So close... Truong Sa! - Part 2: House number 16 on the "steel island" Da Tay A

(QBĐT) - Da Tay island cluster in Truong Sa town includes 3 island points: Da Tay A, Da Tay B and Da Tay C, stretching over the coral reef in the Northeast-Southwest direction for about 7 nautical miles. Established on October 28, 1987, after 37 years of construction and development, Da Tay island cluster now stands tall, majestic, and proud in the middle of the ocean, at the front line of the Fatherland. In particular, the "steel island" Da Tay A is also a solid support for fishermen...

"Fishing village" on the sea

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Quang Trung, Commander of Da Tay A Island and Vice Chairman of Truong Sa Town People's Committee, asked me: "How many times have you been to Da Tay A?", "What are your feelings when you come back after nearly 10 years?". I replied: "The second time, the first time was in 2015". "In two words, surprise!".

Surprisingly... because in 2015, Da Tay A was just a small house built in the style of a submerged island. But now, if it were not surrounded by the vast ocean, Da Tay A would look like a spacious, modern fishing village in a coastal countryside somewhere on the mainland: straight, spacious concrete roads running under the shade of banyan, casuarina, and casuarina trees; a spacious pagoda facing the peaceful East Sea; classrooms filled with the sound of children reading; each house of the islanders with red tiled roofs is close together, with the national flag hanging outside the gate; in front of the island is a vast harbor with dozens of offshore fishing boats anchored.

For more than 20 years at sea, Mr. Vu Tri Thuan (Hai Duong province), Deputy Director of the Fisheries Logistics Service Center (DVHCNC) of Da Tay Island under the Bien Dong Seafood Exploitation Service Company Limited (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) has witnessed the daily changes on Da Tay A Island. "Fishing village at sea" or "A solid support for fishermen to go offshore and stick to the sea" are the affectionate names that fishermen give to the officers, soldiers and people of Da Tay A, including the contribution of the DVHCNC Center", Mr. Thuan said.

The Da Tay A island fishing port is over 13 hectares wide, with a capacity of over 200 offshore fishing vessels. The 8-hectare public service area includes a warehouse system, a cold storage facility, an ice factory, a mechanical repair workshop, fuel tanks, fresh water tanks... basically meeting the essential needs of fishermen who stay at sea for long periods of time, contributing to affirming the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Fisherman Tran Le Minh Cuong, captain of ship BD-94726-TS from Binh Dinh province, shared: “The docks and the public service areas in Truong Sa archipelago regularly welcome fishing boats from the South Central provinces to anchor. The dock at Da Tay A island has become a very safe common “home” for fishermen for nearly 20 years, especially during the rainy and stormy season.”

According to Mr. Vu Tri Thuan, in 2023, the Da Tay A Island Service Center provided 282,686 liters of oil, 29 tons of food, 115,648 ice blocks, and 2,427 ^{cubic meters} of fresh water for free to fishermen; and successfully towed, rescued, and repaired 40 damaged ships. In the first quarter of 2024, the center provided an additional 100,600 liters of oil, 2 tons of food, 26,222 ice blocks, 463 ^{cubic meters} of fresh water for free and successfully repaired 5 ships...

Special Residents of West Rock A

From the dock, I returned to the hall of the Great Unity House of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups in the center of Da Tay A Island, where gift-giving activities were taking place for cadres, soldiers and people working on the island. Head of the Quang Binh delegation, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Tran Hai Chau pointed to a young man in militia uniform and introduced: "This is a special resident of Da Tay A". The young man smiled heartily: "My hometown! I am from Quang Binh". Special... because out of a total of 16 households living on Da Tay A, only one household is from Quang Binh and settled in house number 16.

Le Van Linh (born in 1979), from Ha Trach commune (Bo Trach), Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen (born in 1986) from Nha Trang city (Khanh Hoa) and Le Anh Duong (born in 2018), 3 residents of house number 16. Linh is the husband, Yen is Linh's wife, Anh Duong is their second daughter. Welcoming the Quang Binh compatriots to visit, Le Van Linh cried tears of happiness. Because it had been a long time since he volunteered to live in Truong Sa that he had met his hometown people, spoke the hometown language, and enjoyed the stories brought from his hometown.

Quang Binh delegation met and talked with Linh-Yen couple.

Twenty-four years ago, Le Van Linh enlisted in the Navy Region 3 to participate in the construction of the Truong Sa archipelago. He was stationed on Sinh Ton and Son Ca islands, and was discharged at the end of 2003. While working as a worker in Nha Trang City, Le Van Linh met Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen, found "fate and love" and "became a couple", living together. In 2013, the couple had their first son, Le Dang Khoi, and in 2018, they welcomed their daughter, Le Anh Duong.

Having a stable job in Nha Trang City, the sea and Truong Sa islands are always in Le Van Linh's mind. Memories of his life as a marine soldier, of the time Linh fought side by side with his comrades, firmly holding his gun to protect the sea and islands of the Fatherland's border, he told his wife every night. Then, without knowing when, the love for the sea and islands grew in Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen's mind.

To help her husband fulfill his dream of once again dedicating himself to Truong Sa, Ms. Yen quietly wrote a volunteer application to become a citizen on Da Tay A Island. In March 2023, the application was sent, and in June 2023, Ms. Yen received a response and the couple was selected.

“At that time, the feelings were hard to describe. If the whole family had gone to Truong Sa, they would have been completely happy, but because Truong Sa only had preschool and primary school classes, the couple decided to leave Le Dang Khoi with his grandparents on the mainland to take care of him and help him go to secondary school. Time passed quickly, and the couple settled down on Da Tay A Island for almost a year,” Le Van Linh recalled.

On the island, Le Van Linh joined the militia force to guard the sea and sky day and night. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen took care of the family, picked up and dropped off, and taught her children. When guests came to visit the island, Ms. Yen and everyone else welcomed them attentively and enthusiastically.

Taking advantage of some time on Da Tay A island, the Quang Binh delegation visited house number 16. In the cozy house, Le Van Linh was moved: "It's been a year since I've heard the sound of my hometown. I've received warm feelings from my hometown. It feels like I'm in my hometown."

At the moment of parting, I managed to capture the image of little Le Anh Duong with her clear eyes, innocently looking for each snail and seashell to give to her fellow countrymen from Quang Binh. The child's innocent words promising a reunion made everyone feel heartbroken and turned away... hiding the emotions welling up in the corners of their eyes.

Saying goodbye to Le Van Linh and Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Tran Hai Chau said: "Twenty years ago, Linh was a soldier on Truong Sa island. Twenty years later, Linh volunteered to return to Truong Sa to continue the journey of preserving and building the sea and islands. Quang Binh homeland always firmly believes that Linh's family and the cadres, soldiers and people of Truong Sa archipelago, including the children of Quang Binh province, will continue to promote the spirit of solidarity, strive to rise up, overcome all difficulties and challenges, and excellently complete all assigned tasks."

Ngo Thanh Long

>>> Lesson 3: Meeting on Truong Sa archipelago

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