Cozy Tet atmosphere on North-South Expressway construction site

The engineers and workers are currently speeding up progress on mountain tunnel No. 3 after mountain tunnels No. 1 and No. 2 were completed four months ahead of schedule. Without returning home to enjoy family reunions during the holiday period, the workers voluntarily chose to stay at the construction site because of the importance of the key project.

While attending a year-end party with teammates at the construction site, Truong Cong Quan of Do Luong district in Nghe An province spent time phoning his parents at home. Turning 31, Quan is a young engineer working on mountain tunnel No. 3. This Tet, he volunteered to stay and celebrate the holiday at the construction site.

This is the first time Quan has ever celebrated Tet away from home. He was born into a family of four, but his three sisters have already been married far away, meaning that Quan is the youngest unmarried son.

“I'm still young and don't have a family yet, so I often phone home to console my parents. This year I told them that I would stay on duty during Tet because the project is entering into an important phase, I volunteered to stay," confided the young engineer.

Everyone raised a toast together and wished each other best wishes in the New Year. Their cheers and New Year greetings in the camp tore through the quietness of the night in the remote mountain area.

Sitting in the camp, Tran Thanh Bao, a 32-year-old worker from Ha Tinh province, quietly looked off into the distance. Bao said that his wife had just given birth to their second child and he wished he had gone home to celebrate Tet with his wife and children. But he instead decided to stay at the construction site during Tet because of the importance of the work. This is also the first year he has celebrated Tet away from home.

“I have first consoled myself. I have also received sympathy and encouragement from the Project Management Board, the team leader and other workers. Thanks to modern technology, I can make a video call to meet face to face that helps me ease nostalgia,” said Bao.

The eastern section of the North-South Expressway project is 88 kilometres long, passing through four districts and towns of Quang Ngai province and Hoai Nhon town of Binh Dinh province. The sub-project has a total investment of more than VND20 trillion and is the largest among the 12 sub-projects of the whole eastern section of the project.

It’s also noteworthy that on this highway there are three mountain tunnels, including one that is more than three kilometres long. After one year of construction, two out of the three mountain tunnels on the route have now been completed.