Talk encourages the spirit of young oil and gas workers

The talk was televised live simultaneously in Ho Chi Minh City and at the PVN headquarters in Hanoi.

In Ho Chi Minh City, participants included former Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Nghiem Vu Khai - Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations and President of the Vietnam-Azerbaijan Friendship Association; former Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrey Kovtun - Head of Gazprom International’s representative office in Vietnam; and Vu Duc Tu, Secretary of the Youth Union of the Central Business Bloc.

In Hanoi, participants from PVN included Phan Ngoc Trung, member of the PVN Member Council, and other officials. Present at the talk were also nearly 100 youth union members of PVN’s member units.

Vu Thi Thu Huong, Secretary of the PVN’s Youth Union, spoke about traditions of the oil and gas sector and the development of the group. Dr. Ngo Thuong San, President of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Association, recalled President Ho Chi Minh’s visit to an oil and gas industrial zone in Baku, Azerbaijan on July 23, 1959. This was a significant event in the development process of the Vietnamese oil and gas sector.

The Vietnamese oil and gas sector has undergone 60 years of implementing President Ho Chi Minh’s wishes. The past 44 years have seen the establishment and development of the PVN and its great efforts to overcome many hardships. The oil and gas sector has contributed significantly to the establishment of central industrial zones from the north to the south, such as Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Ca Mau, Dung Quat-Quang Ngai, Da Nang, Vung Ang-Ha Tinh.

The oil and gas industry has strengthened its position as a key economic sector with significant contributions to the state budget as well as Vietnam’s efforts to maintain macroeconomic stability, ensure national energy security and protect Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty.

Andrey Kovtun spoke about the friendship between Vietnam and Russia as well as the cooperation between Gazprom and PVN through stories about difficulties of the 1990s when Vietnam opened its door to welcome world-leading oil and gas firms. He began working in Vietnam in 1986 and witnessed ups and downs of the Vietnamese oil and gas sector, including successful extraction of the first tonne of oil from Bach Ho deposit. He said he was impressed by the development of the Vietnamese oil and gas sector. The Vietnamese economy faced numerous difficulties during the initial years of the renovation period. The export of crude oil extracted by the Vietsovpetro Joint Venture brought Vietnam considerable foreign currency revenue, contributing significantly to the country’s reconstruction and strengthening the good relationship between Vietnam and Russia.

Nghiem Vu Khai praised the results achieved by the PVN over the past 60 years and the friendship between Vietnam and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has trained thousands of oil and gas experts for Vietnam and provided it with machinery and equipment.

For its contributions to the Vietnamese economy, the PVN has received noble awards, including the Gold Star Medal, Ho Chi Minh Medal, Ho Chi Minh Award, and the State Science and Technology Award.

At the talk, the PVN introduced a book consisting of stories written by writers and journalists who have been associated with the oil and gas sector for years. Journalist Nguyen Nhu Phong said the book introduces chronicles about oil and gas workers, their creativity and challenges and hardships they have overcome to implement projects and contribute to the Vietnamese economy.

Diverse activities to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the oil and gas sector took place from the south to the north through various projects to honor and promote traditional values of the sector.

Tran Quang Dung, Head of the PVN’s Communications and Business Culture Department, expressed the wish that with their enthusiasm, brainpower and aspirations, people working in the oil and gas sector, especially the young generation, will achieve its targets and further contribute to the sector’s development.