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Local people receiving gifts |
According to Colonel Doan Manh Nghia, Political Commissar of Regiment 720, along with presenting gifts to policy beneficiaries, the elderly, orphaned children and needy workers, this year, the unit also offered gifts to families in the two Southern districts of Dak Nong province. Meanwhile, during the Tet (lunar New Year) festival, Regiment 720 will hold various activities for ethnic people to help them have a cozy Tet holiday.
From early morning, on the road winding around the hillside, the units’ trucks, carrying troops and volunteers transported Tet gifts to local people. They handed over more than 200 gifts to residents in villages of Bu Sre 1 (Dak Ru commune, Dak R’lap district), Si At, Giang Chau and Sin Chai (Dak Ngo commune, Tuy Duc district). Each gift package included 25 kg of rice, two liters of cooking oil, two bottles of fish sauce, one kg of MSG, 2kg of pork, a pair of Chung cakes and VND 500,000 in cash.
Although they had to work hard day and night, bright smiles still remained on their faces. This is the first time they have welcomed Tet holiday far from home. Implementing the project “Young intellectuals volunteer to work in economic-defense zones,” participating volunteers will perform their missions at Regiment 720 until 2030.
Over the past 8 months, the young intellectuals have coordinated with the unit to renew two bridges and repair 20-km road, provided free health examinations for nearly 3,000 people, and presented 800 gifts, 400 sets of clothes, 3,600 chickens, 21 cows, and 10 breeding pigs to the locals.
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Village patriarch receiving gifts |
Holding a pair of Chung cakes in his hand, Old Sung Van Su laughed happily and said soldiers taught him how to make a Chung cake; however, the Chung cakes made by soldiers were the best.
As the lunar New Year is drawing near, all households in the locality hang national flags in front of their houses. On the verandas of cultural houses, yellow apricot buds are blooming colorfully. The love of the land and the love of the military and civilians in these early days of the Year of the Cat are more imbued at the end of the majestic Truong Son (Annamite) range.
Translated by Quynh Oanh