Across submerged fields, soldiers gathered each bundle of rice and pushed boats loaded with golden grain back to shore, creating deeply moving scenes of military-civilian solidarity.
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Officers and soldiers join efforts to harvest rice. |
Early on May 23, flooded rice fields in Chan-Ha Giap were covered by water where ripe crops had stood only days before. Vice Chairman of the communal People’s Committee Le Phuc Tuat, and Head of the Communal Military Command Colonel Do Cao Cuong directly coordinated forces supporting the harvest effort. Cadres, soldiers and militia personnel worked tirelessly, cutting rice, bundling it and transporting it by boat to safety.
In waist- and chest-deep water, troops carefully harvested every remaining stalk. In some places, water nearly reached their necks, forcing them to bend close to the muddy water to avoid losing crops. Despite dangerous conditions and intense heat above 38°C, no one left their position.
At Bo Cam-Ha Giap field, officers and soldiers under the command of Col. Cuong and political commissar of Battalion 19 under the Staff of Military Region 2 Lt. Col. Tran Trong Hieu helped residents salvage rice from flooded areas. Cadres, officers worked side by side with soldiers and local people, carrying rice bundles, pushing boats and enduring the harsh conditions together.
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Deeply-flooded fields make the harvest more difficult. |
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Promptly transporting rice |
Lt. Col. Tran Trong Hieu emphasized that in difficult missions, cadres must stand alongside soldiers not only to set an example, but also to guide and ensure safety throughout operations. Private First Class Nguyen Binh Thuan, a young soldier from Phu Tho province, shared that although he grew up in the countryside, this was his first time harvesting rice in such severe flooding. Soldiers exchanged practical experience with one another to harvest as efficiently as possible and prevent rice from drifting away.
As evening approached, boats full of harvested rice continued arriving at shore. Soldiers immediately helped residents thresh rice, dry grain and move wet sacks to safer areas.
Tran Thi Bac, a resident in Dan Chu commune, emotionally said she had never felt the military so close to the people as during these difficult days. Just days earlier, many families feared losing everything as floodwaters submerged their fields, but the timely support from local authorities and Military Region 2’s troops helped save most of the crop.
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Troops help locals thresh rice. |
According to local authorities, recent flooding affected more than 250 hectares of rice fields in Dan Chu commune, including nearly 50 hectares at serious risk of total loss. In response, local forces and troops from Military Region 2 worked continuously on May 22 and 23 to prioritize harvesting rice in the most severely flooded areas. Many households, after saving their own crops, voluntarily joined efforts to help neighbors, especially vulnerable families.
Even as the burning heat continued late into the day, hundreds of officers, soldiers and local residents kept working without pause. For them, time was measured not in hours, but in each rice field saved and each bundle of grain safely brought ashore for the people.
Translated by Chung Anh