On the Formation and Distribution of State-Owned Farms

Existing workers, military training according to the plan of the local military agency [58]. All party members and union members become militiamen. The farm director is the company or battalion commander. The party secretary is the company political commissar. The cell secretary is the platoon political commissar. The production team leader is the platoon leader, etc. In the militia, in addition to men, the female militia force also accounts for a large number. Many farms have established female militia and self-defense teams and female shock troops.

All NTQDs have combat units ready to fight. The militia and self-defense teams and shock troops are the core forces that directly participate in combat. The militia and self-defense forces of NTQDs often coordinate with the militia and guerrillas and local troops to organize counter-fire when enemy aircraft sweep. Each NTQD has self-defense teams/groups to shoot down aircraft. In 4 years (1965-1968), NTQDs' self-defense teams directly shot down 14 aircraft, damaged 30 others, captured 15 pilots, participated in the capture of 5 others and captured dozens of spy commandos. For example, the self-defense team of the Viet Trung Farm used infantry guns to shoot down American aircraft. The self-defense team of the 20-4 Farm used rifles to shoot down American helicopters and captured many American pilots [62]. The self-defense team of the Rang Dong Farm often coordinated with the navy to fight back against American imperialist aircraft and rescue goods.

The self-defense team of Dong Giao Farm coordinated with the 367th Division to organize an anti-aircraft artillery position to fight back against the enemy. In June 1966, the army and people of Lang Phong commune (Nho Quan) shot down an American plane and it crashed in the territory of Dong Giao Farm. The militia and self-defense team of the farm captured an American pilot on the high mountain top of the Den Dau team. In August 1966, the militia and self-defense team of Dong Giao Farm coordinated with the 63rd Battalion and the 2nd forward group to shoot down 3 planes and capture many American pilots. In November 1966, an anti-aircraft unit stationed on the land of the Ghenh team shot down 2 AD6 planes of the American enemy. One plane was hit by a bullet and was cut in half, falling into a coffee plot on Ba Mountain. The pilot who had just fallen was captured by the Dong Giao army and people. In 1972, the farm's self-defense team shot down an American A6 aircraft right in the sky of Ninh Binh [199, pp. 75-77, 130].

The self-defense teams of the NTQDs in Nghe An always had about 160 people on aircraft duty and 60 on air defense duty. In 1967, the self-defense team of Farm 1-5 shot down 1 F4H aircraft and 1 drone. Including the second destructive war, Farm 1-5 directly participated in 215 battles [329, p. 58]. Team

The self-defense force of Farm 3-2 coordinated with the artillery unit of Division 367 to shoot down an F105 aircraft. In 1972, the self-defense force of Tay Hieu Farm coordinated with local units to shoot down an aircraft and organized 385 large and small battles to fight back against enemy sweeps [329, pp. 59-60].

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It can be said that during the years of fighting against the destructive war, every cadre and farm worker was a soldier, every NTQD was a fortress. Especially in coastal areas and border areas, NTQD truly became a solid “defense line” for the Socialist North.

Serving in combat and supporting the southern battlefield

NTQD cadres and workers regularly participated in combat service work such as: transporting goods, loading food, ammunition, transporting weapons, building fuel depots, repairing bridges and roads, rescuing vehicles shot by the enemy, disarming unexploded bombs, standing by, providing emergency care for wounded soldiers, etc. Cadres and technical workers were mobilized to build bridges and roads. Drivers were assigned to transport people and goods on routes in South Zone IV and Northwest. By the end of 1968, the entire NTQD contributed more than 2.5 million working days to combat service, participating in frontline labor, transporting ammunition, building fuel depots, building artillery emplacements, providing military training, and providing relief to goods and people hit by bombs and bullets [58]. For example, Dong Giao Farm had more than 18,300 people working as frontline laborers, contributing 42,204 working days, and 821 vehicles serving the battlefield [199, p. 81]. The NTQDs in Nghe An always have about 90 people on duty to provide emergency medical care and fire fighting. Farm 1-5 mobilized more than 2 million working days, dismantled 1,300 bombs, carried and evacuated 3.6 million tons of goods, dug 240 km of trenches along the road, guided hundreds of cars into shelters, leveled 8-

540 bomb craters dug 2,130 A-shaped bunkers, 1,500 individual bunkers, digging and filling 2.7 million m2 of earth and rock,

In particular, the 30 km long 15B route was also opened from Bo Lan slope to Lui slope. Tay Hieu farm mobilized forces to repair the road, build roads, and fill bomb craters on route 15A [329, pp. 58-60].

NTQD contributed significantly to supporting the Southern battlefield. Every year, the youth force in NTQDs participated in military recruitment campaigns. NTQDs always ensured military recruitment, provided reserve officers, workers, technical staff... During the 10 years (1965-1975), hundreds of thousands of farm workers went to the Southern battlefield to fight directly. More than 10,000 cadres and workers

Farm workers joined the army, accounting for 1/6 of the cadres and workers and nearly 1/2 of the farm youth force [58] . For example, Dong Giao Farm had a total of 212 people joining the youth volunteer force, more than 600 of whom directly participated in the fighting in the B, C, and K battlefields [199, p. 130]. In the October 1966 enlistment alone, Rang Dong Farm had 48 people going to the South [145, p. 43]. Van Linh Farm had 37 people joining the army [232, p. 29]. The NTQD in Nghe An province had 2,515 people joining the army. Farm 3-2 mobilized 785 cadres and workers to join the army and join the youth volunteer force [329, pp. 59-60]. Many NTQD cadres and workers sacrificed their lives.

Not only contributing human resources to the battlefield, NTQD also supported tens of thousands of tons of NTQD goods and foodstuffs transported to the Southern battlefield 52 . Every year, NTQD always handed over products to the State: In 1965, NTQD provided the State with 19.4 tons of food equivalent to rice; 759 tons of pork; 33 tons of poultry meat. In 1975, NTQD provided the State with 9.1 tons of food equivalent to rice; 3,295 tons of pork; 495 tons of poultry meat [242, p. 344] and many other agricultural products. A part of NTQD's contributed products were brought to the Southern battlefield. NTQD provided agricultural products for export such as:

coffee beans, rubber latex, pepper... This is a significant source of revenue for the State. From the foreign currency earned from exporting agricultural products, the State uses it to buy weapons and medicine to supply the battlefield.

It can be said that NTQD not only directly contributed to the socialist revolution in the North but also contributed significantly to the revolutionary cause of liberating the South and unifying the country.

Cultural and social activities About education

Cultural supplementary classes and popular education classes were still maintained. During the years of war, cultural supplementary activities were redirected to wartime. Cadres and farm workers took advantage of every opportunity to continue studying. Many NTQD completed the first 5-year cultural supplementary plan: Song Lo Farm, Le Ninh Farm, Quyet Thang Farm, Dong Giao Farm, Viet Trung Farm.... By 1975, illiteracy was basically eliminated. In addition to

52 For example, Dong Giao Farm contributed 80,000 bamboo trees, 410 m2 of wood, 43 tons of food, and 32 tons of grain [199, p. 81].

In order to improve the professional qualifications and skills of employees, NTQD sends officers and employees to participate in short-term and long-term training courses; sends them to vocational high schools, in-service classes, universities or sends them to study abroad...

For the general education system, nursery and kindergarten classes are widely built in each production team, in each group, in each area. NTQD nursery and kindergarten take care of children from 24 months old and up so that workers and employees can focus on production work. Every NTQD has primary and secondary schools. Some farms cooperate with local authorities to build high schools. Schools at all levels not only meet the educational and learning needs of children of cadres and workers but also serve the educational and learning cause of local people and areas surrounding the farms.

About health

Each NTQD has an infirmary, invested with basic medical equipment and a team of on-site nurses and doctors. Some farm infirmaries merged with local infirmaries to become district hospitals. A team of nurses and doctors is always on hand to examine and treat workers and people in the surrounding area.

In addition to medical examination and treatment, NTQD medical staff also regularly cooperated with organizations such as the Women's Union and the Youth Union to encourage workers and employees to practice hygienic lifestyles and to carry out vaccinations for farm children. Therefore, the farm limited the occurrence of major epidemics and some diseases such as malaria and skin diseases were significantly reduced. By 1975, some NTQDs cooperated with localities to build hospitals.

Sports, cultural and artistic activities

Every farm has established a football team, table tennis team, art troupe, etc. Sports, cultural and artistic activities at NTQD are maintained regularly. The football, table tennis, and men's and women's volleyball teams still organize demonstrations, competitions, and exchanges with other farms or with local units. On the occasion of competitions, the Board of Directors provides vehicles to transport cadres and employees to watch and cheer on the movement.

Some NTQDs have built quite strong mass art troupes. Most notably, the movement “Singing over the sound of bombs” has been very active. Every year, NTQDs invite art troupes to perform or organize film screenings for cadres and workers.

local staff and children. NTQD organizes poetry clubs, book and newspaper reading clubs. On festivals and emulation days, NTQD launches a movement to make "wall newspapers", and to compose poems, songs, and folk songs to promote and encourage production. NTQD equips a loudspeaker system to the production areas. Every day, the farm broadcasts information to help workers and employees grasp the situation in the country and the world.

Through cultural, artistic and sports activities, the farm staff and workers have a rich and joyful spiritual life. Along with production work, there are recreational and entertainment activities. Farm staff and workers are not only guaranteed food and accommodation but also taken care of in terms of health, education, culture and arts. Practicing together, participating in cultural, artistic and sports activities, farm staff and workers become more united, warm and attached to each other and to the farm land.

Chapter 3 Summary

If in the period 1955-1965, the North had 10 years of peace to focus on economic development, then in the period 1965-1975, the North did not have time of peace to focus on economic development. If in the period 1955-1965, the main task of the North was to promote socio-economic development, then in the period 1965-1975, the North focused human and material resources on protecting production. The destructive war of the US imperialists had a great impact on the social life and production activities of the North. NTQD also encountered many difficulties in organizing production activities and the lives of cadres, workers and employees.

Due to the impact of the destructive war, the production activities of NTQD (cultivation, animal husbandry and processing) were reduced. Area, productivity and output were all low, even many results achieved were not equal to those in 1965. Although the number of NTQD increased rapidly, the farms were constantly expanded, but productivity and output did not increase along with the number. The lives of farm workers were also disrupted and affected. All living and production habits of workers and employees were disrupted. Labor productivity was even lower.

However, in the context of fierce bombardment of the North, the greatest success of NTQD was to maintain uninterrupted production activities; at the same time, to organize and serve the fight against the destructive war of American imperialism. NTQD still ensured a stable life for farm staff and workers.

Chapter 4

SOME COMMENTS AND EXPERIENCES

4.1. Some comments

4.1.1. On the basis of formation and distribution of state-owned farms

NTQD was formed on the basis of merging three state-owned enterprises: NTQD, Military Farms and Southern Agricultural Production Federations with different initial construction tasks . In the early construction period, NTQD was established on the basis of renovating old plantations left by French capitalists and Vietnamese landlords. Since 1955, the State has nationalized plantations under the French colonial period to build state-owned agricultural enterprises. In the following years, the Party and the State sent military forces to produce, reclaim land to build Military Farms. For cadres and compatriots from the South who gathered in the North under the Geneva Agreement (July 21, 1954), the State organized collective production, reclaimed land to establish Southern Agricultural Production Federations.

As agricultural economic establishments, these three state-owned enterprises carried out different tasks and missions. The NTQDs carried out production development on the old basis, basically spontaneously. The military farms and the Southern agricultural production federations were established to carry out the main political and social tasks of the post-war period, aiming to recruit people, solve employment problems, and implement policies for the army forces, the Southern people regrouped in the North, the labor force after being downsized in agencies and enterprises, and some cadres after the land reform; organize the sending of the lowland people to build new economic zones; strengthen national defense and security... After unifying the three production forces, although a common production direction was proposed, in reality the NTQDs also had to "take on" many other tasks, not just the task of developing the agricultural economy.

Most NTQDs are distributed in midland, mountainous, remote and difficult areas. Unlike agricultural cooperatives, if cooperatives are mainly distributed in the plains, NTQDs are concentrated in mountainous, border, coastal and border areas. During the years 1955-1975, NTQDs focused on land reclamation to expand cultivated areas, develop production combined with ensuring national defense-security and socio-economic development in remote, difficult areas, and ethnic minority areas. This task determined the distribution location of NTQDs. Those are the areas

remote land; wasteland or war-torn land, difficult areas of the country. This is also one of the reasons for increasing investment costs for farms.

NTQD is an agricultural enterprise associated with the task of developing the rural economy and society in mountainous provinces. With the above characteristics of formation and distribution, NTQD is not really an enterprise that performs the task of organizing business in the truest sense, but is only an agricultural economic unit that carries out production tasks according to the State's plan. In other words, although NTQD operates as an agricultural enterprise, it still performs other political, social, defense and security tasks, so the investment capital is not entirely for production and business purposes but also for social welfare. The production and business goal of NTQD is an agricultural enterprise associated with the task of developing the rural economy and society in mountainous provinces. Therefore, profit is the goal NTQD aims for but is not the only goal. This is one of the very unique characteristics of NTQD in Vietnam. Different from the NTQD model in the Soviet Union, “ Farms in the Soviet Union only take on the function of producing well, while other aspects of cultural and social activities are taken care of by other agencies serving production. In Vietnam, the farm is considered a miniature society. The director must take care of all cultural and social activities in the farm ” [158].

4.1.2. About organizational structure

During the period 1955-1965, the organizational structure of NTQD was very simple. NTQD was under the direct management of the Ministry of Agriculture, not through any intermediate unit/agency. The management apparatus of each NTQD was also compact and streamlined with only a few basic Departments/Offices. Each NTQD was usually organized into 3 main departments: Technical Department, General Business Department, and Administrative Organization Department.

In the period 1965-1975, the organizational structure was expanded. Since 1965, the Party and the State assigned localities to manage a number of NTQDs. However, in reality, localities only managed administratively. NTQDs were under the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture (central level) and the direction of the Provincial/Municipal Administrative Committees (provincial level). This not only failed to promote the "autonomy" of each NTQD, but also caused overlaps in management work, causing many complicated consequences later. In each NTQD, the management apparatus was divided into many departments/offices, teams, and groups. In general, the organizational structure of NTQDs was fragmented, "split, fragmented", and not centralized. It can be said that such a fragmented organizational structure is only suitable for

suitable for the situation in the North having to deal with the destructive war of American imperialism.

Thus, the organizational structure of NTQD was cumbersome and complicated with many levels of management, many departments/offices, teams, and many intermediate levels, and it continued even when the North did not have to deal with the destructive war of the US imperialists. Moreover, NTQD had to “shoulder” many tasks, not just the task of economic development. That had a significant impact on the production efficiency of NTQD.

4.1.3. On the organization of production, ownership and distribution of NTQD products

NTQD organizes production based on the regime of the entire people's ownership of the means of production. NTQD is a form of ownership of the entire people. All land and means of production of NTQD are owned by the State. Workers in NTQD are employees and are paid by the State according to regulations. In other words, the input capital of NTQD is all invested by the State. Farm workers are equipped with means of production and collective labor organizations managed by the State.

NTQD organizes production according to the State's plan. Every year, the State reviews and approves the targets for all NTQD. On that basis, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State's governing body, assigns targets to each NTQD. For the production plan, the Ministry of Agriculture decides what crops each farm will grow? What animals will it raise? What are the targets for area, productivity, output, and product delivery? For the financial plan, the Ministry of Agriculture approves the working capital level and directly manages the basic construction investment capital for construction items. For materials, the Ministry of Agriculture distributes production materials and technical materials to each farm. For planning and basic construction, the Ministry of Agriculture organizes design surveys and reviews the overall plan and specific production directions for NTQD. All production and financial plans are approved by the State. The farms organize production entirely according to the State's planning targets - assigned by the Ministry of Agriculture. Based on the assigned plan, the State provides capital to farms and farms are responsible for production and business according to the State plan. The task of NTQD is to strive to complete and exceed all targets assigned by the State plan.

NTQD organizes production like industrial enterprises . NTQD are agricultural enterprises but in the process of organizing production, they are completely similar to industrial enterprises. All production plans are approved according to norms.

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