Singing amidst the vast sea and sky of our homeland.

For the officers and soldiers of Truong Sa island district, there is no gift more precious, beautiful, and touching than singing along with the performing arts troupe from the mainland who come to visit. Because when they sing, all the sadness fades away, and the joy is multiplied many times over.

Listening to the artists sing, they felt connected, as if a thread was connecting Truong Sa with the mainland, making them feel closer. Besides the material gifts sent from the mainland, the songs and melodies of the Mobile Arts Team of Task Force No. 13 were the most meaningful and memorable spiritual gifts.

Training on the ship's deck.

This time, I accompanied ship 571 of Task Force No. 13 to visit the military and civilians of Truong Sa island district and the DK1/20 platform as a veteran of the Vietnam-Russia Joint Venture Vietsovpetro, under the Veterans Association of the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group. I was assigned the task of leading the mobile performing arts team – a rather arduous task, as the key members of the performing arts group are scattered throughout the country, while rehearsals cannot be held in one place.

With years of experience as a performing arts troupe leader traveling to many places, I "directed remotely," requiring the groups in various provinces and cities to practice and exchange performances on their own, "mixing music online," and then rehearsing together when we met in Cam Ranh.

At 7:30 PM on May 17th, the 571 ship of the 4th Naval Region sounded three farewell whistles and sped away into the night. While more than 200 members of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, the State Treasury, delegates from Hai Duong province, and artists rested after a busy day of visiting, our performing arts team went up to the upper deck of the ship to practice. Despite the stinging night wind and the dizziness from seasickness, more than 20 members of our mobile performing arts team diligently practiced. Thanh Nga, a female cultural and artistic team member from the Phu My Fertilizer Plant, said emotionally: “This is my first time going to Truong Sa and singing for the soldiers. Even though I'm seasick and tired, I'll still try my best. Besides group singing, I will send the soldiers three songs: 'Truong Sa is So Close,' 'Starfish,' and 'Life in the Forest.'" Hong Tham, a reporter from the Vung Tau Petroleum University, also volunteered to join the mobile cultural and artistic team to "send the warmth and affection of the mainland to the soldiers in Truong Sa and DK1 through songs and music."

At the request of the Naval Political Department, the performing arts team had to prepare two group performances with dance accompaniment for the evening of May 19th on the ship's deck to commemorate the 133rd anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth, and for the evening of May 21st at the Truong Sa town stage. How could they perform the dances? The core of the performing arts team consisted mainly of "elderly representatives" and veterans. They had received formal training in choreography and staging. I gathered the team together and asked for the volunteer members. Everyone shook their heads, saying, "We can manage singing, but we can't dance." I called Phi Yen, a female dancer from the Ninh Thuan Provincial Song and Dance Troupe, and encouraged her: "Just try to perform one solo piece. For a duet, I'll train you." Phi Yen said, "OK." Right there in the officers' mess hall, the chairs were neatly folded away. Twenty minutes later, the dance "Starfish" was born amidst the roaring waves. Ship 571 continued its voyage straight towards Truong Sa.

The song resounds far and wide, across the mainland and islands.

The first stop on ship 571 was Len Dao Island. I was given priority to board the boat first, as a reporter and the leader of the performing arts team. Len Dao Island stood tall and steadfast amidst the vast expanse of waves. Just 3 nautical miles away was the beloved Gac Ma Island, illegally occupied by China during the March 14, 1988 incident. I pointed my camera towards Gac Ma. A surge of emotion mixed with resentment welled up inside me.

Without stage lights, the sound came from the island's portable loudspeaker. I took the microphone to the middle of the island's slope and called out, "Officers and soldiers of Len Dao Island! Let's sing! Let's sing songs about love for the sea and islands, about our homeland, our army, and the Vietnamese Fatherland!" "Our lives are a marching song, our lives are a soldier's song, we sing loudly, endlessly through the days, flying over the mountains and forests of the border to the distant islands." As the song began, hundreds of hands rose in unison. Without distinction between officers, soldiers, or members of the delegation, we walked in a circle, shoulder to shoulder, to the vibrant music that conveyed the message, "Truong Sa is far, but not so far," and "The mainland is always by the side of the soldiers of Len Dao – a sensitive and resilient island in protecting the sovereignty of the Fatherland."

Hiding his emotions in his teary eyes, the commander of Len Dao Island, Captain Bui Quynh Lam, originally from Quynh Luu, said: “Every time a delegation comes to visit the island, we feel so warmhearted. Singing and dancing with the officers and soldiers helps ease our homesickness. This is the most memorable cultural performance since I started working on the island.” Captain Lam added: “Far from the mainland, we cherish each other like family. Training during the day, patrolling and guarding at night. Our loved ones and fields are always on our minds. This season on Len Dao Island, the temperature often exceeds 40 degrees Celsius. Despite the harsh climate, the officers and soldiers of Len Dao Island remain united and successfully complete their assigned tasks.”

Truong Sa Dong is one of the five islands that the 13th Task Force visited during their sea voyage. While the head of the task force – Rear Admiral Doan Van Chieu, Head of Political Affairs of the Navy – was working with the island's officers, we quickly set up the stage for the performance. Suddenly, an unexpected rain shower poured down. The musicians urgently moved the sound equipment to "hide from the rain." As soon as the rain stopped, the song "Rain on a Distant Island" was sung movingly by soldier Hoang Van Thai of the island. The lyrics, "Rain, rain, the small island needs rain, rain, rain, we need rain," moved me deeply. Several members of the task force had red eyes. Once again, we held onto each other's shoulders in a circle, as if connecting hands in solidarity. Songs like "For the People, We Forget Ourselves," "Life in the Forest," "Connecting Hands," and "Truong Son East - Truong Son West" flowed like a continuous stream, unwilling to part.

The final performance stop on our sea voyage to visit the soldiers and civilians of Truong Sa and the DK1 platform was the DK1/20 (Ba Ke) platform. Once again, we held hands and sang, "Let the waves and winds blow, we soldiers on the platform are there. Precarious and unstable, the soldiers on the platform are not afraid of storms. In the middle of the ocean, we still love life, in the middle of the sea and sky, we still live life to the fullest, that's how the soldiers on the platform are…", the lyrics moved us deeply.

Captain Hoang Van Tai, a professional soldier and radar operator with over 25 years of experience at the DK1 platform, emotionally shared: “It’s been over a year since I’ve been back to the mainland. Last night, we anxiously awaited the ship’s arrival. ‘Spring at DK’ is a song that expresses the feelings and duties of us soldiers on the platform.”

Every celebration eventually comes to an end. The soldiers at the DK1/20 platform saw the delegation off as they disembarked from the ship. Before boarding the boat back to ship 571, I put my arm around Tài's shoulder and sang, "It's not far, platform, we'll be back when the time comes, to sing with you this spring at DK1, so that the Trường Sa islands and DK1 will forever be ours."

Ship 571 sounded its horn three times in greeting to the offshore platform. We clearly heard the soldiers shouting, "Goodbye, goodbye!" then they sang in unison, "The offshore platform watches the clouds, facing southwest, when the tide rises, it lies level with the waves, waiting for the moon to rise, sharing love letters, the sea waves sing, dreaming of home."

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