At the end of 1991, from the initial success of Sonadezi, the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee decided to assign the Company to implement the Long Binh Industrial Park Investment and Development Project. The project was later renamed as Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park Investment and Development Project.
The construction site of Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park was part of the Long Binh warehouse built by the US during the war. The remaining technical infrastructure in Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park were some asphalt roads that had not been destroyed by local people, water supply system with small capacity (temporarily used for the first projects), which were taken advantage of by the Company for pioneering investment projects in this new IP.
The first investment project in Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park was the establishment of Viet Son Minh Electric Wire and Cable Joint Stock Company (later renamed Taya Electric Wire and Cable Joint Stock Company following its change of owner).
The Director Nguyen Van Thuyen directly engaged in preparation of the Technical and Economic Justification Report for this project, together with relevant departments in the Company. The calculation of economic data was done by Deputy Director Chu Thi Thu and Chief Accountant Vu Ngoc Tuy. Technical drawings and master plans were jointly prepared by Mr. Nguyen Manh Dung and the technical team of the investors. The translation into Chinese was performed by Mr. Chu Thanh Son and the English translation was provided by Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa as a freelance translator.
Everything was going smoothly, but in early 1992, Director Nguyen Van Thuyen passed away in a traffic accident. This was a big shock to the Company and its employees. Following this, with the timely support of Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee and the People’s Committee, all employees were lifted up to deliver on the unfinished tasks of Director Nguyen Van Thuyen.
The completion of the Technical and Economic Justification Reports as well as a huge volume of work related to the first investment project in Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park became a heavy, seemingly insurmountable task. For the Company’s leadership, to assist Deputy Director Chu Thi Thu, the province seconded Mr. Nguyen Khanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry to take on the role of the Director of the Company as replacement of Director Nguyen Van Thuyen. The tasks were solved step by step. Fifteen Technical and Economic Justification Reports in three languages Vietnamese – Chinese – English and 15 sets of drawings and explanatory notes were completed and shared with investors for signature before submitted to the State Commission for Cooperation and Investment (SCCI) for project investment licenses.
Mr. Chu Thanh Son – Sonadezi’s Former Deputy CEO (then its Chinese translator) remember that: “One night in the early spring of 1992, it was nearly 11 p.m., and all 15 Technical and Economic Justification Reports and 15 sets of drawings were checked for the last time. The Chief Accountant Vu Ngoc Tuy and I were still working at the Company’s office. We called Mr. Diep Nghi Minh – the representative of the investor and agreed to wait for him to come down to Sonadezi to sign on documents and drawings. When he came to the company, Mr. Minh asked “Are you a private company or a state-owned company, as you are working so late at night?” When he knew that we were employees of a state-owned company, he was quite surprised as he thought we were running to a private company.
It was almost 2 a.m. when the signing was completed. Sending investors off for their return to Ho Chi Minh City, we neatly rearranged documents to prepare for a business trip to Hanoi. By the time we got on our motorbike back home, it was already dawn. A good new day was starting with more hope for the development of Sonadezi”.
