The sun rose late, the golden sunlight filtered through many stormy days, as gentle as someone's hand gently placed on the wounds that were still breathing on the ground that had just witnessed so much loss. On the ground still smelling of mud, Ms. Le Thi Dung, a thin woman from An Xuan 3 village, stood silently in front of the garden that had just been cleared to wait for the groundbreaking ceremony. An old cloth hat covered half of her face, the rest were red eyes that could not hide the agitation. She quickly wiped away her tears, as if afraid that someone would see the pain she had tried to suppress. The house that had sheltered her for 15 lonely years had collapsed in just one night of flood. And now, on that ground still warm with memories, the soldiers of the 5th Water Special Forces Brigade were laying the first bricks for a new home in her life.

Colonel Tran Tan Cuong, Deputy Commander of Khanh Hoa Provincial Military Command; Lieutenant Colonel To Thanh Tung, Deputy Political Commissar of the 5th Water Special Forces Brigade, Defense Command of Region 4 and Ms. Le Thi Dung at the construction site of a new house being built by officers and soldiers of the 5th Water Special Forces Brigade after the flood.
Officers and soldiers of the 5th Water Special Forces Brigade and Dung's family at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new house after the flood.

The early morning air was more bustling than usual. The acacia trees along the roadside still had drops of rain from the night, the sunlight shining on them glittered like broken glass. Behind us was the dry and heavy sound of excavators, the clanking of shovels, the footsteps of soldiers stepping on the new soil with a strong but decisive rhythm. The green of the soldiers' uniforms mixed with the green of the trees under the dawn sky like a silent affirmation: Peace was returning.

Dung's garden that morning had a different look, a look of hope. The land had been leveled, the rows of bricks were neatly arranged, the leveling rod glittered in the sunlight. The commander's voice reminded the soldiers: "Make it strong, make it durable. People must have a house before Tet." That seemingly familiar advice contained the heavy heart of the special forces soldier for the people. The representative of the Party Committee and the commander of the 5th Water Special Forces Brigade were present early. The officers and soldiers came to the people like relatives returning after a long and stormy journey.

The “Quang Trung Campaign” had just been launched, but the morale of the officers and soldiers was like a long-smoldering fire being fanned. From the night of November 18, early morning of November 19 to November 26, they had just returned after days of “tearing” the raging waters in Vinh Hai, Do Vinh, Phuoc Hau, Phuoc Vinh and Tay Nha Trang ward. Nearly 1,000 officers and soldiers rushed into the flooded areas, in some places the water was chest-deep, reaching the roof. With the experience of special forces, they were able to reach places that other forces could hardly set foot in. Yet, not long after stabilizing their numbers, they set out to rebuild houses to help 26 households that had lost everything in the flash floods.

For soldiers, there are orders that do not need to be conveyed in words. When Colonel Pham Van Thuyen, Deputy Brigade Commander, launched the campaign, many soldiers stood still, their eyes red. Some soldiers still had bandages on their legs after the rescue operation, like Sergeant Nguyen Nhat Tan, who still earnestly said: "Sir, please let me go with my brothers as soon as I am discharged from the hospital." Hearing those words, I suddenly remembered the words of General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense : "If anything is too difficult, leave it to the Army, we will try." In the hearts of those in green, the peace of the people is the guiding light.

When the working groups surveyed the 7 communes that suffered heavy damage after the floods, the images before their eyes were even more heartbreaking: Houses were swept away, corrugated iron roofs were flipped like banana leaves, wood was buried in the water-soaked soil. In Bac Ai Tay, where the floodwaters from the upstream area came as a sudden devastation, the losses piled up: fields were wiped out, livestock were swept away by the water, and the bewildered eyes of the people stood before the land that used to be their homes.

The road to Bac Ai Tay is winding, 90km from the Brigade, with many mountainous sections that only the special KAMAZ can brave. The soil is soft, the road is narrow, as if testing the will of a human. Yet the soldiers still go, go with the familiar calm of those who are all too familiar with hardship. They consider hardship as an inevitable part of a soldier's life, and no matter how thorny the mission is, it must be completed to the end.

The 5th Water Commando Brigade participated in the "Quang Trung Campaign".

On December 3, the unit, the commune government, the People's Committee and the Fatherland Front discussed the plan to build a house: The land must be legal, the ground must be leveled, the plan must be unified. Everything was carried out in parallel: Surveying the terrain, selecting construction workers, carpenters, electricians and plumbers. There were soldiers who held trowels for the first time, mixed mortar for the first time, but their spirit was no different from that of a master craftsman. Some knew more than others, laughter mixed with calls to each other filled the smell of new mortar. A young soldier told me: "Nothing is difficult, don't worry, we can do it."

Looking at the sunburned faces of young soldiers, their sandals still covered in mud, I suddenly remembered the saying of the French writer and Senator Victor Hugo: “To love beauty is to see light”. The light here is the happiness that is gradually returning to the eyes of the people, the light that the soldiers quietly contribute to building with their own hands.

The biggest challenge at the moment is not technical but the weather. It has been raining in Bac Ai Tay for several days now, and the roads are slippery as traps. But on the soldiers’ faces, no one mentioned fatigue. They only talked about progress, how to transport materials, and the goal of making sure people are able to celebrate Tet with “doors closed and bolted”.

Perhaps they persevered because the memories of houses submerged in floodwaters, cries for help lost in the rain, and whirlpools they had to cross by ropes were still fresh in the soldiers’ minds. The floodwaters imprinted in the eyes of the people were also imprinted in the soldiers’ hearts. The more suffering they saw, the more determined they became.

To ensure progress, the Brigade established 15 mobile teams, coordinating with local forces. Each person had a part to do; officers closely followed the scene, resolved each problem; the Brigade leaders and commanders went to the scene every day to encourage and urge.

The image of the fighting army, the working army, the production army has never appeared so clearly. Not through slogans, but through dirty hands, muddy feet, drops of sweat falling and blending into the new ground.

Soldiers of the 5th Water Commando Brigade help people clean up the environment after the flood.

“Quang Trung Campaign” is set to be completed before January 31, 2026. But more important than the deadline, is that confidence is returning.

This time, the soldiers were not facing a physical enemy, but facing nature, deprivation and a pressing time. Each drop of sweat that the soldiers shed was to bring a smile to the people's faces. Each brick that was laid was a step closer to the revival of the village, a message: "The army is always there for the people in the most difficult times."

The morning ended in brilliant sunshine. Dung bowed her head for a long time, then looked up with a fragile smile as warm as the new sunshine, the sunshine that dispelled the darkness of her life.

The land will dry, the villages will be green again. The wounds from the flood will heal. But the image of the soldiers of the 5th Water Commando quickly building each wall and each roof will be a memory that will remain for a long time in the hearts of the people.

In the midst of the land still marked by floods, new houses are taking shape every day, peaceful, simple but durable, built by the hands of special forces soldiers who came to the people not only to rebuild their roofs, but also to restore the faith of the countryside after the flood./.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/nuoi-duong-van-hoa-bo-doi-cu-ho/dung-lai-binh-yen-sau-lu-du-1015967