Ly Son Island - the pearl of the East Sea

Every Vietnamese person when setting foot on Ly Son not only to enjoy the beauty of nature but also to remember a part of the heroic history of the nation.

Ly Son, a small island in Quang Ngai province, located in the middle of the ocean, carries a heroic history of the Vietnamese people. With an area of ​​less than 10 km², Ly Son island is not only famous for its typical garlic gardens but also a place that preserves heroic evidence of the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Ly Son, also known as Cu Lao Re, is a small archipelago consisting of two main islands: Big Island (Cu Lao Re) and Small Island (Cu Lao Bo Bai), located about 30 km northeast of the mainland of Quang Ngai province.

Ly Son Island was formed from a volcanic eruption millions of years ago, creating a majestic complex with rocky mountains, blue beaches and a rich marine ecosystem. Every summer, when the sun shines brightly, Ly Son appears like a sparkling jade in the middle of the East Sea. Since ancient times, Ly Son has been an important stop on the journey of Vietnamese people to the sea, and is also the starting point of the Hoang Sa Team, which also manages Bac Hai - a heroic team tasked with exploiting and protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands since the Nguyen Dynasty.

National flagpole on Ly Son island. (Photo collected)

Here, extinct volcanoes from millions of years ago created a unique terrain with craters forming fields, villages and steep cliffs. The first people who came here to settle had to face countless difficulties from nature, but they still steadfastly held on, kept the land and developed their lives. What makes this island deeply imprinted in the hearts of many generations of Vietnamese people are the stories of our ancestors, who fell, using blood and sweat to affirm national sovereignty over the East Sea. Perhaps that is why every sandy beach, mountain, and wave lapping the shore here seems to remind us of the resilient and indomitable spirit of our ancestors.

Ly Son has long been a spiritual destination, where residents and visitors often hold rituals to worship and commemorate the heroes of Hoang Sa. According to historical records, during the reign of the Nguyen Lords in the 17th century, Hoang Sa soldiers set sail from Ly Son to carry out the task of marking sovereignty and exploiting resources on the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos.

Brave men, with ardent patriotism, boarded boats to cross the vast ocean without wavering in the face of dangers lurking from nature and the enemy. They carried the mission of protecting the country, leaving behind imprints affirming that the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos belonged to Vietnam. Facing fierce waves, many of them could not return. Every year, at the beginning of the third lunar month, Ly Son people hold a ceremony to commemorate and pay tribute to the Hoang Sa soldiers at An Vinh communal house - a traditional ceremony that not only commemorates and pays tribute to those who sacrificed their lives at sea during the process of marking sovereignty over Hoang Sa, but is also an opportunity for people to show their solidarity and prepare together for the dangerous voyage. The soldiers were fully equipped with food, water and weapons for self-defense. They also brought with them shields and stone tablets to mark and erect sovereignty steles on the remote archipelagos.

Stories about the Hoang Sa Team are often associated with loss and sacrifice. They were people who left without knowing for sure that they would return but still devoted themselves, believing in the noble duty entrusted to them by the country. They planted sovereignty markers on remote archipelagos, laying the foundation for affirming Vietnam's sovereignty over the East Sea, a clear testament to the resilient and indomitable spirit of the Vietnamese people. Thus, through many generations, Ly Son Island has become a place to store indelible memories of the people who contributed to planting national sovereignty markers. Stories about them are forever preserved in the minds of every Vietnamese person.

Today, when facing challenges regarding sovereignty in the East Sea, Ly Son is more important than ever. The sovereignty markers that our ancestors painstakingly planted are not only symbols of territory but also of patriotism and the will to protect the Fatherland. Every inch of land and sea that the Hoang Sa Team has set foot on is evidence of Vietnam's presence in the East Sea for centuries.

Therefore, every Vietnamese person when coming to Ly Son not only to enjoy the beauty of nature but also to remember a part of the heroic history of the nation. Ly Son with all its historical, cultural and natural values, is the place we return to cherish the past, at the same time strengthen patriotism, the spirit of readiness to protect the sacred sovereignty of the country.

Come to Ly Son, to immerse yourself in nature, to hear stories about the brave Hoang Sa soldiers and to remind ourselves that we are living on the land that our ancestors shed blood to protect.

Invite readers to participate in 2 contests

On July 2, Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper launched the 5th writing contest "Inviolable national sovereignty" and the 4th photo contest "Sacred national flag" for the year 2024-2025.

The Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper invites readers who are Vietnamese citizens living in Vietnam and abroad, and foreigners living in Vietnam to participate in writing articles and sending photos to the contest. The deadline for receiving entries is May 31, 2025. Readers scan the QR code or visit https://nld.com.vn/phat-dong-cuoc-thi-viet-chu-quyen-quoc-gia-bat-kha-xam-pham-va-cuoc-thi-anh-thieng-lieng-co-to-quoc-196240701163723125.htm to see details about the conditions and rules of the two contests.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/dao-ly-son-vien-ngoc-giua-bien-dong-19624110219302245.htm