And the soldiers, who had just struggled to rescue people from the raging floods, are now accelerating their efforts, racing against time and the late-season cold and rain to rebuild roofs for the people in time for the Lunar New Year of the Horse. These soldiers – the brave soldiers of Uncle Ho's army – are entering the battle with the "Quang Trung Campaign," swiftly building and repairing thousands of houses for the people.
I recall that around this time last year (December 2024), when we visited Lang Nu village (Phuc Khanh commune, Lao Cai province) – a village severely damaged by Typhoon Yagi – we saw thousands of officers and soldiers from the armed forces working tirelessly for months amidst hundreds of hectares of mud and rocks to search for missing victims. While searching, they also urgently built a new village – a resettlement area – with the construction workers being soldiers from the 12th Army Corps (Truong Son Construction Corporation, Ministry of National Defense ). The officers and soldiers worked around the clock, regardless of rain or shine, and in just three months they created a new village that looked as beautiful as a tourist resort.
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| Border guards are working diligently to ensure that flood-affected residents have homes and can stabilize their lives before the Lunar New Year. Photo: Ngoc Lan |
The Lang Nu resettlement area, with its 40 stilt houses built in the traditional Thai architectural style but more beautiful and comfortable, each house resembles a cozy, close-knit villa. Looking at the village, each house seems to want to embrace the house next to it, to suppress the pain and look towards a brighter future. The village was inaugurated just in time for the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army (December 22, 1944 - December 22, 2024). The story of the soldiers in Lang Nu last year, or the story of the soldiers building houses for the people in the South Central Coastal provinces today, is also a commitment of dedication in the soldier's anthem, "For the people, we forget ourselves."
Whenever I see soldiers returning to the people during times of hardship and disaster, that song always resonates in my mind, right here in Truong Sa. During many trips to Truong Sa and the continental shelf of our homeland, the farewell song sung by the soldiers was always "For the People, We Forget Ourselves" by composer Doan Quang Khai (an officer of the immortal Tay Tien Regiment).
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| Naval soldiers from Region 4 build houses for residents of Hoa Xuan commune. Photo: Xuan Quoc |
I remember nearly 20 years ago, we said goodbye to Sinh Ton Dong Island as darkness fell. The boat carrying the reporters and the female performers was the last to leave the island. The soldiers stood at the dock, waving goodbye, and suddenly one soldier began to sing: “For the people, we forget ourselves, for the people, we sacrifice, brothers, for the people, we forget ourselves…” Dozens of soldiers joined in, singing loudly, like a solemn oath before the Fatherland and the People. Never before had a farewell moved us so unexpectedly! The soldiers smiled brightly and sang with such fervor, their voices drowning out the waves and wind of the open sea, while we were all in tears! When else could we hear that song stir our hearts so deeply? So profoundly moving? The song carries the oath of the soldiers of the National Guard, who, from their days of wearing bamboo hats and padded jackets, defended the green forests, throughout the long march until the day of complete victory, and even today, that immortal oath still resounds proudly across the stormy ocean.
After that trip, we were fortunate enough to have many more trips to Truong Sa, and each time the CQ boat started its engine to take us back to the large ship anchored out there, the singing of the soldiers on the island seemed to echo endlessly on the undulating waves!
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| Officers and soldiers of Regiment 584 build houses for flood victims in Hoa Thinh. Photo: Trung Hai |
And today, looking at the image of soldiers covered in mud and mortar, their backs soaked with sweat despite the cold rain, diligently and urgently rebuilding homes for the people, I suddenly hear the oath of the soldiers of Uncle Ho's army echoing in the immortal song: "For the people, forget yourselves, for the people, sacrifice yourselves, brothers, forget yourselves for the people..."
Source: https://baodaklak.vn/tin-noi-bat/202512/nguoi-linh-va-bai-ca-bat-tu-91e04e5/
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