In early October, a colleague working for the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group introduced me to the Group's most unique mines. We were most impressed and decided to visit Dong Ri.
Pioneer of conquest
Remote, bad coal... are some features of Dong Ri mine in Son Dong district, Bac Giang province. The mine is under the management of the Company. 45-Northeast Corporation. Mine adjacent to Yen Tu coal area and farthest from the Corporation's operating center, but it is the place where generations of cadres and engineers from Quang Ninh Mining Area marched to conquer. Contacting the Company, with the guidance of Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Luong, Head of the Political Department, we planned to visit the mine. Mr. Luong also carefully advised: The forest road is very difficult to travel, brother!
Early the next morning, it only took us about 50 minutes to march from Ha Long through Tan Dan commune (Ha Long city) to the border of Bac Giang to reach Dong Ri (Tay Yen Tu town, Son Dong, Bac Giang). The road was so smooth that I immediately forgot what Luong had told me. To avoid Ha My pass, we followed the transport route of Dong Ri mine, parallel to Ha My pass to return to Dong Ri. After Tan Dan, the vehicle went on a forest road. The pickup truck started to roar, uphill, downhill, through winding slopes and dams filled with flood water up to the exhaust pipes. After an hour of winding, climbing mountains and wading streams, we arrived at Dong Ri.
We were received by Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Tuan, Party Secretary of the Company, who has been associated with Dong Ri for many years. Mr. Tuan said: The Company was originally a unit under the Ministry of National Defense. After many name changes, in September 2019, the Company was established with the new name Company 45 (Branch of Dong Bac Corporation).
Dong Ri is a remote area with rugged terrain and poor coal. The road we just took is the coal transportation route of the mine. Dong Ri was a mine with large reserves but many difficulties over the past 20 years: Difficulties with electricity, roads, deep forests and mountains, and the most difficult and complex geology in the coal industry. Perhaps, too many difficulties surrounded it, making many units inside and outside the Ministry of National Defense hesitant to take over. Not to mention the mine, the large protected area, the dispersed forces, the rudimentary means, the complex theft of resources... which were rampant problems in all coal-producing areas at that time.
Amidst all those difficulties, Dong Ri was assigned to Company 45. One of the pioneering "brave generals" in Dong Ri was Lieutenant Colonel Le Toan, who had experienced many famous coal bandit "battlefields" in Quang Ninh such as: Ha Rang, Cam Pha in the hot years of 1988.
Dong Ri at that time was like a “black gold mine” that seemed easy to forget, beyond the ability to conquer. “Dong Ri is located in the middle of a deep forest, extremely difficult to travel to, and my soldiers and engineers were still young and inexperienced. I remember, the first time entering the mine from Hoanh Bo on a powerful U-oat vehicle, from early morning until 12 noon, I arrived there, making me sweat profusely” - Lieutenant Colonel Toan said.
Not only Lieutenant Colonel Toan, in the mind of Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Luong (Head of Safety - Labor Protection Department) and the pioneers clearly remember the difficult situation. At that time, the electricity used for production was generator electricity, the transportation road was a dilapidated forest road, slippery clay, countless buffalo holes... making coal mining and transportation extremely difficult. But facing that difficult mountain, Lieutenant Colonel Toan prioritized road repair; increased coal screening right at the mine entrance, improved coal quality... It took half a year to build the road, more than a year to improve coal quality with many efforts, production began to improve and make a profit. Just like that, facing many difficulties, previous generations like Lieutenant Colonel Toan and Lieutenant Colonel Luong initially found a solution for the "black gold mine" in the middle of the deep forest.
Rejuvenate and revive the difficult land
From the Company Office, showing us an overview of the quarry not far away, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Tuan said: To have such a beautiful and neat appearance is a whole process of creativity, attention to investment in machinery, technology, and multiplying the enthusiasm of the engineers.
Indeed, following generations, the engineers and miners here have devoted their knowledge and youth to changing Dong Ri from the very beginning. Perhaps, coming from a poor family, Dong Ri is the place that makes the best use of exploited resources, and people and machines are also most respected.
Instead of human power pushing the cart, “scooping by hand, turning by side”, it can be seen that in the period 2006-2015, the Company had a big change, speeding up the progress of the mine project, increasing the capacity to serve Son Dong Thermal Power Plant. In addition to changing the operating model, the Company focused on investing in equipment. From rudimentary mining, Dong Ri has invested hundreds of billions of VND in modern mining equipment, such as mobile hydraulic supports, reversing fan systems to improve the working environment, etc.
The main highlight is the application of modern technology such as: Applying the ZRY mobile hydraulic rack, modern ZH frame connection; excavator in the furnace, curved conveyor; continuous transport belt to increase underground coal productivity... Thanks to that, recently the Company has not only had enough output to supply thermal power but also exceeded the plan by 1-5%, "filtering", upgrading the quality of bad coal to bran 5. The average income of more than 1,400 workers in the past 2-3 years has continuously improved, increasing from 15-21 million VND/month as present, increasing on average 2-6%/year.
Youth explores the depths
Taking us to the mine site, young engineer Han Cong Viet (Technical - Environmental Department), a young man from Phu Tho about 40 years old, has been attached to the mine project since it was implemented, and has devoted nearly 20 years of his youth to Dong Ri. He said: Dong Ri is famous for its complex geology, conquering the faults, breaking, coal seams as well as restoring, ensuring safety, environmental sanitation... is very laborious.
Along with machinery, generations of engineers here have devoted their youth and energy to laying the foundation for the development of technology. They are the pioneers who have been involved in the mining project since the early days, focusing on researching the famously complex geological layers, conquering the faults, breaches, and veins that are constantly collapsing or narrowing with technical innovations and improvements.
Viet confided that at first, the place was remote, obscure, and had no communication, but the Company always cared about training, created learning conditions, increased salaries, and encouraged. Now Dong Ri is probably like flesh and blood to Viet.
Arriving at the mine equipment control room at the underground mining site, we met Mr. Hoang The Quyen, a technician (Construction Site 8). Mr. Quyen has been involved with the mine since its inception (2008). Farming and forest work were not enough to support his two-generation family, including his grandparents, wife and 3 children. Until the Company announced recruitment and free vocational training. We thought we would only be involved with the mine for 5 years as committed. But this number has been... nearly 20 years.
“The work was initially hard, but now it is easier as more and more machines replace it. Workers, instead of pushing carts to transport coal, walking, now use winches to go down to the furnace, and use conveyor belts to transport coal. The work of our operating technicians is also much easier.” According to Mr. Quyen, the salary has increased from a few million to 15-17 million VND/month and can increase depending on the output.
Workers who live far away are also arranged to live in spacious collective housing built at a cost of over 100 billion VND, "subsidized" from beds, wardrobes, tables and chairs... to trash cans. Those who live near the company are arranged with shuttle buses, so they can return home after their shift. This is very good for the local people, who used to only know how to cling to the forest.
The story of Mr. Quyen and Viet, and also the thoughts and wishes of many young engineers and local workers, is the “glue” that binds them to Dong Ri. Many people are able to support their families, save money to build houses, send their children to school, and improve their lives thanks to their association with the mine.
Leaving Dong Ri, I still remember the words of young engineers as well as the expectations of pioneers like Lieutenant Colonel Toan: Deep in this land, there are still many coal veins, very large reserves, and very good quality coal. One day, technology and youth will exploit all the potential that is still sleeping in Dong Ri.
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