1. In April 2024, I joined a delegation from the General Department of Political Affairs of the Vietnam People's Army to inspect and visit military personnel and civilians on Truong Sa (Spratly) Island District, Khanh Hoa province. Compared to my five previous trips, this one gave me the impression that Truong Sa had become more developed and closer to the mainland. However, the silent sacrifices of the officers and soldiers stationed there remain unchanged.
    |
 |
|
The author bidding farewell to Truong Sa troops |
In Nam Yet (Namyit) Island, we were welcomed by Captain Dinh Tien Dung, Political Chief of the Nam Yet island cluster. Born in 1988 in Minh Hoa district, Quang Binh province, Dung shared with us that while his unit pays much care for the families of its personnel, he rarely takes leave. Each year, he only return home once because traveling from Truong Sa Island District to the mainland and then to his hometown in Quang Binh is time-consuming and costly. His wife and children still live in a rented house in Phu Yen province. “I wasn’t there when my wife gave birth to my child because of my duty,” Dung confided.
Among the soldiers we met in Truong Sa, Captain Nguyen Xuan Ha, an artillery officer on Nam Yet Island, had the longest service record. He has completed three tours in Truong Sa: the first on Son Ca (Sand Cay) Island for 18 months from 2014 to 2015, the second on Phan Vinh (Pearson Reef) Island in 2016, and the third starting in August 2023. “Due to my mission in Truong Sa, I missed the birth of both my children,” Ha said.
In Truong Sa Island District and many remote border units, officers and soldiers still comfort their families and teach their children over the phone, as they can only visit home once or twice a year. Even when granted leave, they often hesitate to go due to distance and costs. Many officers and soldiers cannot return home even when their parents are gravely ill or pass away.
2. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam People's Army, I joined Corps 12 to visit the resettlement construction in Lang Nu village (Bao Yen district, Lao Cai province). I witnessed the deep gratitude of the villagers toward Uncle Ho’s soldiers.
|
|
 |
|
Troops of Division 3 of Military Region 1 on a field training march |
The landslide and flash floods of September 2024 claimed over a half of the village's population, leaving countless houses destroyed. Adhering to the motto of prioritizing human lives, soldiers and militia force worked tirelessly day and night under dangerous conditions to rescue survivors and search for victims, no matter how slim the chances of success were.
Troops of Corps 12 built a new village 2km from the landslide site for Lang Nu people. With remarkable speed, within just over two months, the Lang Nu resettlement area was completed, featuring 40 stilt houses (96 sq.m each) with full auxiliary facilities, including kitchens and restrooms; a school with two classrooms for primary students and two for kindergarten; a 300 sq.m community house built in the stilt house style; and comprehensive infrastructure, including electricity, water, and roads.
According to Senior Colonel Nguyen The Luc, Deputy Commander of Corps 12, most soldiers and officers worked non-stop during the construction period. Colonel Vu Dinh Dung, the site commanding officer, and many others did not visit their families even once during that time.
The Vietnamese People's Army views disaster response, pandemic prevention, and search-and-rescue operations as "combat mission in peacetime." Through unwavering dedication, the whole-military troops fulfill these responsibilities with love, commitment, and all their capabilities.
|
|
 |
|
During the Tet (lunar New Year) festival, most troops remain on duty and celebrate the holiday with local residents, especially in border areas. In the photo: Troops of Corps 15 participate in a “banh chung” (traditional square glutinous rice cakes) wrapping contest |
3. Writer Nguyen Binh Phuong once described soldiers in peacetime as “multi-purpose tools.” Wherever there’s hardship, soldiers are present. Wherever there’s danger, soldiers are present. Their footprints span the country, from the northernmost point of the nation in Ha Giang province to Ca Mau Cape in the south.
Peacetime soldiers are like that. Anyone with a loved one working far from home will understand this to some extent.
Translated by Trung Thanh