In the yard of the Traditional House of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, there is a trapezoidal concrete block. On it is a sign engraved with the words: “Letter to future generations”. To this day, there are many myths surrounding this letter.
Why that letter? Who wrote? Who participated in putting the letter in the concrete block? Why didn’t it open until 2100? And what did that letter say?
The following article will help readers know a part of this secret.
Monday, January 31, 1983, on the front page of Nhan Dan newspaper solemnly reported “Activities of the Communist Youth Delegation of the Soviet Union” including the passage: “At the Communist Youth Square, crowded Vietnamese officials, workers and Soviet experts held a meeting to warmly welcome the delegates to visit the construction site.In an atmosphere full of brotherly friendship, Comrade Vu Mao and Comrade VMMisen solemnly held a meeting to welcome delegates to the construction site. transfer the letter “To the future Vietnamese young generation” into the archives …”.
This event took place after the first phase of the Da River blocking ceremony and the 18-day start of construction of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant.
All the information about the “letter to the next life” is just that, and that “archive” is actually just a trapezoidal concrete block with the bottom edge of 2m, the height of 1.8m, the top edge of 0.8m. weighs about 10 tons.
At that time, we were on the Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant and also heard about that letter and only heard that it was explained that by 2100, the expired factory had to be demolished before it could be opened. the letter to see.
Hoabinh water electric. (Documentary photo).
Recently, on the occasion of going with Mr. Ngo Xuan Loc, former Deputy Prime Minister and General Director of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant Construction Corporation in 1982, I asked him about this… met Mr. Do Xuan Duy, former secretary of the late Minister of Construction Phan Ngoc Tuong, and before that, Mr. Loc’s predecessor General Director.
The story of the letter is reproduced as follows: When the factory was about to start construction, Mr. Bagachenco, the head of the Soviet expert delegation, said that according to the custom in the Soviet Union and some countries around the world, the builders Hydroelectric dams often write a letter and put it in a glass bottle and bury it inside the dam and often called “letter to posterity”.
Seeing that this is a good and legendary idea, leaders of the Corporation reported to Comrade Do Muoi, then Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Head of the Steering Committee for Hoa Hydropower Construction. Jar. After being invited by Mr. Pham Van Dong, Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Mr. Do Muoi, the Corporation’s leaders invited a number of writers, journalists, and intellectuals to write the letter.
However, Comrade Do Muoi also advised that because Vietnam does not have this custom, it should not be “buried” in the heart of the dam but placed in a solemn place. And so, after discussing with the Soviet expert, the leader of the Corporation decided to put that letter in the concrete block.
The number of participants in writing was quite large, including the Secretary of the Party Committee of the Soviet Union of Experts, Comrade Giaseplin. To select the best letters, the Party Committee of the Corporation appoints a group, but “very secret”.
The concrete block contains the letter to posterity. (Documentary photo).
Mr. Do Xuan Duy recounted that, the present letter in the concrete block is a collective work by taking good ideas and beautiful words from many letters. But there is certainly a passage by those two, the New Steel and Giaseplin journalists. Because he was the one who translated that letter from Vietnamese into Russian, moreover, the text in the letter was very smooth, bearing the “feature” like the voice of the song ” Vietnamese bamboo” , so Mr. Duy had memorized it. heart, even each comma, period. However, he respects the secret “to the next generation” , so he only read me a few short passages.
The opening paragraph is by journalist Steel Moi: “Today, in front of Tan mountain, Da river, the Son Tinh of the new era – the builders of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant in Vietnam and the Soviet Union sent to the young generations of Vietnam. After the lines of heart … “.
Next, the letter talked about the difficulties: “Our generation is not full of food, clothes are not warm enough, but we still save and are determined to build the largest hydroelectric project in Southeast Asia, a symbol of the goodness of the Vietnam-Soviet friendship for generations to come”.
As for Comrade Giaseplin, there is a passage: “Peace – the name of the project is a beautiful symbol and dream of all mankind”.
So why did it take until 2100 to open? There are two explanations for this.
Firstly , it was a letter to the “next generation” , which means that at that time, those born at the start of Hoa Binh hydropower plant, perhaps not many people, and workers and engineers… Participating in the construction of the factory has also become a “natural ancient” person for a long time.
Secondly , in 2100, the mud layer in the lake bed has thickened about 56m, so it is impossible to generate electricity anymore. The factory needs to rest to dredge the lake bed, or demolish the factory… And then open the letter to let the generation know that in the old days, how his father’s class worked.
The letter has been written and has been approved by the leaders of the Party and State.
The ceremony to place the letter was also very sophisticated, especially the selection… Four people to screw 4 screws to attach the signboard to the concrete block.
Four people are selected according to the following criteria: There must be old and young. There must be male and female. There must be Vietnam and the Soviet Union. And there must be people… in heaven and people… on earth.
Hoa Binh Hydroelectricity at night. (Photo: Chi Hieu).
It is not difficult to be old or young. The two people selected were Comrade Vu Mao, then First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Union, and Comrade Misen, Secretary of the Communist Youth Union of the Soviet Union.
With men and women, it’s a bit more difficult. It’s easy to have a man, but who is a woman to choose? Ms. Le Thi Stop, a worker driving an EKG excavator, later a nominated Labor Hero. A Georgian female world champion player from the Soviet youth delegation was also introduced.
But what about… people in heaven and people on earth? The person on the ground is General Director Ngo Xuan Loc, totally deserving. But what about people in heaven? In the end, everyone chose the second Soviet cosmonaut, Sister Xavitskaia.
On the afternoon of January 30, 1983, at the home yard of Central Dispatch. A solemn ceremony was held with the participation of 250 Soviet youth delegates, 350 Vietnamese youth delegates and thousands of workers.
Comrade Ngo Xuan Loc read the letter in Vietnamese, Comrade Giaseplin read it in Russian.
The two letters were then placed in a hollow drilled copper ingot with a lid and placed inside the concrete block.
Then next, Comrade Vu Mao, Misen; Ngo Xuan Loc and Xavitskaia each had a screwdriver to screw the steel plate with the words “Where to put the letter to the next generation” into the concrete block.
The ceremony took place in solemnity, emotion and spirituality.
But a few days later, I don’t know who took away a screw. So they solder it tight.
Let’s wish each other to live until… 2100 to see that letter.
Real romance!