Dau Tieng Lake after 40 years of operation: The silent contributions of the Youth Volunteer Force and Tay Ninh laborers

Mr. Nguyen Van Loi - Chairman of the Provincial Association of Former Youth Volunteers talked with reporters about the contribution of the Youth Volunteers in digging the canal system connecting Dau Tieng Lake in the period of 1982-1985.

Mr. Nguyen Van Loi - Chairman of the Provincial Association of Former Youth Volunteers, one of thousands of former Youth Volunteers and people of the province who participated in the construction of the Dau Tieng irrigation system, recalled that in October 1981, the Central Government started construction of Dau Tieng Lake.

By the end of 1982, the Patriotic Youth Emulation Congress was held. After the congress, the Provincial Youth Union established the Youth Volunteer Team to build the provincial homeland and the teams of Hoa Thanh, Chau Thanh, Go Dau, and Trang Bang districts.

Youth Volunteer Force and local people participated in digging Dau Tieng irrigation canal in the period 1982-1985. Photo: Archive

The Youth Volunteer Force teams are composed of young men aged 18 to 20 who are not eligible for military service. These young men are obliged to join the Youth Volunteer Force to build their homeland for a period of 3 years.

When established, this force was assigned the task of constructing irrigation canal systems to carry water to Dau Tieng Lake such as the East main canal, the West main canal, some irrigation culvert works, the level 2 and level 3 canal systems, etc. together with the provincial labor force. At that time, every year, young people in the province had the obligation to participate in voluntary labor for Dau Tieng irrigation work such as digging canals for a period of 15-30 days/year.

Youth Volunteer Force competes in digging Dau Tieng irrigation canal in the period 1982-1985. Photo: Archive

By 1984, the volunteer youth force for homeland construction in the province was officially renamed the Youth Volunteer Teams. At that time, Mr. Nguyen Van Loi was assigned the task of Commander of the Youth Volunteer Team of Hoa Thanh district with the task of constructing the East main canal and the West main canal. At that time, the Youth Volunteer Team of Hoa Thanh district alone had up to 1,000 members, focusing on constructing irrigation works connecting to Dau Tieng Lake.

When the country was newly unified and faced many difficulties, the provincial Youth Volunteer Force participated in building irrigation canal systems connecting to Dau Tieng Lake with only enthusiasm and youthful dedication to their homeland. Each individual only received a small monthly allowance but was willing to take on any assigned task, overcoming many difficulties to complete it.

Youth Volunteer Force constructs irrigation culvert of Tay Canal. Photo: Archive

Mr. Nguyen Van Loi - Chairman of the Provincial Association of Former Youth Volunteers said that it was the enthusiasm of the Youth Volunteers at that time to contribute their youth to build their homeland that created the miracles that he himself is still proud of when he recalls them now.

For example, when he was the Commander of the Hoa Thanh District Youth Volunteer Team, the unit was assigned the task of building the K13 culvert. At that time, the Youth Volunteer Team members were only masons who knew how to hold a trowel and apply cement, no one knew how to read design drawings. The Hoa Thanh District Youth Volunteer Team had to ask the engineers of Company 301 and Enterprise 40 who were constructing Dau Tieng Lake for guidance. Thanks to his diligence, eagerness to learn, and dedication, the Hoa Thanh District Youth Volunteer Team completed the K13 irrigation culvert. To date, the K13 culvert is still working well after 4 decades of operation.

That is what the members of the Youth Volunteers of the province are proud of because the contributions of the youth have brought many practical benefits to the homeland with irrigation works, the West main canal, the East main canal, the secondary and tertiary canal systems...

A meeting of the Youth Volunteer Force at the irrigation construction site. Photo: Archive

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Loi, with the investment of the Central and the province, the Dau Tieng irrigation system has developed remarkably, not only providing agricultural water for the province but also developing multi-purposes, providing water sources for neighboring provinces and cities. Nearly 40 years have passed since the project was officially put into operation, the members of the provincial Youth Volunteers who participated in the construction of the Dau Tieng irrigation system are now some are still alive, some have passed away, but the Youth Volunteers of that time are always very proud of the contributions of the youth to the cause of building the homeland.

Huynh Tan Hung

Source: https://baotayninh.vn/nhung-dong-gop-tham-lang-cua-luc-luong-thanh-nien-xung-phong-va-dan-cong-tay-ninh-a188935.html