Among those who travelled along the Truong Son trail to the southern battlefield during the resistance war against the US was Dr. Mai Van Thong, a patriotic intellectual and respected physician.
After returning from France in response to President Ho Chi Minh’s call, he volunteered to join the southern battlefield, where he spent years caring for the health of leaders of the southern resistance.
Amid the hardships of war, his daughter, Mai Kieu Lien, then a high school graduate in the North, wrote to ask her father what she should study when going abroad. His answer was simple: dairy processing.
Dr. Mai Van Thong during his years on the southern battlefield. Photo: Archival & restoration.
The advice reflected his far-sighted vision for the country’s future. He understood that when peace came, Vietnam would need not only to rebuild, but also to nurture healthier and better-nourished generations. Following her father’s advice, Mai Kieu Lien studied dairy processing and returned to Vietnam in 1976, joining the Southern Milk-Coffee Company, the predecessor of Vinamilk.
With determination, professional expertise and a constant willingness to learn, Mai Kieu Lien rose through the dairy industry, eventually serving as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Vinamilk. She helped lead the company through a period of major economic transformation in Vietnam.
A dairy leader guided by her father’s wartime advice.
Cap2: Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan presents the Third-Class Independence Order to Mai Kieu Lien. Photo: VNM
The story continued into the next generations. Her brother, Mai Quang Liem, and later her grandson, Mai Chi, also devoted themselves to the development of Vietnam’s dairy industry.
A letter sent across a country at war carried advice that went far beyond a choice of career. It became a thread connecting three generations through a shared commitment to improving the health and physical well-being of the Vietnamese people.
Translated by DO HUONG
VNQD