In the historic month of October, we visited the Historical Exhibition Site of the French-era Rubber Village at Lot 50, Tran Van Luu Plantation, Dầu Tiếng Rubber Company. The site, officially recognized as a provincial cultural relic by Bình Dương Province on April 1, 2009, covers 6.9 hectares and preserves vivid memories of the rubber industry’s early days.
Among the towering rubber trees planted in 1960, visitors can walk through reconstructed workers’ houses and gain a deep appreciation for the hardship of early plantation laborers. The experience evokes both sorrow and pride—sorrow for the suffering endured, and pride in the resilience and patriotism that forged the Vietnamese rubber industry’s enduring spirit.
“In the Days of Slavery, Few Knew Happiness”
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Under the shade of century-old trees, we met Mrs. Lê Thị Nuôi—former National Assembly Delegate (7th tenure) and former Chairwoman of the Trade Union of Đoàn Văn Tiến Plantation, Dầu Tiếng Rubber. At nearly 80, she vividly recalls both her parents’ years as indentured rubber workers and her own journey as a revolutionary and lifelong worker.
Her life was marked by loss and struggle—her mother’s early death, her father raising three children alone, and her own imprisonment and torture for revolutionary activities. Yet she remained steadfast in her faith, devoting nearly four decades of her life to the rubber industry and to Vietnam’s independence.
“Many asked why I stuck with rubber work for so long,” she said. “It’s not a path to wealth, but it offered stability. After liberation, life improved—we had food, clothes, homes, and vehicles. Back in the 1980s, we ate cassava and maize, but we endured. This land is where I was born and raised; my father lived and died with rubber, and now even my youngest son follows in our footsteps at Dầu Tiếng Rubber.”
Her parents had been recruited by French colonialists as plantation laborers in the 1930s. Each worker was required to tap up to 500 trees a day—350 in the morning and 150 in the afternoon—often working under brutal conditions. Wages were paid in spoiled rice and dried rations, and workers who faltered were beaten; pregnant women were not spared. Those suspected of joining the resistance were tortured or executed.
“Without Liberation, We Would Never Have Lifted Our Heads”
Despite repression, Mrs. Nuôi’s father secretly joined the underground revolutionary network, gathering intelligence for the resistance. She, too, became an informant—observing French troops and passing information to the revolutionaries.
In 1962, she was arrested and tortured but refused to betray her comrades.
“They asked me which tool I wanted to be tortured with,” she recalled. “I told them, ‘Use whatever you like—I have nothing to say.’”
After months in prison, she was released and immediately resumed her secret work—delivering leaflets, reporting on enemy activity, and supporting fighters while continuing her daily rubber-tapping duties.
Her husband later joined the resistance and was killed in action while she was pregnant with their youngest child. Alone, she raised her children, worked the plantation, and continued serving the revolution.
After reunification, she became a production team leader, earning the trust of colleagues and management alike. Later, she was elected National Assembly Delegate for Sông Bé Province, representing thousands of rubber workers.
“It was a great honor,” she said emotionally. “I spoke for our workers—sharing their hopes and concerns at the National Assembly.”
She retired in 2000 after 38 years of service—25 of them at Dầu Tiếng Rubber—proud of her contribution to the nation’s liberation and reconstruction.
“Had we remained enslaved,” she said firmly, “rubber workers would never have been able to lift their heads.”
Generational Pride – Continuing the Family Legacy
Today, on the plantations of Dầu Tiếng, a new generation carries that same spirit of dedication. At Team 5, Đoàn Văn Tiến Plantation, Ms. Trần Vũ Ngọc Giàu, the team leader, proudly represents the fourth generation of her family to work in the rubber industry.
Her great-grandparents were indentured workers at the Michelin plantation; her grandparents, parents, and now she herself have all followed the same path. Growing up in hardship, she began working at 18, sending her wages home to support her family while pursuing evening classes and vocational training.
“It was exhausting,” she recalled. “I worked all day and studied until late at night. But I believed that with perseverance, I could rise.”
Through effort and determination, she became team leader in 2011, with 25 years of experience and 19 years of Party membership. Her approach emphasizes compassion and guidance for her team members—helping them overcome challenges and sustain productivity.
“If we love our profession and remain dedicated,” she said, “there is no obstacle we cannot overcome.”
Deep Roots, Enduring Values
Nearby, Mr. Bùi Hữu Tài, a second-area tapping worker, embodies the same family pride. His grandparents migrated from Thái Bình to work at the Michelin plantation; his grandmother was later honored as a Vietnamese Heroic Mother. Four of his siblings still work within the company.
“I could have chosen other jobs,” he said, “but I wanted to continue my family’s legacy. Generations of my family have lived and died with rubber, and that tradition inspires me to keep striving.”
Across Dầu Tiếng and VRG’s plantations, countless workers like Ms. Giàu and Mr. Tài represent third- and fourth-generation families whose love for the industry endures. Their sense of heritage, loyalty, and shared purpose forms an unbroken bond between generations—a living current of tradition flowing through Vietnam’s rubber sector.
That deep, steadfast affection—the “nghĩa tình sắt son”—is not merely nostalgia. It is the foundation of VRG’s continued growth and a reminder that heritage, dedication, and humanity remain the soul of Vietnam’s rubber industry.