Trần Đức Cử, Deputy Chairman of the Bắc Ninh City Association of Veteran Businesses and Entrepreneurs and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hùng Cường Hospital Joint Stock Company, diagnoses a patient with a colleague. — Photos courtesy of Bắc Ninh City

BẮC NINH — Drawing on the qualities of “Uncle Hồ’s soldiers”, many war veterans in Bắc Ninh City have taken the initiative to establish businesses, cooperatives, farms and production and trading establishments, creating jobs and raising incomes for workers.

Alongside running successful businesses, veteran entrepreneurs have actively supported their comrades, participated in social welfare activities and contributed to local socio-economic development.

Dynamic in economic arena

Over recent years, the movement entitled “Veterans helping one another escape poverty and succeed in business” has been implemented by the Bắc Ninh City Veterans Association in conjunction with socio-economic development and sustainable poverty reduction efforts.

According to the movement’s review report for the 2021–2026 period, the city currently has 18,739 production and business models run by veteran members, creating jobs for more than 40,000 workers.

These include 273 small and medium-sized enterprises, 117 cooperatives, 77 cooperative groups, 275 farms, 3,052 family farms and nearly 15,000 service businesses.

Bắc Ninh City currently has 1,385 veteran-led models that help members escape poverty, including revolving funds and interest-free loans for poor and near-poor members to develop production.

As a result, 959 poor veteran households have received support and gradually stabilised their lives.

Notably, the city’s Association of Veteran Businesses and Entrepreneurs currently has 256 members organised into 13 branches.

Nguyễn Thanh Phong (left), Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sông Cầu Hà Bắc Joint Stock Company and Deputy Chairman of the Bắc Ninh Provincial Business Association, oversees production.

The members’ total capital exceeds VNĐ50 trillion (US$1.9 billion), while average annual revenue is approximately VNĐ4 trillion ($153.8 million). They create jobs for more than 11,000 workers, whose monthly incomes range VNĐ8.5-12 million ($320-460) or more.

As one of the city’s outstanding veteran entrepreneurs, Nguyễn Thanh Phong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sông Cầu Hà Bắc Joint Stock Company and Deputy Chairman of the Bắc Ninh City Association of Veteran Businesses and Entrepreneurs, has applied the decisiveness, discipline and determination to overcome difficulties associated with a soldier’s character to the management of his business.

In 2003, when he took over a struggling enterprise whose traditional fertiliser products were no longer competitive, Phong chose a new direction by investing in a grinding station and a cement plant.

He subsequently reorganised the enterprise as Sông Cầu Hà Bắc JSC. The transformation helped maintain production, employment, incomes and insurance benefits for workers.

According to Phong, the military environment instils in people “a very high degree of discipline and an industrial working style”. These qualities have been important factors in his approach to corporate governance, helping him build a professional working environment and ensure compliance with the law.

Veteran entrepreneurs are not involved solely in industrial production. Many have also brought their experience and sense of responsibility as soldiers to fields that directly serve the people.

Trần Đức Cử, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hùng Cường Hospital JSC and Deputy Chairman of the Bắc Ninh City Association of Veteran Businesses and Entrepreneurs, was formerly a military doctor.

After leaving the armed forces, he continued to work in medicine and opened a private clinic in 2009. In 2020, he established the Hùng Cường Hospital, which initially had 31 beds.

By last year, the hospital had 197 licensed beds and 271 operational beds. The total number of medical examinations and outpatient and inpatient treatments had reached nearly 120,000. The hospital provides jobs for more than 200 officials and employees, including many former service personnel, children of veterans and people who had rendered meritorious service to the country.

“Working in the healthcare economy is not simply about pursuing profit for me,” Cử said.

He wishes to bring together doctors who previously served in the armed forces so that they can continue to apply their experience and expertise in serving the people.

Business with commitment to comradeship

A notable feature of the veteran economic movement in Bắc Ninh is that production and business activities are consistently linked to social responsibility.

Over the past five years, the municipal Association of Veteran Businesses and Entrepreneurs has coordinated charitable and humanitarian activities worth more than VNĐ14.3 billion ($550,028).

It has also supported the construction of 35 “Veterans’ Comradeship” houses, with funding of more than VNĐ2.1 billion ($80,700), while presenting thousands of gifts to families who had rendered meritorious service to the country, people with meritorious service, poor veterans and people facing difficult circumstances.

Deputy Chairman Cử examines a patient.

From 2021 to last year alone, the Hùng Cường company donated nearly VNĐ3 billion ($115,300) to funds and social charity activities.

Nguyễn Đức Thuận, Deputy Chairman of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee and Chairman of the Bắc Ninh City Veterans Association, said that continued practical support should be provided to veteran entrepreneurs, particularly through training in legal knowledge, science and technology, information technology, and assistance with market expansion.

Veteran entrepreneurs not only fulfil their tax obligations to the State but also actively participate in social welfare programmes.

The Veterans Association, in coordination with the Association of Veteran Businesses and Entrepreneurs, serves as a bridge to support the sale of products and promote linkages among enterprises and cooperatives run by veterans.

Entering the 2026–2031 period, the Bắc Ninh City Veterans Association has identified the continued promotion of the qualities of “Uncle Hồ’s soldiers” and the tradition of “Loyalty, solidarity, exemplary conduct and innovation” as key priorities.

It will maintain and develop effective production and business models while creating more branded products with greater value and competitiveness.

The association aims to eliminate poor and near-poor veteran households by the end of next year. By 2031, it aims for well-off and affluent households to account for 70 per cent of all veteran households. — VNS