Preparation for the trip with no return date - Lang Son Newspaper and Radio and Television Station

History not only exists in books but also appears clearly and authentically through each document and each photo. The exhibition “Hoang Sa, Truong Sa - Sacred Sea and Islands” in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and “Heroic Vietnam People’s Navy - 70 years of journey to protect the sea” in Ho Chi Minh City recently brought knowledge, national pride and a sense of responsibility to each person.

Visitors to the exhibition feel like they are entering the flow of time, where each map, each ancient document, each painting, each photo... tells a story. The exhibition area of documentary photos about the Vietnam People's Navy leaves a deep impression, touching the hearts of viewers.

The black and white photos, though faded over time, still preserve the simple, yet steadfast moments of the marines. Many visitors were moved to tears when the tour guide told the story behind each photo, including the photo of a young marine smiling brightly before leaving for duty, but few knew that the photo was not taken as a souvenir, but as a portrait, a silent preparation for a journey with no return date...

Soldiers from units in Ho Chi Minh City visit the exhibition.

During the resistance war against the US to save the country, officers and soldiers of the Vietnam People's Navy carried out many especially dangerous missions: Transporting weapons, food, and goods to support the southern battlefield on unnumbered ships. Those ships quietly cut through the waves to the sea, facing fierce waves, bombs and intense pursuits from the enemy... Before each trip, they often held a living memorial service, a special ritual that no one wanted but became a custom. Among them, there were those who never returned, their bodies merged into the ocean, creating the legendary Ho Chi Minh trail at sea - a miracle in the history of the nation.

Not only recreating the image of the loyal navy soldiers, the exhibition also vividly depicts the lives of the soldiers and civilians on the outpost islands. From small classrooms in the middle of the ocean, island children innocently singing "a" in deprived conditions, where soldiers persistently cling to their positions, sowing seeds of life in the midst of harsh nature, to solemn flag-raising ceremonies, the army and civilians turn towards the red flag with a yellow star fluttering in the sea breeze, expressing patriotism and indomitable spirit.

We met 5 students from the Naval Technical College who were attentively looking at each photo. A young man spoke to us quietly, his voice full of determination: “Seeing the exhibition, I feel my responsibility is greater than ever. What the previous generation did, our generation must continue to do...”.

The exhibition is a place to preserve historical memories, a reminder that today's independence and sovereignty were exchanged for the blood and bones of many generations. Looking at the photos, paintings, and ancient documents, we not only see the past but also see ourselves in it, see the responsibility for the sea and islands in particular, and the country's sovereignty in general.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/su-chuan-bi-cho-chuyen-di-khong-hen-ngay-ve-5045901.html