There are photos to reassure mothers, photos to show wives that their husbands are still healthy, and photos so that children will know later that their fathers once served to protect the seas and islands of the Fatherland. Therefore, these small photographs become a bridge connecting the distant islands and the mainland...

During a recent trip to the Spratly Islands, we met many young soldiers. That day, seeing three soldiers on Da Lon A Island – Phan Nam, Ka Hien Bien, and Nguyen Duc Rin – sitting and reading newspapers, I quickly took a few photos. After I finished, Nguyen Duc Rin approached and whispered, "When we return to the mainland, please send this photo to my parents." That somewhat timid request deeply moved me. The islands now have electricity and phone service, and the lives of the officers and soldiers have changed significantly compared to before. However, due to the unique circumstances, the soldiers cannot freely send photos home. Back home, parents only hear their children's voices through phone calls from their unit commanders; they only know their children are healthy through text messages. Therefore, seeing their children in their uniforms in the Spratly Islands must be a great joy and source of pride for them.

The soldiers on Da Lon A Island asked the photographer to send the photos to their families. Photo: HOANG DIEU

On Truong Sa Dong Island, Corporal Nguyen Hoai Kiet, born in 2006, from Tan Lap commune, Tay Ninh province, asked me to take a photo of him in front of the sovereignty marker. Before taking the picture, Kiet adjusted his collar, straightened his cap, and stood perfectly still. After the photo was taken, Kiet looked at it for quite a while and said, "My mother worries a lot. Sending this photo home will surely put her mind at ease." For Kiet, the photo was not just a keepsake; it was also a way to tell his mother: "I'm still healthy. I'm on duty. Mom, don't worry about me too much."

Not only young soldiers, but also some officers working on the island, upon seeing reporters from the mainland, asked us to send photos to their families. On Nam Yet Island, we met Senior Lieutenant Pham Ngoc Hao, a doctor from Military Hospital 103 (Military Medical Academy) who was assigned to the island and is currently the Head of the Central Clinic on Nam Yet Island. In September 2025, Senior Lieutenant Pham Ngoc Hao went to Khanh Hoa for training and will return to the island to take up his duties in January 2026. When Senior Lieutenant Pham Ngoc Hao left, his wife was seven months pregnant. Now, his child is over four months old. Contact with his family is limited to a few short phone calls when circumstances permit. Therefore, when he asked me to send photos to his wife, Senior Lieutenant Pham Ngoc Hao said that it was to let his wife and child know that he is still doing well in his work and as a thank you to his wife for taking care of their child in the first months of their life.

Truong Sa is far from the mainland. The rough seas, the demands of duty, and limited communication capabilities don't always allow soldiers to stay in regular contact with their families. Therefore, a photograph sent home can sometimes be a precious gift. The photo helps parents see their children have grown up and become more responsible. For the soldiers, sending a photograph home is also a way to feel closer to their families. That photograph might capture the soldier's stance, the border marker, and the sea and sky of Truong Sa...

The first thing we did when the ship returned to land and our phones got a signal was to open each photo we had taken, look up the phone numbers the soldiers had recorded, and then send them one by one to their families and loved ones. It wasn't just about fulfilling a promise. For us, it was also a way to bridge the gap between Truong Sa and the military's rear areas.

Upon receiving the photo we sent, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Loi, mother of Corporal Nguyen Hoai Kiet, replied: "Do you have any more photos, journalist? Since my son went to the island in March 2025, I haven't seen any pictures of him." Reading that message, we understood her longing and imagined that she would save her son's photo on her phone and look at it frequently. Perhaps in a conversation with a neighbor, Mrs. Loi would show off the photo: "My son is serving in Truong Sa." In that boast, there was longing, worry, but also a deep sense of pride...

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/gui-anh-ve-dat-lien-1040410