The twins volunteered to enlist in the army because they love the military uniform.

On the evening of February 23rd, two days before the new recruits were due to leave for military service, we visited Ang Duong village, Trung Lap commune, Vinh Bao district, Hai Phong city, amidst a light spring rain. In a small house next to an irrigation canal, twins Pham Duc Thanh and Pham Thanh Dat were preparing clothes and belongings with their mother for the longest trip away from home since they were born.

While helping her children neatly fold their still-fresh-smelling clothes, Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh, born in 1966, shared with us the many hardships she faced raising her children.

Twelve years ago, when Duc Thanh and Thanh Dat were in second grade, Anh's husband tragically passed away due to a serious illness. Since then, Anh's frail shoulders have shouldered the burden of family responsibilities and raising four children. Besides Duc Thanh and Thanh Dat, her eldest son was in ninth grade at the time, and her second daughter was in sixth grade.

"Rich parents have children, poor parents have children to care for." Outside of school hours, instead of playing around like their peers, the children help Ms. Anh plant 1.3 acres of rice, take care of the sow and piglets, and catch crabs and snails to sell to earn extra money for clothes and school supplies.

Mr. Nguyen Van Minh - Secretary of the Youth Union of Trung Lap commune, Vinh Bao district, Hai Phong city, presents gifts and encourages the twins Duc Thanh and Thanh Dat to feel at ease as they leave for military service (Photo: Thai Phan).

Ms. Anh's children have grown up one by one. Her eldest son, after graduating from high school, went to work far from home to help his mother raise his younger siblings. Her second daughter passed the entrance exam to the University of Labor and Social Affairs, has now graduated and has a stable job. As for Duc Thanh and Thanh Dat, in 2023, after graduating from high school, feeling sorry for their mother's hardships, they decided to work at a company near their home.

Ms. Anh stated that after receiving the results of the military conscription examination, the Military Command of Trung Lap commune, Vinh Bao district, Hai Phong city, announced that both Duc Thanh and Thanh Dat were eligible for enlistment. However, according to regulations, one person is granted a temporary deferment from military service.

At that time, Ms. Anh discussed with her two children who would join the army and who would stay home to help their mother "work to pay off the debt." Because the old house was too dilapidated, in 2022, Ms. Anh borrowed money to build a new house with a total amount of over 300 million VND. To this day, she still owes more than 100 million VND for the construction.

“Since childhood, Duc Thanh and Thanh Dat have always been close and inseparable. They studied, worked, ate, played, and even when they were sick, they were together. When the two sons told their mother that they decided to enlist together so they could support and help each other while in the military (Duc Thanh and Thanh Dat's wish to enlist in the same unit was approved - PV), out of love for my sons, I agreed,” Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh shared.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh from Trung Lap commune, Vinh Bao district, Hai Phong city, agreed to let her sons Duc Thanh and Thanh Dat enlist in the army together because she felt sorry for them (Photo: Thai Phan).

Sharing their reasons for volunteering for military service, Duc Thanh and Thanh Dat said that they have both loved the military uniform since childhood and wish to contribute to their homeland and country. Through the military environment, they hope to be trained and become more mature.

“My younger brother and I both want to be given the opportunity to apply to military school during our time in the military, or after our discharge, so we can have a long-term commitment to the military. According to our wishes, we were assigned to a naval unit. Although it's a bit difficult because neither of us knows how to swim, we will try our best to learn to swim well in the future,” Duc Thanh confided.

Speaking with us, Lieutenant Colonel Vo Quang Hien, Commander of the Military Command of Vinh Bao District, Hai Phong City, said that in the first recruitment drive of the Spring of the Year of the Dragon 2024, the entire district had 310 young men enlisting in the army.

The Vinh Bao district government and the communes and towns, as well as some local agencies and organizations, have shown concern, encouragement, and given gifts to young men eligible for military service this time, especially special cases like the twins Duc Thanh and Thanh Dat.

“The fact that twin brothers Duc Thanh and Thanh Dat volunteered to join the army demonstrates the awareness and responsibility of citizens towards the task of protecting the Fatherland. The enthusiasm and willingness of the two boys is an example for today's youth.”

"To encourage the children and their families, recently, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Long - Secretary of the Vinh Bao District Party Committee, along with representatives of the local government, agencies, and organizations of Vinh Bao district and Trung Lap commune, visited their homes to give gifts," Lieutenant Colonel Vo Quang Hien informed .

During the first military recruitment drive of the Spring of the Year of the Dragon 2024, two pairs of twins volunteered to enlist in Hai Phong City. Besides the brothers Duc Thanh and Thanh Dat, there were also the brothers Hoang Tuan Thanh and Hoang Tuan Dat from Thai Son commune, An Lao district.

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/hai-phong-cap-song-sinh-tinh-nguyen-nhap-ngu-vi-yeu-mau-ao-linh-a651151.html