Peace to continue fulfilling the aspirations of our forefathers.

The letters and diaries in the previous stories have given us some insight into the lives of those who lived beautiful lives on the battlefield. Today, countless soldiers have set aside personal feelings, bravely venturing to the forefront to continue the aspirations of their fathers and forefathers for their families, homeland, nation, and people, further deepening the revolutionary ideals of the Ho Chi Minh Army.

Báo Thanh Hóa•21/12/2025

From the islands...

Major Le Hung Ba took the opportunity to call his family from the DK1 platform, DK1 Battalion, Region 2 of the Navy.

Born and raised in the purely agricultural countryside of Quang Binh (formerly Quang Xuong district), Major Le Hung Ba carried the resilience of a son of the coastal and rice-growing regions to the forefront of the nation's defense. Nearly two years working at the DK1 offshore platform – his second assignment there – he has become accustomed to the feeling of being adrift in the vast ocean, surrounded only by wind, waves, and the boundless sky. There, each day is a test of the courage, willpower, and faith of a naval soldier.

These towering steel structures stand majestically in the middle of the ocean, enduring scorching sun, fierce monsoon winds, and roaring waves at their base. They serve as both strategic strongholds and testing grounds for human endurance. Far from the mainland and their families, the homesickness of the soldiers on these offshore platforms is not loud but deeply felt.

On the small phone screen, amidst the flickering signal, were short, gentle, and caring words: "Have the three of you eaten yet? It's getting cold now, so remember to dress warmly . When you get home from school, help Mom with the housework and look after your younger sibling, okay?"

Major Ba has a wife and two young children living in Da Nang , while his elderly parents, nearly 70 years old, remain in their hometown of Quang Binh. His wife is a teacher, single-handedly managing the household and caring for their two young children. He understands their silent hardships and the value of the sacrifices made behind the scenes. Whenever he misses home, during his breaks, he leans against the windy steel railing, holding his phone close to his ear to drown out the sound of the waves, and calls his family.

He still remembers the years he spent working on naval ships, months adrift at sea, with no phone signal, no calls home... It was during those times that he truly felt homesick, and cherished even more the moments they could talk and encourage each other in life. Sometimes, messages were sent in the middle of the night, on stormy days. After training, he would quickly text: "The wind is strong and the waves are high out here, but the platform is still standing. Sleep well, my love and the children ...!" The words weren't flowery, but behind them was a tightly compressed longing, a silent sharing from a husband and father protecting the nation's bloodline alongside his comrades in the vast ocean.

"Protecting the offshore platform is protecting the sea, protecting the sea is protecting the home." For Major Ba, the ideal of a soldier lies not in flowery words, but in perseverance and the simple belief that behind him are his family and his homeland.

Major Ba understood clearly that working on the offshore platform was not just a purely military duty, but also a responsibility to history and the traditions of his heroic homeland. "Protecting the offshore platform is protecting the sea, protecting the sea is protecting the home," Major Ba repeated this simple saying as if it were the most natural thing in the world. For him, the ideal of a soldier doesn't lie in flowery words, but in perseverance and the simple belief that behind him are his family and his homeland.

Lieutenant Colonel Trinh Van Nghi, Deputy Political Officer of the DK1 Battalion, Region 2 of the Navy, shared: "For soldiers working on offshore platforms, even in this digital age, communication with the mainland remains limited. Currently, only 4 platforms have internet access, while the remaining 11 still rely on conventional telephones. We hope that in the future, higher authorities will pay attention to upgrading the internet network quality for all platforms. With the spirit of 'as long as there are people, there are platforms,' the soldiers of the DK1 Battalion always strive to successfully complete their assigned tasks."

Reaching the border...

Born and raised in the former mountainous district of Lang Chanh, Dao Nguyen Tuc enlisted in the army in 2003. In 2023, he was assigned to work at the Tam Chung Border Guard Station (located in Tam Chung border commune, Thanh Hoa province).

During his time living and working closely with the local people, Major Dao Nguyen Tuc realized that one of the root causes of the backwardness and poverty among his ethnic minority community was the lack of literacy. This motivated him to advise the Party Committee and the commander of the Tam Chung Border Guard Post to coordinate with the commune government to open literacy classes.

Peace to continue fulfilling the aspirations of our forefathers.

Major Dao Nguyen Tuc in his role as a teacher, teaching literacy to the local people.

Sharing about the initial difficulties he and his teammates faced in persuading villagers to attend literacy classes, Major Dao Nguyen Tuc said: "Most of the illiterate people in the villages are the main breadwinners in their families. There were many innocent and honest answers from the villagers that troubled me, such as: Can literacy be exchanged for a motorbike? Can it be exchanged for rice?"

From then on, I had to research how to communicate with the people in a way that was relatable, easy to understand, and practical, explaining that now, everywhere is changing, and our people also need to be literate so they don't have to worry about food every day, so they can have enough to eat and wear, so they can grow corn and rice without pests and achieve high yields, so they can raise buffalo, cows, and pigs quickly, and so they can raise their children well. Being literate will also prevent them from being deceived by bad people.”

Peace to continue fulfilling the aspirations of our forefathers.

In some cases, he taught in standard Vietnamese, but in many instances, he had to explain in the local dialect as well. As had become customary, the students all demonstrated a high level of self-discipline and seriousness during the learning process. Thus, through dedication, close ties, and the joint efforts of comrades, colleagues, and various departments and levels of local government, speaking with reason and compassion, like "a slow but steady rain," the class at Tam Chung Border Guard Post was formed, and the local people flocked to learn to read and write with Teacher Tuc.

My class is a special one... We have 45 students, the oldest is 50 years old, the youngest is 10 years old, there are 3 boys and 42 girls in the class, 100% are Hmong ethnic people and 100% are from poor households... The class starts right during the cassava harvest season, and it's also in the freezing cold winter. But everyone still manages to find time to come very early...
Major Dao Nguyen Tuc

A "border of human hearts" is gradually being built, strong and enduring, just like the silent soldiers in green uniforms who stay close to the villages and the people day and night. In his diary about his first literacy class, Major Dao Nguyen Tuc wrote: "My class is a special class... Our class has 45 students, the oldest is 50 years old, the youngest is 10 years old, there are 3 boys and 42 girls in the class, 100% are Mong ethnic people and 100% are from poor households... The class opened right during the cassava harvest season, and it was also in the freezing winter. But everyone still arranged their time to come very early..."

"Serving the Fatherland, serving the People," "All for the peace of the Fatherland's border" - for the soldiers in green uniforms, that is the command of the soldier's heart, the meaning of life, the ideal, and the culture of Border Guard!" - Major Dao Nguyen Tuc said with pride.

There are young men who recently wrote volunteer applications to enlist in the army, with lines like: "Being in the ranks of the People's Army is the greatest pride of youth... It is not only the responsibility of a citizen, but also the duty of a young Party member to dare to lead, take on responsibility, and be ready to dedicate themselves to the Fatherland."

Therefore, many more stories, simple yet noble, will be written by soldiers. We will conclude this article here, with our deep gratitude and pride for the heroic Vietnam People's Army!

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