On the afternoon at the end of the year when the rain was heavy in Vung Tau, I was having a cup of coffee and talking to Mr. Hoang Duc Thao at the wooden house of Busadco which was just inaugurated on the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the company. The warm and delicious cup of coffee became bitter due to the anxiety:

Labor Hero Hoang Duc Thao

The weather has become more and more severe! The irregular unfavourable weather makes the workers constructing Vung Tau Drainage project with ODA fund work very hard. The workers are working very hard of course, but the late construction also affects the friendly relationship between Vietnamese Government and French Government under the Protocol of this project ... After spending one afternoon with Mr. Hoang Duc Thao, a week of soaking by the rain and the sun with the workers in all construction sites of Busadco, I have loved and respected him more and more because I realize that in work, he is bravery & decisive; in human behaviour, he is enthusiastic and good-hearted. It is a part of the personality of Doctor, Labor Hero Hoang Duc Thao, Chairman cum General Director of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Urban Sewerage and Development Company (Busadco)

During the current of life, each of us used not to pay attention in several times. Hoang Duc Thao did, too. He used to have an appointment with me for interview for ten times but when the time of appointment was coming, he called me for apologising to me for ... breaking the appointment. Sometimes he was unexpectedly busy because he went to visit his worker due to having the cerebral vascular accident, sometimes he was busy because he had to urgently handle an important issue at site. Although I knew he was too busy, I was also uncomfortable to travel one hundred kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau in order just to get information but the appointment was broken. However, everything was going smoothly as finally I was welcomed by him by the end of 2013.

People have talked so much about his achievements that I was afraid of approaching him. Compared to his age, I am too young to feel all the things he bared. But with the openness of Busadco’s workers during the time of contacting with them, I imagined Hoang Duc Thao was the closest and the most prestigious leader whom all of them trusted. For the people devoting their strengths to the growth of Busadco for days and nights, Hoang Duc Thao has been considered as a legend, a good friend travelling with their personal lives.

You cannot talk about Hoang Duc Thao without mentioning the works of scientific and technological creativeness. During 10 years bearing full responsibility to steer Busadco boat, he himself has managed to research and created successfully 30 scientific works. Among them, 23 products have been widely applied, 17 products were issued invention patents and useful solutions; 16 products were approved in the list for establishing Vietnamese standard (TCVN) by the Ministry of Science and Technology. The Ministry of Construction issued 5 Certificates of Appropriate Technology to allow application all over the country. Miraculously, these scientific works originated from Mr. Hoang Duc Thao’s ideas during many sleepless nights due to thinking of his workers: How can he do to help his workers not to work inside the toxic sewers? How can he do to make their lives less difficult? How can he do to reduce environmental pollution and ...how...and how? Series of those questions gave him the ideas, then one after another, the scientific themes came into being ... Ten years is not a long way for a business, but what Busadco have done made the local and international scientific community start in surprise: the markets of 48/63 provinces and cities in Vietnam were covered with scientific and technological products of Busadco; there are 12 provinces and cities issued guidelines on applying Busadco technologies because of their practical values. In addition, the scientific and technological products of Busadco have been initially exported to Laos and Malaysia.

Coming from a worker, experiencing many changes and vicissitudes of the market economy, now he is a successful businessman in the true sense of the word. He is a simple and social man. His breakfast is usually a bowl of porridge with salted and dried meat or a small bowl of rice with sesame and salt. I asked him what made the success of Busadco? He bared: “It is the resonance of internal resources of the hearts and the human values for a healthy environment in which all Busadco employees have been directing for the community”. What makes you proud of Busadco? The leader sharing joys and sorrows with his workers for a long way said with his thoughtful look: “I pride very much because Busadco workers live in a sincere and kind way. The value of Busadco workers constantly increases with their woks as well as contribution to the society”.

By Busadco workers’ sincere confidences, I was surprised at this and the others about Hoang Duc Thao. He is very close to his employees; he often shares weal and woe with them, he is happy with their joy and he is sad with sorrows. With the image of a General Director participating in arm wrestling, human chess and tug of war together with his employees during the sport events of the company or poking the fire for grilling corn for his subordinates during a picnic makes the image of the talented leader more sparkling and merciful. With such a passion and enthusiasm for science but when being asked about the noble awards he has received, he said with a strangely calm voice: “The title of labor hero, honorary doctorates as well as the scientific and technological awards that I received in local and abroad that I was honoured to receive are very good and they are worth to be proud of. People evaluated and awarded me by themselves. The Press come to me and write about me because I rarely have time to talk to them. He looked at me and smiled with a sincere smile of a son of Thai Binh – province of paddy field: “However, what will be the essence of the glories if the workers are so much worried about the means of subsistence? The income of Busadco employee is not so high, but it is temporarily considered ok. While many enterprises have many difficulties and standstills, Busadco has still overcome the difficulties and got through against the current to invest and expand production and factories manufacturing scientific and technological products. Is it possible to say it is lucky when the annual revenue from Busadco scientific and technological products accounts for 80-85% of the revenue of the company?” He laughed loudly: “It is the ideal point of fall bringing about profits and raises the employee’s income. When the living and working conditions of workers are improved, they will continue to contribute to the development of the company. Then Hoang Duc Thao gestured his hand firmly and said: It is also the essential value brought by Busadco scientific and technological products. This glory is truly necessary.

Dr. Nguyen Quan, the Member of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Part, the Minister of Science and Technology, said: “Each Busadco product has specific features and benefits, but the most valuable is that they resolved many shortcomings of the drainage system in particular and the system of urban technical infrastructure in general. Most Busadco technological products are towards satisfying the practical demands of life and bringing a healthy environment for all subjects of the society. The number of people benefiting from the achievements of Busadco in the community grows more and more. According to the public opinion inside and outside the country, Busadco products are considered as: "the product for people", positively contributing to the implementation of policies and guidelines of the Party and the Government with the priority to investing in the technical infrastructure, constructing the new countryside, protecting the environment and ensuring the social security. The creativity and success of Busadco is a typical evidence for taking the science and technology as a lever for the sustainable development of the company.

Thinking for the employees and interest in material and spiritual life for employees are the definite orientation of Busadco management board. Hoang Duc Thao has maintained a collective canteen serving breakfast for ten years since the company was established. Ms. Pham Hoai Thu, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Busadco branch union said: “Taking from profits, the company has created the conditions for office staffs to have free breakfast. This not only helps the employees not to take time for breakfast, it affects the general work of the company but also makes them have a heart-to-heart with each other and share some issues related to the daily work during breakfast. It is like an invisible string connecting colleagues as well as the harmony of leaders and employees in the company. Besides the collective canteen serving free breakfast, warm friendly gifts which the Board of General Directors have granted to employees and their families on holidays and New Year are considered as a gratefulness and remind all employees to join efforts. “There is great force hidden in a sweet command” – that is the definite thought of him during managing the company.

Although Hoang Duc Thao is a famous scientist, grew up from being a worker, is famous for scientific themes, used to get in touch with and be close to "officials" but he has retained his inherent rusticity and sincerity. Busadco employees have been grateful to him because he has not only created jobs for them but also given his love for their families. This sentiment created the monument in the heart of each Busadco’s employee. Some Busadco employees whose relatives died understood Hoang Duc Thao’s personality more. Despite of how much busy he is, how many worries he has and how many inseparable relationships he has, Hoang Duc Thao is always a direct pioneer in caring the funeral. Witnessing his tears towards the employees’ pain when their relatives pass away, people will understand how merciful Hoang Duc Thao is. Mr. Pham Ngoc Luan, working in Busadco Expert Department confided to me: “I had 2 major surgeries including sinus surgery and thyroid cancer surgery. After two surgeries, when I left the operating room for the recovery room, my family informed me that the General Director had phoned to inquire after my health although he was very busy. Furthermore, in combination with the General Director’s mission, he gave me a lift for the follow-up examination for several times. At that time I was moved in to tears when I knew he and his chauffeur were patiently waiting for me in front the hospital for more than 2 hours” ... Mentioning his kindness, Mr. Luan’s eyes grew moist.... and continued to share: “My mother passed away in Vung Tau, he and the leaders thoughtfully arranged to bring my mother to Nghe An as her wish. When thinking about the past, I’m still stunning because at that time my family was in very difficult circumstances without siblings here. Without Mr. Thao’s help, I did not know how I could manage to fulfill my filial piety to my mother....

Mentioning BUSADCO brand name, Mr. Hoang Duc Thao confided: “The brand name is an important matter for the company can affirm their position in the market. Creating the brand name is difficult but maintaining it is more difficult by many times. An enterprise owning a brand name shall receive a lot of advantages. Therefore, BUSADCO always appreciates the advantage of increase in customers, profits and the advantage of long term relationships. Thus, during difficult time BUSADCO brand has been still maintain by the employees. Besides, BUSADCO has been looking for new chances to improve its brand”.

Since the early days when the company was established, Mr. Hoang Duc Thao has been very interested in approaching the human resource as well as managing and training employees. He came to every university by himself to encourage the students attaining excellent graduation and being full of enthusiasm in order to join and work for his company. He told that the low income of employees in his company was a limit for him to recruit the talents. However, he persuaded the employees with all his heart, heartiness and experiences of the forerunner. He evoked the bright future of the employees in case they considered science and technology as the foundation so many young people having highly specialized capacity have voluntarily joined Busadco. He himself compared his enthusiasm to a queen bee gathering the worker bees to the hive and his energy to a worker bee being hardworking and diligent in order to build a lofty cause with employees...

Mr. Hoang Duc Thao’s policy for talents is a typification. He invites the excellent and enthusiastic people to work and promotes them to key positions. Talking about this policy of BUSADCO, Mr. Nguyen Tuan Minh, the Member of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party, the Provincial Party Committee Secretary of Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province said: “That is an intelligent and enthusiastic company. The specific people, the specific works raise the stature and brand name of BUSADCO. The success of BUSADCO nowadays is a journey not a destination because BUSADCO has been focusing on in-depth development of the main manufacture and business sectors, intensive development of human resource training and expert training in order to improve the qualifications and experiences of employees.

Enterprise management culture of Mr. Hoang Duc Thao also originated from the heart of the leader. “How do you often treat when your employee makes a mistake?” After my question, he answered with a level- headed voice as a philosopher “A mistake sometimes creates a wonderful catalyst for a success. It usually takes me a short time to know the employee who made a mistake? When did they make mistakes? From this fact, I know how to behave with them properly. I expect my company can build up a working environment where every people can share with their mistakes each other before they become serious problems”. His voice became thoughtful: “I know, having a straight behavior with someone’s mistake is often a delicate matter, is hard to say and is not a natural matter according to Asian culture. For this reason, with the role of a leader, I always encourage my employees to admit their mistakes and correct the faults. It’s easy to understand that an ordinary man is inevitable of lust, hatred and delusion. To some certain extent, we should sympathize and treat reasonably. Not beating about the bush or laying the blame on each other is the culture background that the Busadco employees were trained since the early days when they are on probation in the company. When the faith between leaders and employees is developed, every people shall become more open-hearted and be willing to share in order to solve every problem. We are continuing to improve this culture background because we know it has been making BUSADCO grow up in strength more and more as well as adapt faster to every situation during the current economy which has been constantly fluctuated.

Mr. Nguyen Vo Khoa, Deputy General Director of BUSADCO has a penetrative look about the human resources of Mr. Hoang Duc Thao: “BUSADCO has given priory to maintaining high-quality human resource, implementing the preferential policies to the qualified and professional employees who are dedicated to the work. Besides drawing up development strategy, we define that BUSADCO employees are the decisive force which my company has based on to develop and maintain our brand name”.

People have discussed much about corruption and huge salary nowadays. I am not afraid of questioning him, he smiles and tell that the legitimate aspiration for getting rich is immutable but the thought of market economy is multivariable. When the legal corridor has not been close, many people have taken that advantage in order to do wrong and seek profit. Many people are now getting rich in all ways, including corruption, bribery and using every trick to exploit employees and enrich illegally. It is unethical. The corruption scandals which were disclosed or undisclosed but everybody knows. Nothing can get rid of the immense Heaven’s net or posthumous ill fame.

Looking back 10 year stage of BUSADCO with achievements, with the medals awarded by Vietnamese Government, with the Certificate of merits and prizes honored by competent authorities...These people having a strong attachment to BUSADCO, especially Mr. Hoang Duc Thao, have more belief and motivation to move forward on a new journey. Saying goodbye to the amateur scientist, my belief is more consolidated because I understand that a man gave his heart and soul for scientific works, a man always think for others, a man always think for his descendants as Hoang Duc Thao really not many. The internal life of Mr. Hoang Duc Thao is not really easy and peaceful but it is understandable when happiness knocked on the door of his family.