Acknowledgment

Thank you to the Organizing Committee for creating a meaningful platform where CENTRAL employees have the opportunity to share their heartfelt sentiments for the company.

Sincere thanks to the Judges for their fairness and dedication in selecting the most outstanding entries of this year’s contest.

Above all, heartfelt gratitude to everyone who enthusiastically supported Nguyễn Nhật Triều throughout the competition.

CENTRAL 2025: A Story Worth Telling

The article is inspired by a phone call from a little daughter to her father, an engineer working at Central.

As a member of the company’s Human Resources Department, I’ve been fortunate to have many opportunities to visit and work at various projects across all three regions of the country. I’ve met countless employees, and more than that, I’ve become a bridge, a kind of “hotline” that our engineers turn to for sharing, seeking support, or even untangling matters of the heart.

Throughout my journey at Central, I’ve encountered stories that made me burst out laughing, stories that made me pause in deep reflection and gratitude, and even unnamed stories—moments when colleagues simply needed someone to listen in silence. These personal confessions about life, work, ambitions, and dreams of Central’s engineers, if gathered together, could easily fill a hundred-page book.

On a business trip to Central Vietnam in the scorching June heat, just after lunch, I happened to run into him. We had known each other for some time but hadn’t had many chances to interact. It started with some casual small talk, and then I asked about his work, project progress, and any difficulties he was facing. As he was speaking passionately, his phone rang.

On the other end of the line, his little daughter softly said:

“Daddy, I’m on summer break already. Why haven’t you come home to take me out?”

“Daddy will be home soon. You’ve been doing so well in school—of course, I have to come home and reward you! I’ll take you out for bubble tea and fried chicken, okay?”

“But you work far away, and I’ve been waiting forever. Kem’s parents bought her a huge doll. I want one like hers too.”

“I’ll get you an even bigger one! Deal?”

“You always promise… but you never come home…”

He froze for a few seconds, a flicker of guilt crossing his face, unable to respond. That one sentence from his little girl seemed to cut deep, perhaps it stirred feelings of guilt and self-blame.

At that moment, his wife joined the conversation:

“She keeps pestering me, insisting that I call you.”

“I’ll be home soon,” he replied. “Just tell her to wait a few more days. Things are intense at the project right now. I can’t take leave, and I haven’t dared to book a ticket home yet.”

“Don’t worry about us. She misses you, that’s all. She’ll forget about it soon, kids are like that. It’s okay!”

He ended the call with a long sigh. The truth is, he misses his wife deeply, and he loves his daughter more than words can say. He, too, longs for the day they’ll be reunited, when he can finally fulfill his promise to his little princess. In that moment, I could feel his heart and the emotions he was grappling with.

He said, “As long as Central’s tower cranes are still lit, as long as my heartbeat still beats for Central, as long as the blood that runs through me carries the name Central, I must set aside my personal joys and put the mission entrusted to me first.”

Inside him, there seemed to be a tug of war between staying and going. But for now…

How could he go home, when his project is just days away from topping out, and the entire team on site is working tirelessly to finish the final stages? Everyone is operating with the highest level of focus.

How could he go home, when he has accompanied the project from day one? The finish line of this race is almost within reach. The building is taking shape each day, moving closer to handover.

How could he go home, when everything is in a rush and the countdown has already begun? Those long nights of overtime, shirts drenched in sweat, moments of exhaustion when collapse felt imminent, yet he never allowed himself to stop. He must “keep fighting,” he must win the glory.

I looked at him again, and in his eyes now burned an unwavering determination, his spirit more resilient than ever. Even with all the pressure weighing on his shoulders, nothing could stop his stride. As a construction engineer of Central, he has taken on the responsibility of the collective. Every project is a challenge, where “the site is home, the machines are family, and the bricks, steel, and concrete are lifelong companions.”

I admire him, and all of Central’s “men of steel”, because within them, an unyielding will is always ablaze. For them, there is no such thing as an obstacle. At Central, engineers and technicians alike believe that doing more to meet the schedule is a duty; traveling to distant lands to develop new ground is a conquest; taking on more roles to become multi-skilled is self-growth, and they never shy away from any challenge.

The clock struck, signaling the start of the afternoon shift. He turned back to continue his unfinished work on site. As I bid him farewell, my eyes grew slightly misty. Echoing in my ears was the pure voice of that little girl: “Mom and I are waiting for you, Daddy. You promised.”

I looked up at the sky, today it seemed a little bluer. As blue as the hope within him and the project team at Central: that after so many days of tireless work, the project would be completed on time, with quality and safety, and he could finally return to his beloved family, where his promise would bloom into reality.

Original: Nguyễn Nhật Triều
Editorial: DonXuanViet

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