On the afternoon of October 22, from abroad, Mr. Ho Minh Hoang – Chairman of Deo Ca Group, sent a letter praising HHV employees for being responsible for the smoothness of national traffic after the unprecedented flood mopping up through Hai Van.

On the night of October 14, when flood water began to approach the tunnel entrance, the tunnel operation management enterprise temporarily stopped circulation from 9 P.M on the same day. General Director of HHV Nguyen Quang Huy ordered: “This watch crew stayed. Add forces to clear traffic”.

The treatment of about 120,000 m3 of soil and rock poured into the tunnel entrance was completed after only 6 hours. After the next 6 hours, they cleared the pass road blocked by about 92,000 m3 of soil and rock. That action shows our strength, courage, wisdom, and responsibility to society when the national traffic is blocked in Hai Van.

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Previously, on October 21, 2022, our advisors, Mr. Tran Chung and Mr. Ho Quang Loi, and I took an early flight to visit HHV employees.

It has been a week since the flash flood passed, and the road has been cleared but is still in disarray. Looking from above through the plane window, we were contemplative when we saw the face of the Bach Ma mountain range imprinted with many scratches after the battle with nature. The flood formed a white streak that ran meanderingly from the top to the foot of the mountain, close to the southern tunnel of Hai Van, and then rushed into the sea. Up to now, the sea of Da Nang is still gray-brown because the soil is dragged down by flood water.

DCG’s Vice Chairman Vo Thuy Linh, HHV’s General Director Nguyen Quang Huy, HHV’s Deputy General Director Vo Ngoc Trung, and many employees in HHV were present to serve the inspection of the Advisory Council.

The trees, about two arms wide, are scattered at the foot of Hai Van pass. Mr. Vo Ngoc Trung said: “Those are big trees. Their path is estimated to be a few kilometers”.

The advisors had to dodge through rocks as big as large trucks blocking the road to get down to the piers of the path. Each abutment and concrete pier is carefully considered.

The flood in the afternoon of October 14 and early morning of October 15 had terrible devastation, changing the flow of the stream that has existed for many generations. This stream collects water from ravines in the Bach Ma range and flows through the southern tunnel entrance about 1km before pouring into the sea. Before the flood came, that was a small stream lurking in the woods. Now, a whole patch of forest has disappeared, revealing a barren stream.

Mr. Vo Thuy Linh, who was at the scene at noon on October 15, told the advisors: “On the day the flood was high, the tunnel entrance was as small as two coins amid the immense sea. The flood has turned the small stream into a river, reshaping its path.”

The concrete road leading up to Cay Da Temple was also buried by rocks more than 300m at the foot of the mountain. We walked to Cay Da Temple. Cay Ban Temple is located on the mountainside, under the canopy of tall old trees. Fortunately, it did not suffer destruction by the flood. Looking at Da Nang from the temple yard, Mr. Vo Ngoc Trung shared: “By some miraculous luck, the Hai Van tunnel door is not in the way of hundreds of cubic meters of water and rock.”

The advisor Tran Chung is most worried about whether there are “breaks” in the back of the mountain. Before that, “the engineering doctor” told me: “They send me videos shot from above. I see there are white streaks. It is unclear whether breaks or roads have been exposed by flood water.” Those worries were relieved when the advisors went to the field, and the pictures sent back from the fly camera proved that the majestic Hai Van was still sure of the challenges of nature.

The flood has blown off the covers of underground water tanks in front of the southern tunnel entrance. Soil filled all three tanks. These tanks have a total capacity of 30m3 containing water for fire fighting tanks on the top of the mountain and domestic activities.

The top priority has been urgently handling traffic returns in the past few days. The tank has just started to be cleaned. This job was difficult since the underground tanks were compacted by mud. The advisors have advised them to check the amount of air in the tank carefully; every half an hour, they have to rest.

Many people like Mr. Tran Dinh Cong – excavator driver (as mentioned before), were dispatched to the scene to assist. The distance takes 2 hours instead of 15 minutes like any day. The efforts of so many people have produced the results they have today.

Immediately after the Hai Van tunnel was operated again, HHV proposed to the authorities and had a specific plan to support oversized and overloaded vehicles to pass through the tunnel, avoiding danger because, according to regulations, the vehicles have to go on the pass.

Mr. Trung told me: “If this flood happened when Hai Van had only one tunnel, traffic disturbances would most likely have occurred. The tunnel has two tunnels to help us flexibly handle emergencies.”

Advisor Ho Quang Loi assessed: “What you have done in the past few days is brave, showing the social responsibility of the Deo Ca people. No loss of life and the project is protected. That is by your determination, initiative, and wisdom”. He also advised employees in HHV that the past things are enormous. There is much more to come, so they must always be ready to respond.

Mr. Vo Thuy Linh replied: “The advisors can rest assured, we are Deo Ca people”.

Also, on this trip, the DCG Trade Union and the HHV Trade Union visited families severely damaged by the flood. President of the HHV Trade Union Phan Le Dung said: “I’ve never seen the flood rise as quickly as this time. After half an hour, in many houses, the water rose to the knee. Here, many employees still have to rent houses and houses in low-lying areas. The flood has passed, but in many homes, washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, etc., have been broken”.

The boarding house of Mr. and Mrs. Le Cong Hong – Pham Thi Ly in the Lien Chieu district was flooded with water up to the shoulders of adults. Mr. Hong is a rescue worker in the Hai Van tunnel. Mrs. Ly recounted that that afternoon when the water rose, she and her two sons climbed upstairs, calling for help from neighbors, but no one could come near them. When the water reached the edge of the attic, she had to put her baby in a basin of water. ” If the water rose a little more, then I don’t know what would happen,” Mrs. Ly said.

Like the house of Mrs. Ly’s family, that of Mr. Phan Van Hien – an employee of the tunnel operation management enterprise, still has traces of water on the wall and damaged furniture. However, before the concern of the Trade Unions and colleagues, they touched.

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After a few days of sunshine, from noon on October 22, the rain returned to Da Nang. However, HHV’s General Director Nguyen Quang Huy reported to the Chairman, “More than 1,200 employees of HHV are unwavering, ready to perform the assigned tasks”.

BY NGUYEN QUANG THANH