Away from children, following husband to work on highway
In March, bright red cotton flowers bloom on the mountains along the Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang highway. At Km 11+42 of the XL3 package, Ms. Li O Su (born in 1991, in Muong Te district, Lai Chau province) is nimbly shoveling mortar to cast beams and bending iron. For nearly a month now, she has had to leave her young child with her grandparents to follow her husband to work on this highway.
For nearly a month now, Ms. Li O Su has been participating in construction on the Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang highway.
"My husband and I have two children, the oldest is 8 years old, the second is 4 years old, every night they come home and ask for their parents. I miss them so much, but I have to hold back. I can't make any money in the countryside, but here I earn 280,000 VND/day," said Ms. Su, her eyes filled with tears when talking about her children.
At Km 16+500 of the XL4 package, we met Ms. Nguyen Thi Thoan (from Tuyen Quang) and Ms. Hoang Thi Hien (from Ha Giang) carrying 27cm diameter iron bars, tied with steel to construct box culverts. Also leaving her child with her grandparents to take care of, Ms. Hien shared: "For women, there is no greater hardship than being away from their children. But to make a living, we have to try."
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thoan carries each iron bar, no less than male workers. Photo: Ha Thang.
Engineer Nguyen Xuan Tung, Commander of Phuong Dong Company, which is constructing the XL4 package, said: "Women working at construction sites have more difficulties than other jobs. But once they start working, they all accept it and get used to it. They also follow construction site regulations better than men, so managers are very reassured."
At Km 313+100, Van Phong - Nha Trang expressway project, section through Ninh Hoa town, Khanh Hoa province, there are also many "beautiful women" working in many different positions.
Wiping away the sweat on her face, Ms. Phan Thi Duyen (26 years old, from Quang Binh) shared: "The expressway is under construction in the final stages, so we have to be on the route regularly to collect material samples for testing."
Ms. Duyen and another "beauty" are doing internal work at the Office of the Executive Board No. 2, Van Phong - Nha Trang expressway project (the section constructed by Lizen Joint Stock Company).
Ms. Phan Thi Duyen (outside) and Ms. Tran Thi Thu Dung discuss work with the leaders of the XL01 Package Management Board (Van Phong - Nha Trang Expressway). Photo: Cao Son.
Graduated from the road and bridge construction department of Da Nang University of Technology, Ms. Duyen has been working in the transportation industry for more than 5 years. Then she met a guy from Ha Tinh, who also works in the road and bridge construction industry. Currently, the couple has a one-and-a-half-year-old child. After giving birth to her child for 7 months, Ms. Duyen sent her child to her parents and went to work. "Missing my child, I only know how to talk and joke on the phone. Many times, I'm busy working until late at night, and when I finish work, my child is already asleep in the countryside," Ms. Duyen confided.
The person who always stands side by side with Duyen in her professional work at the office is Ms. Tran Thi Thu Dung (from Quang Nam, 4 years older than Duyen). "I have been working for many years, I don't remember how many projects I have completed. Sometimes I think about when I will get married if I don't get married at this age, but I keep putting it off...", Ms. Dung shared.
Mr. Bui Thanh Tung, Executive Director of the XL1 package (Van Phong – Nha Trang Expressway) said that the roles of Dung and Duyen are very important. With their carefulness in records and books, the two sisters have contributed to the office's internal affairs being complete and on schedule.
Quick meals and sleeps at the construction site
After many days of cold and rainy weather, the weather in Nghe An suddenly became scorching hot. However, at the Dien Chau – Bai Vot expressway construction site, through Dien Tho commune, Dien Chau district, Nghe An province, hundreds of workers are still working hard at the construction site.
Ms. Vi Thi Binh took a break right on the A1 carpet spreader. Photo: Sy Hoa.
At 11:30 am, while the asphalt truck had not arrived yet, Ms. Vi Thi Binh (born in 1990, Thai ethnic group), a worker at Hoa Hiep Company Ltd., took the opportunity to take a nap right on the asphalt spreading machine.
Ms. Binh is from Thanh Hoa and married a man from Dien Chau. After many years of working as a concrete worker in industrial parks in the South, she joined Hoa Hiep in 2023. Her job is to take pictures, check attendance, and count materials.
"Work requires being on site at all times, rain or shine. Before and after Tet, the asphalt paving project continued all night long. On those days, I also had to stay up with my colleagues. Now, eating boxed lunches at the site and taking a nap in the car has become a habit," said Ms. Binh.
When asked about her family, her voice dropped. She and her husband have been married for 5 years, but have no children yet. She sticks to the construction site, and they only see each other over the phone. "Luckily, my family and husband understand and sympathize, and the company's leaders and colleagues at the site also encourage and help a lot," she confided.
Currently, there are quite a few female workers at the Dien Chau – Bai Vot expressway construction site. At the peak, there were up to 18 people. "Although they are women, they work day and night no less than men," said Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Cong Thang, Director of Enterprise 28.3, Truong Son 28 Branch, Truong Son Construction Corporation, Commander of Than Vu 2 Bridge project.
In Ha Tinh, the weather is very harsh at this time, with scorching sun. However, at the North-South Expressway construction site, the construction atmosphere is more urgent than ever.
Under the scorching sun, Ms. Le Thi Phuong (born in 1982, from Thanh Hoa) smiled and said: "After ten years working on highway construction sites, I don't know what March 8th is!"
She married a construction worker and has been following her husband to work for the past 10 years. They have one child who lives with his grandparents in the countryside. Because of the nature of their work, they can only return home during long holidays.
Not far from Ms. Phuong's workplace is the underground sewer construction team. In addition to the male workers, there are also 2 female workers in this team. One of them is Ms. Mai Thi Nho (born in 1992, from Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province). "Everyone wants to be with their family on holidays, dressed up, but due to circumstances, we have to put it aside. My husband and I have 5 children. After the harvest season in the countryside, my husband and I go to work as factory workers, earning about 250,000 VND/day, with meals provided," she said.
Put aside personal feelings
At the Long Thanh super airport project (Dong Nai), among thousands of engineers and workers, there are many women. They have to temporarily put aside their family work, brave the sun and wind, and stick to the huge construction site from morning to night.
Mr. Nguyen Chau, Site Manager of Zone 6 (contractor Vinaconex), constructing the passenger terminal, led us to an area where many female workers were working busily. Ms. Vo Thi Suong was cleaning the command camp. To avoid the heat, Ms. Suong had to wear many layers of clothes, a hat, a thick mask and gloves. Even so, the sun still penetrated, making her skin tanned, and her shirt soaked with sweat.
Ms. Suong said that she is 54 years old, her husband passed away, and her three children are all grown up, so 6 years ago she moved from Binh Thuan to the southern provinces to work, staying at many construction sites. Recently, she applied to work at the Long Thanh airport construction site as a cleaner.
"My children are grown up and I am still healthy, so I want to work to take care of myself. The salary of 300,000 VND/day is enough to cover food, rent, and save for my lonely old age," Ms. Suong shared.
Not far from Ms. Suong, a small woman with nimble hands and feet was working. That was Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan (33 years old), from An Giang. After leaving school, she got married and traveled with her husband to many construction sites. Every time she was about to give birth, she returned to her hometown, and when the child was strong enough, she left it with her grandparents so she could continue working. In the past ten years, she can't remember how many construction sites she has been to in the South.
"There is no job in the countryside, not enough to make a living, so we have to go far away. Every night we miss our children, my husband and I can only video call and encourage them. Sometimes when we take a break from work, we take out pictures of our children to look at to ease our longing," Loan confided.
Husband and wife stick together at the construction site
Continuing on the bus to move to the construction site of the air traffic control works, we saw many couples drinking water and having a snack together during their break between shifts.
Ms. Vo Thi Kieu (right) happily works with another female worker. Photo: Nguyen Nham.
Mr. Nguyen Van Da, a safety officer at Company 36, the construction unit of the Long Thanh airport air traffic control tower, said that there are many couples here, all of whom have 5-10 years of experience working at the construction site.
While turning the iron bundle to the floor position at the air traffic control tower construction site, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kieu Oanh (46 years old) shared that she and her husband have been traveling to all the construction sites for 6 years. The two children are grown up so they take care of each other at home. "When they turn 18, they will follow their parents to the construction site to work. It is stable here, the salary is 300,000 VND/day, compared to the income in the countryside, that is very high," she said.
Seeing that we had a camera, Ms. Oanh's husband smiled and said: "Please take a nice picture for my husband and I. It's been a long time since we took a picture together. This March 8th, I have some nice pictures to post on Zalo to show off!"
Right next to her, Vo Thi Kieu (41 years old, from Vinh Long) is also tying iron. Kieu has two children, but the eldest is 22 years old and already working, the youngest is only 15 years old and in 9th grade. To make work more convenient, she and her husband rent a room near the construction site for more than 1,000,000 VND per month. Her youngest daughter is being cared for by her grandparents and sent to her hometown to study.
Ms. Kieu boasted that the couple had just returned to their hometown and returned to the construction site a few days ago: "Last Tet, my husband and I stayed to work through Tet so we were able to earn a little extra money to save," Ms. Kieu said.
Happiness blooms in the middle of the construction site
Mr. Thien and Ms. Kha.
For many officers, engineers and managers of the Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon expressway construction site, the beautiful love story of the young couple Tran Thanh Thien (35 years old) and Dang Thi Tiet Kha (27 years old) made them very emotional.
They were from Dong Nai and Phu Yen, several hundred kilometers apart. Before the Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon expressway project started, they had never met or known anything about each other. However, in that sunny and windy place, they met at the construction site and their feelings blossomed.
A wedding took place, the guests were not only friends of both but also colleagues at the highway construction site.
Born in Dong Hoa town, Phu Yen province, geological design engineer Dang Thi Tiet Kha joined Deo Ca Group to work in the internal engineering department, while engineer Thanh Thien worked as a technician on the construction site. Both were assigned to the Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon expressway construction site.
Mr. Thien said that when they first arrived at the construction site, they were all strangers, they didn't know anything about each other and because they worked in two different departments. However, during group meals and team activities, they found each other.
"I took the initiative to get to know her. I thought I would be rejected, but I ended up marrying her! The day I proposed and Kha accepted, I called my mother to let her know so I could prepare for the wedding, but at that time she said I was lying!", Mr. Thien confided.
Ms. Kha said that at that time, both of them were "single" and lived far from their families, so when they "caught each other's wave" and found each other compatible because of the same situation, the conversations that followed nurtured their feelings even more.
"I feel grateful for being a girl living far from home at a construction site and being cared for by loving shoulders. There is no greater happiness!", Ms. Kha shared.
More than a month after their happiness blossomed, the couple continued their days at the construction site.
Le Duc
The foster mothers are hard-working and patient.
Ms. Phan Thi Dung.
Not working directly on the construction site, Ms. Phan Thi Dung, a catering staff at the XL3 Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang Expressway package, is responsible for cooking for 40 workers every day. Every day, she has to wake up at 4am, prepare breakfast so that at 5am, breakfast is served on the dining table. After breakfast, she cleans the kitchen and continues to prepare lunch and dinner. On days when the construction workers work overtime, she has to work until 11pm.
"There were rainy days when I went to the market but the construction site road was muddy and I fell off my bike, most of the food was spoiled, so I had to pay out of pocket to go to the market again," she said.
Sharing the same cooking duties, Ms. Tran Thi Oanh, a caterer at the XL4 package, said that regardless of the weather, every day at 5am, she has to prepare meals for 50 workers. To ensure meals are on time and nutritious, she has to take advantage of every bit of time to carefully select food. "If food poisoning occurs, the construction progress will be greatly affected," she shared.
Ha Vu
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