In June 2016, I was honored to join Working Group No. 14 organized by the Central Propaganda Department, to visit and encourage the soldiers and people of Truong Sa island district and DK1/15 platform. This was a great and sacred honor not only for me, but also the pride of the Justice Publishing House - the unit I worked for at that time.
From Cat Lai port - Ho Chi Minh City, we had more than 10 days drifting on the Truong Sa 571 ship, passing through 10 islands and 1 oil rig. Memories of flags fluttering in the wind, innocent children's eyes, tight handshakes of soldiers at the forefront of the waves - all are still intact, vivid, and stirring every time I close my eyes to remember...
On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of that voyage, I would like to share a few lines of my old notes - as a word of gratitude to beloved Truong Sa, to the ordinary yet extraordinary people on the remote island, and to all those who always dedicate a part of their hearts to the sea and islands of the Fatherland.
"This is my Fatherland, the mainland is also my Fatherland"!
The Truong Sa ship with the number 571 left Cat Lai port of Ho Chi Minh City at 8:00 a.m. on May 27, 2016. After two nights and one day, we crossed hundreds of nautical miles to our first stop, Co Lin island, part of Sinh Ton cluster of Truong Sa archipelago - a famous island associated with the heroic fight and sacrifice to protect the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland on March 14, 1988 by the heroic martyrs of the Vietnam People's Navy.
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Before visiting the island, the delegation held an incense offering ceremony to commemorate the martyrs who sacrificed their lives to protect the sovereignty of the Fatherland's sea. After the memorial service, we were transferred to the island by the Navy boats. Here, the delegation visited, encouraged and had a cultural exchange with the officers and soldiers on the island. We were filled with emotion, holding hands and singing songs about the homeland's sea and islands, praising the Party and Uncle Ho.
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More than two hours seemed to pass by so quickly, we had to reluctantly say goodbye to each other to continue the journey to Sinh Ton Island, at that moment of farewell I felt that everyone's eyes were stinging and filled with tears!
Ship 571 left Co Lin Island and took us to Sinh Ton Island. This island is only about 9 nautical miles (17km) from Co Lin Island. In the vastness of the sea and sky, the image of a beautiful island gradually appeared before my eyes. The rows of green trees, civil works and sovereignty markers with the national flag fluttering in the wind were right before my eyes, I was truly overwhelmed by the poetic beauty of this island.
I wanted to walk faster to get on the boat to the island with the desire to witness, to "touch", to "feel" the treetops, rocks, and coral reefs on this beautiful island.
Stepping onto the island, the whole group walked along the island to the central area. Although it was quite sunny, the sea breeze and the excitement of visiting the island made us forget the 34 - 35 degree heat at sea.
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Entering the center of the island, the group gathered in front of the Command Headquarters to prepare for the flag-raising ceremony. The commanding officer's shout rang out, everyone stood at attention, sang the national anthem and saluted the flag. I don't remember how many times I have sung the national anthem and saluted the national flag, but this time a very special feeling came over me, a feeling of pride, more sacred than ever, the national anthem mixed with the sound of the waves seemed to resonate louder and fly further, it felt like the words we sang could reach the mainland.
At the end of the flag-raising ceremony, I and the whole delegation went to burn incense at the memorial stele of 64 soldiers who heroically sacrificed their lives in Truong Sa archipelago in the Gac Ma battle on March 14, 1988. Before their souls, we took turns burning incense sticks respectfully, hoping that their souls would rest in peace and bless the Fatherland, the country, and the soldiers to continue to hold their guns firmly at the forefront of the storm, protecting the sovereignty of the Fatherland.
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Continuing the activities on the island, I was honored to represent some comrades in the working group to visit the school and give gifts to the students on the island. There were only 10 children on the island, one of whom was only 5 months old. When they met us, the children innocently threw themselves into our arms as if they were relatives, there was no distance between the “guests” and the boys and girls, most of whom grew up on the island. Looking at the boys and girls, their skin was tanned by the sun, they looked as agile as little squirrels running around everywhere, healthy and so adorable.
I asked a child of about 4 or 5 years old, “Do you want to go back to the mainland with me?”, the boy answered innocently but made me extremely emotional: “Is the mainland the same as here, uncle?”. I told him, “They are the same, because this is our Fatherland, the mainland is also our Fatherland”!
After visiting and encouraging the soldiers, students, and families living at sea, the whole delegation participated in a cultural exchange program with the officers, soldiers, and people on the island. The content of the exchange was rich, including solo singing, group singing, dancing, circus, etc., but perhaps when the group songs praising the homeland were sung, we all became “singers”. It seemed like a certain strength was multiplied, I felt the pride in each song, the island was closer to the mainland than ever, the relationship between the army and the people was truly the link connecting the islands with the mainland, the mainland with the islands.
Finally, we had to say goodbye to the island and return to the ship to prepare for the next voyage. Indeed, when getting on the boat back to the ship, I did not dare to look back at the island for fear of meeting the innocent, lingering eyes of the boys and girls standing on the shore waving goodbye to us. It was only after the ship had left the port for nearly half an hour that I went out to the deck to look at the beautiful island - which was already dimly lit by the sunset of the sea.
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The ship continued to take us to Tien Nu Island. When we arrived at the island, it was already midnight on May 29th, and the ship had to anchor outside the island. That night, we were restless, just hoping for the morning to come so we could visit the island.
Unlike Sinh Ton Island, Tien Nu Island only has officers and soldiers living and working, no civilians. Here, we met very young soldiers, some of whom were sent to the island right after finishing training. When I asked her how long she had been here? Did she miss home? She said she had been here for a few months, and that she would be able to go home in July. She said it was the first time she had been away from home and she missed it, but when she came here, she was encouraged by the island commander and protected by her comrades, so she felt secure in her work of protecting the islands of the fatherland.
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Leaving Tien Nu, we boarded a boat to Toc Tan B Island, which is located on a fairly large coral and reef strip. When we visited the island, the first image that caught our eyes was that the officers and soldiers here grew a lot of vegetables and raised a lot of dogs. Many people may not believe that the dogs I mentioned can swim like "ducks".
Because it was located on a fairly shallow coral reef, our group of young people raced to roll up their pants and wade along the water's edge to pick up shells and seashells to give to friends as souvenirs. The swimming dogs kept wading along with us and were very friendly like "best friends".
After the exchange, greetings and ending with the song "Joining hands" by musician Trinh Cong Son, our group had to say goodbye to the officers and soldiers on the island to go to Da Dong B island.
“All must be for Truong Sa” because “Truong Sa is for the whole country”!
The next day of the voyage was the last day of May, as planned, our delegation would visit Da Dong B Island and Truong Sa Dong. At exactly 6:00 a.m. on May 31, we boarded the boat to Da Dong B Island. On the island, the entire delegation gathered in a small hall to listen to the island commander report on the results of work in 2015 and the first 6 months of 2016. I truly could not imagine the enormous amount of work that the officers and soldiers on the island had to undertake and complete excellently in the past time. I admire even more the will and determination of the soldiers of the Vietnam People's Navy.
Here, I was very lucky to meet a soldier from Ninh Binh , who is my fellow countryman. When I asked him, I found out that he was from Yen Khanh district and that his wife worked in the Procuracy like me before. This was his 6th time on the island. I felt very proud that my hometown also had soldiers who were contributing to protecting the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland.
At 1:30 p.m. the same day, our group visited Truong Sa Dong Island. The island has a fairly large area with many trees, but the most notable are the square-shaped banyan trees standing proudly in the sea breeze, as if challenging the fiercest sea winds. The first place I stopped was the sovereignty marker to take souvenir photos, then following the instructions of a young soldier, I burned incense on the grave located at the corner of the island, this is the grave of a young martyr (born in 1988) who died while on duty on the island in 2014.
In general, Truong Sa Dong island is planned quite systematically, with a hall, soldiers' housing area, separate vegetable and poultry growing areas. I have the feeling that the island is quite self-sufficient in food sources. The officers and soldiers on the island are mostly quite young, so when we first met them, they were quite shy, but when it came to the cultural exchange, they were very happy, enthusiastic and passionate with the passion of youth.
During the cultural exchange, it started to rain, and very quickly the young soldiers pulled up the tarps to cover the rain so that the artists could continue performing. The troupe also included artists from the Vietnam Circus Federation. That day's program also included a performance by artist Huong Lien. Because of the rain, everyone advised her not to perform because of the fear of safety. However, overwhelmed with emotions before the sea and islands of her homeland, before the soldiers, she was determined to perform a very difficult act in the rain. Honestly, only when she successfully finished the performance did we feel secure and breathe a sigh of relief.
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We said goodbye to this beautiful island and the beloved soldiers of Truong Sa Dong to go to Da Tay B island. Early in the morning of June 1, 2016, the ship arrived at Da Tay B island. The delegation divided into two groups, one gathered in the meeting room to listen to the report on the island's activities presented by the island commander, the rest were mostly young people from the delegation of the Central agencies, spreading mats on the floor to exchange cultural activities with the soldiers on the island.
Still the same familiar songs like: Five brothers on a tank, My life is a march, On a distant island, That soldier, Holding hands in a big circle ..., we kept singing, singing forever without wanting to stop, our singing voices blending with the waves flying high, flying far, our eyes shining with pride.
There is a touching and quite interesting detail when an artist who is a member of the troupe is singing the song "Don't compare me to the sea", a young soldier holding a beautiful seashell, his clothes soaked from head to toe, runs to the singer and whispers "You sing so well, I give it to you", some young men in the troupe tease him and shout loudly "Hug him, hug him" making the young soldier blush and run away.
I immediately followed and asked, "Did you fall?", the soldier answered me, "No, I just waded into the sea to find a seashell to give to the singer as a souvenir." I was speechless and turned away to hide my eyes because I was afraid that the soldier would see tears welling up in the corners of my eyes.
At around 10am that same day, our group boarded the ship to “march” to Truong Sa Lon Island. At 4pm that day, the ship arrived at the island. After about 20 minutes of anchoring, our group was free to visit the island. The official work program only started on the morning of June 2nd, so we had a quite comfortable evening visiting and interacting with the officers, soldiers and people on the island.
The intimate dinner on the island had many dishes that the officers and soldiers had prepared to treat us. I could not believe that on a remote island, I could enjoy the favorite dish of many Vietnamese people: pig intestines. Eating the pork that the soldiers on the island raised completely clean, I suddenly remembered the feeling of enjoying the pork that my parents had raised all year round to only get a few dozen kilos to slaughter for Tet, how similar and delicious it was.
The day the Delegation arrived at Truong Sa Island was also a very special day, it was June 1st, International Children's Day. There were 14 children on the island, all of them under 6 years old, so we wanted to organize a special art festival to congratulate the children and the officers, soldiers and people on the island.
The cultural exchange started at 7:30 p.m., but by 6:30 p.m., there were already many soldiers, children and islanders gathered at the area where the exchange took place. The exchange was quite grand and exciting with the participation of many soldiers and children. Once again, songs praising the homeland resounded in the sky and sea of Truong Sa!
On the morning of June 2, the entire delegation gathered at the main hall of the island command to attend the flag-raising ceremony and review the honor guard. In a solemn atmosphere, under the national flag, a representative soldier recited the 10 military oaths. I felt his strong will and determination through his voice and each oath. At the end of the ceremony, the Head of the Delegation and all members held a memorial service for the heroic martyrs at the memorial on the island, visited the memorial house to pay respect to President Ho Chi Minh, burned incense at the large Truong Sa pagoda, then gathered in the hall to listen to the Commander's report on the results of his work and attend the meeting to present gifts to the officers, soldiers and people on the island.
Time seemed to pass so quickly while we were on the island. At 10 o'clock, according to the group's schedule, we had to say goodbye to the soldiers and civilians in Truong Sa.
Perhaps the most memorable and touching image for me when visiting Truong Sa island was the moment of farewell "on the wharf and under the boat". I remember that at that time, although the weather was hot and sunny at about 35 - 36 degrees, many officers, soldiers and people on the island lined up in two rows along the pier to see us off. When we all stood on the ship's side looking down and waving goodbye, all the officers, soldiers and people shouted loudly "Truong Sa for the whole country", without anyone telling us, we all shouted loudly "The whole country for Truong Sa", and then everyone shed tears. That image still appears before my eyes until now and will certainly not fade forever!
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Saying goodbye to Truong Sa Island, we boarded the boat to Da Lat Island. According to the plan, we would visit Da Lat in the afternoon, but due to the low tide, we had to visit the island at noon. The Head of the Delegation instructed that we had to return to the boat by 1 p.m. at the latest or we would not be able to leave the island because the tide was low and the boat could not pick us up. Although it was already around 11 a.m. and the sun was blazing, all members were determined to go to the island to meet the soldiers who we were sure had been waiting for us since very early in the morning.
Because we were afraid of the tide going down quickly, as soon as we set foot on the island, the whole group immediately started working according to plan. The meeting ended at about 12:45, we said goodbye to the island to go to the final destination of the cruise - DK1 Platform.
Horizontal porch of the rig
On the way to DK1 Platform, our ship anchored at sea for about 12 hours. On the morning of June 3, the ship arrived at DK1/15 Platform, where a flower-dropping ceremony was held on the deck of the ship to commemorate the heroic martyrs. After that, the whole delegation took turns getting on the boat to go up to the Platform. Being able to go up and visit the Platform, we truly felt the hardships of the officers and soldiers here.
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Looking at the Platforms standing in the middle of the vast ocean, I wonder how you will cope with the storms when the storm season comes? Because we know that many of our soldiers have sacrificed their lives while on duty on the Platforms.
Only then do we know that without love for our homeland and our seas and islands, you cannot stand firm in the face of countless difficulties and hardships. Although you do not express this spirit, it gives us more strength to contribute with you to protect our seas and islands.
It is also gratifying that in recent years, thanks to the attention of the Party and the State, the platforms, including DK1, have been renovated and upgraded to become more modern and spacious. That has contributed significantly to motivating officers and soldiers to fulfill their duty of protecting the sovereignty of the Fatherland. The members of the Delegation themselves are aware that they must do more to be worthy of their sacrifices and losses.
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Goodbye to beloved Truong Sa, ship 571 brought us back to the mainland after a voyage of more than 10 days and nights. As soon as we arrived on the mainland, I, like all the members of the Delegation, hurriedly updated information, posted photos on social networks, and sent messages to share with friends. Scrolling through the Facebook and Zalo pages of the Delegation members, I was flooded with pictures, memories, and shared feelings about the trip and it seemed that, like my feelings, for everyone, this was probably an unforgettable trip.
9 years have passed, my "comrades" and I on the voyage of ship 571 have returned to our daily work, maybe rotating to many different jobs and positions, but all of us, after that trip, love our homeland even more, always reminding ourselves to strive to study, work harder, and be more responsible to be worthy of the silent sacrifices of the soldiers on the remote islands.
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/9-nam-ven-nguyen-cam-xuc-thieng-lieng-cua-thang-6-tren-hai-trinh-den-truong-sa-post553554.html
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