Across the vast borderlands of the Central Highlands, the lush greenery is the result of the diligent efforts of the rubber workers of Corps 15. The initiative to introduce rubber trees and resettle people in these border areas has been a priority for military leadership since the nation achieved peace.
Forty years after its establishment in 1985, Corps 15, a key economic-defense unit mainly operating in Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces, continues to quietly create a green belt along the expansive 250 km border.
Reporters of the Military Literature Magazine have captured authentic images of the lives and work of rubber workers at Corps 15's production teams.
From Duc Co, Chu Prong, and Ia Grai in Gia Lai to Ia H’drai, Sa Thay, and Ngoc Hoi districts, Corps 15’s rubber plantations stretch across the landscape.
The tens of thousands of hectares of rubber plantations are the result of the sweat and dedication of Brigade soldiers and their predecessors over the past fifty years, from research and experimentation to planting, caring for, and harvesting
Vi Van Muu, born in 1995, is a skilled worker from Production Team 7 of Branch 716. He usually begins his shift at midnight, the optimal time for tapping rubber. Each worker is responsible for a plot of 555 trees, taking about three hours to complete the tapping for one plot
After collection, the fresh latex is poured into storage tanks, releasing a fragrant milky aroma
The collected latex is weighed and recorded at the collection point
Lieutenant Kieu Ba Oanh, leader of Production Team 7, oversees the pumping of latex into the tanker
At the rubber latex collection points, each batch will be sampled with a unique code to assess the quality of the latex
The Ro Mam ethnic minority group, with a population of 100 people, has now grown to 157 households with nearly 600 people, thanks to the support of the government and local authorities. Many have become workers for Economic-Defense Unit 78 under Corps 15 and live in the workers' quarters
Translated by DO HUONG
VNQD