• The Party and the people are closely connected to the sea and islands.
  • Visiting and extending New Year greetings to units responsible for safeguarding maritime security and sovereignty .

From January 5th to 20th, we accompanied Ship 571 on that special voyage. The head of the delegation was Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Duy Ba, Political Commissar of Brigade 146, Region 4 of the Navy. He said that among many sea and island missions, this was always the most emotionally moving for the soldiers. Because the ship not only carried essential supplies but also the traditional Tet holiday – bringing the warmth of the mainland to the officers, soldiers, and people in this remote and challenging location.

After nearly 20 days adrift in the rough seas at the end of the year, Ship 571 successively docked at the islands of Song Tu Tay, Sinh Ton, and Truong Sa. Ensuring that each peach and apricot blossom branch remained intact, and each kumquat tree pot still had its leaves vibrant upon arrival on the islands, was the result of countless silent efforts by the officers and soldiers on board.

Ship 571 carries Tet gifts to Truong Sa Island.

From the moment you arrive in the cargo hold, spring is already present. There's the romantic pink of northern peach blossoms, the vibrant yellow of southern apricot blossoms, and pots of kumquats laden with green and yellow fruit. Interspersed among them are bundles of lush green banana leaves, sticky rice, mung beans, sweets, red paper, tinsel... Everything is carefully arranged, as if perfectly encapsulating the flavors of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) from home and bringing them to this distant island.

On the ship's deck, soldier Tran Quoc Bao, of Battalion 862, Da Nam Island, carefully tends to each kumquat tree in a pot. Besides securing them firmly to prevent them from falling over in the rough waves, the soldiers also shield them from the sea spray to protect the leaves from the salt. Each tree has a small drip irrigation system, and someone monitors and waters them daily. Amidst the vast sea and sky, the hands of these young soldiers silently ensure that spring does not wither.

The ship's interior was thus quite different. Amidst the gray of the steel and the blue of the sea, the peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, and kumquat trees suddenly became gentle accents, softening the harshness of the year-end journey and preserving the familiar breath of the mainland in the midst of the vast ocean.

Tet on the island wouldn't be complete without the pink hues of peach blossoms and pots of kumquats laden with fruit.