mr. Tuan's memory, at that time, the work of cadres was different from today, the most important thing was to find resources to meet the needs of the industry, build a team in step with the industry. Although coming later, Vietnam's oil and gas industry was the industry that absorbed and applied all the existing industrial economic achievements to move forward, so the team of cadres had to go through strict selection to meet the needs.
By 1991, the country entered the renovation period, and Vietnam's oil and gas industry also shifted from a subsidized mechanism to a market mechanism. This context gave rise to a series of new issues, including the change in the mindset and aspirations of workers. The oil and gas industry was growing, and the demand for international cooperation was increasing, so the level of workers was required to keep up with the world's progress. Petrovietnam's reputation was assessed as being on par with oil and gas companies of major countries, requiring the building of a team of staff to meet new demands.
The industry has opened universities and colleges, linked with other universities (Bach Khoa, Mining and Geology, and economic schools), sent staff to study abroad to serve the training work, reviewed applications, and carefully selected. In terms of ideology, the work of organization, and the construction of salary and income regimes have also changed, so that workers can feel secure in their dedication.
In order to meet the above requirements, the Vietnam Oil and Gas Trade Union was born, uniting all oil and gas workers across the country into a united, unified bloc, promptly listening to their thoughts and aspirations, especially in complex transitional periods that require sensitivity and timely adaptation.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Tuan was then assigned as the first Chairman of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Trade Union. The Oil and Gas Trade Union has three functions: Taking care of workers' lives, building management and building a strong system. The industry trade union has chosen the highest operational goal of the organization as the stable development of the oil and gas industry and has maintained it until now. Oil and gas workers have since become more excited, confident and proud to contribute to the industry when having the support of the Oil and Gas Trade Union.
Continue to affirm the new era's bravery
The pride of being dedicated to the oil and gas industry and contributing to the country’s development still boils in every Petrovietnam employee today. Typically, Petrovietnam has attracted many excellent cadres and workers to continue the history of their ancestors.
Giving up a salary of billions of dong at a foreign enterprise, in 2020, Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung decided to choose Petrovietnam, specifically the Vietnam Oil and Gas Power Corporation (PV Power) as Deputy Head of Technical Department to devote himself, stemming from the desire to make practical contributions to the Vietnamese energy industry.
Before joining Petrovietnam, Mr. Hung had a long time working with large foreign corporations in the energy sector, such as the AES Corporation of the United States, the Hyundai Corporation of Korea, the Marubeni Corporation of Japan... with annual income from salary that could be many times higher than the current one.
“However, I realize that the greatest value lies not only in income or reputation, but also in the destination of contributions, standing in the ranks of Petrovietnam to nurture the pride of contributing to the development of the oil and gas industry and further, the Vietnamese energy industry. Moreover, I have the opportunity to create influential changes. Petrovietnam, as a pioneer in the oil and gas and electricity industries, has given me the opportunity to apply international experience to improve the efficiency of technical management, maintenance, repair and operation at domestic power plants,” Mr. Hung confided.
Sharing about the biggest motivation for deciding to stick with the oil and gas and oil and gas power industry, Mr. Hung recognized the strong development potential of this industry in Vietnam. Despite leaving a high salary abroad, "technical officer" Huu Hung always feels excited to work in an environment where his efforts can bring positive changes to the country.
At Petrovietnam, Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung directly participated in digital transformation programs, came up with ideas and implemented them. He and his team used advanced software such as OSIsoft PI and Power BI, integrating ideas into the software to calculate and monitor key KPIs on the performance of power plants, equipment systems, energy saving and efficiency improvement... These solutions have helped plants such as Vung Ang 1, Nhon Trach... save billions of VND, optimize operating costs and minimize CO2 emissions.
To continue promoting the tradition of oil and gas workers, Mr. Hung always believes that continuous learning, improving skills and applying modern technology are prerequisites. The rapid change of the world requires us to flexibly apply new solutions, especially in digital transformation and equipment performance management.
“In addition, I always uphold the sense of responsibility and the ideal of contributing to the country, nurturing this spirit not only in myself but also in the team of young engineers at Petrovietnam. This consensus will certainly contribute to bringing the oil and gas industry in general, oil and gas power in particular and Vietnam to new heights, towards sustainable development in the future,” Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung expressed.
It can be seen that the quality of oil and gas workers through historical periods has remained steadfast. Especially the pride of contributing to the national economy, contributing to the development of the industry and the historical progress of the country.
Nowadays, that pride is even greater when workers are working in a strong industrial corporation of the country, enjoying the best income not due to preferential policies but due to the efforts of oil and gas workers themselves. History has proven that in every period, the oil and gas industry has always had pioneering workers, who have carried out the tasks and goals set out with the highest ideal of "For the oil and gas cause".
Phuong Thao
Source: https://www.pvn.vn/chuyen-muc/tap-doan/tin/98e52a63-295c-42a6-bbe9-a8d072b3c9e7
Comment (0)