Tet in Truong Sa - Part 4: Dedicating a Lifetime to Truong Sa

They are just ordinary people, but they have dedicated a part of their youth to Truong Sa and have vowed to spend their entire lives connected to Truong Sa.

Báo Thanh niên•17/02/2026

13 years as abbot of Truong Sa Pagoda

Every time we go to Truong Sa Island, the first thing we do is visit the temple to see Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat - the longest-serving abbot in the Truong Sa Special Zone, which has been there for exactly 13 years now.

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Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat

PHOTO: MTH: MTH

Venerable Thích Nhuận Đạt, whose birth name is Lưu Minh Tuấn, was born in 1988 in Bắc Ninh Hòa commune, Khánh Hòa province (formerly Ninh An commune, Ninh Hòa town). At the age of 12, while in 7th grade, Tuấn asked to enter a temple to study. Initially, his family refused, but Tuấn insisted on living in the temple while still attending regular high school. It wasn't until two years later, after finishing 9th grade, that his family agreed to let him shave his head and study at Viên Ngộ Temple (Bắc Ninh Hòa commune, Khánh Hòa province), taking the Dharma name Thích Nhuận Đạt.

After four years of studying at the Lam Dong Buddhist Intermediate School, Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat returned to Vien Ngo Pagoda to practice Buddhism. In early 2013, Venerable Thich Ngo Tinh (1946 - 2021) asked, "Would you like to go to Truong Sa to do Buddhist work for a year?", Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat immediately agreed, even though he didn't know where Truong Sa was.

In mid-2013, Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat traveled on ship 571 to preside over Song Tu Tay Pagoda along with Venerable Thich Thanh Thanh (in early October 2013, Venerable Thich Thanh Thanh fell seriously ill, and the Ministry of National Defense had to send a helicopter to transport him back to shore).

From late 2013 to 2018, Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat remained at Song Tu Tay Pagoda, along with five other monks, taking turns as abbot for a one-year term. In mid-2018, when the Khanh Hoa Provincial Buddhist Association decided to assign one abbot to each pagoda, Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat served alone as abbot of Song Tu Tay Pagoda until early 2021.

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Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat at the gate of Truong Sa Pagoda

PHOTO: LE NGUYEN

In March 2021, after eight consecutive years as abbot of Song Tu Tay Pagoda, Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat was transferred to become abbot of Truong Sa Lon Pagoda on Truong Sa Island. By early 2026, Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat will have spent 13 years associated with Truong Sa.

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Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat next to the Buddha statue at Truong Sa Pagoda

PHOTO: LE NGUYEN

Few people know that in May 2016, Ms. Pham Thi Nhien (mother of Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat) was invited for the first time by a delegation from Ho Chi Minh City to accompany ship 571 on a visit to Truong Sa and to see her son, who was the abbot of Song Tu Tay Pagoda.

"The boat only docked at the island for 3 hours, but my mother still meticulously checked on my living conditions," Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat recounted, adding, "This year my mother is 73 years old, her health is weak, and she has difficulty walking, but she calls every few days to check on me and encourage me. She says, 'Only with good health can I do Buddhist work well, contribute to the Buddha and the country…'"

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Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat participates in group activities with soldiers and civilians on Truong Sa Island.

PHOTO: MTH

"I vow to dedicate my entire life to Truong Sa, at least until 2030. I'm used to being on the island; whenever I go on leave, everyone on the island calls me repeatedly: 'When are you coming back, Venerable Master?' It's been 16 months since 2024, and I haven't been home for leave," the monk recounted.

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Venerable Thich Nhuan Dat plays with children on Truong Sa Island.

PHOTO: MTH

The will to live in Truong Sa

Observer Phan Nhat Thanh (Truong Sa Meteorological and Hydrological Station, under the Central Meteorological and Hydrological Observatory, Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) is 34 years old this year but has worked continuously in Truong Sa for nearly 6 years.

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Observer Phan Nhat Thanh records and collects observation data.

PHOTO: VO VIET

Thành was born in An Khê ward, Gia Lai province; he is the second son of Phan Văn Khuyên, a meteorological and hydrological observer at the An Khê Meteorological and Hydrological Station, Central Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Observatory. His mother passed away when he was in 9th grade, and his father, Khuyên, had to work both his professional job and take on odd jobs as a construction worker and electrician/plumber to support Thành and his two brothers through university.

In 2014, Phan Nhat Thanh passed the entrance exam and studied hydrology at the University of Natural Resources and Environment in Ho Chi Minh City. Because his father's salary had to be divided to support all three brothers through university, Thanh worked part-time while studying to earn money.

"I mainly work as a night security guard because I have classes during the day," Thanh told me, laughing. "I've worked for many security companies because I have to take time off for exams, and only after the exams do I look for another company to apply for a job." Besides security work, Thanh also installs electrical and plumbing systems, and serves food and drinks at restaurants, bars, and wedding receptions…

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Meteorological garden on Truong Sa Island

PHOTO: VO VIET

In 2019, Phan Nhat Thanh graduated from university but couldn't find a job, so he worked as an electrician and plumber in An Khe. It wasn't until May 2020 that Thanh was hired at the Cam Ranh Meteorological Station, and seven months later (December 2020), he received a decision to transfer to the Truong Sa Meteorological and Oceanographic Station, where he worked continuously for a year.

At the end of 2021, Thanh returned to the mainland to marry his colleague Vo Thi Thanh Hang (an observer at the Buon Ho Meteorological and Hydrological Station, Dak Lak). After the wedding, the young couple stayed together for only three days in a shared room at the Buon Ho Meteorological and Hydrological Station before Phan Nhat Thanh packed his bags and went back to Truong Sa for work.

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Observers Phan Nhat Thanh (left) and Vo Thanh Hai (right) tend to potted plants during Tet (Vietnamese New Year).

PHOTO: MTH

The mission of the Truong Sa Meteorological and Hydrological Station is to "observe, investigate, and survey the environmental meteorological and hydrological conditions, and to forecast and warn about meteorological and hydrological conditions" in the southern area of the Truong Sa archipelago.

That's the general situation, but for Thanh and his colleagues at the station, every few hours they have to check the equipment measuring waves, wind, rain, sunshine, humidity, etc., and record everything fully, accurately, and promptly to send back to the mainland for the central office to compile, evaluate, and issue weather reports for the archipelago.

During stormy days, Thanh and the observers at the two meteorological and oceanographic stations in Truong Sa (south of the archipelago) and Song Tu Tay (north of the archipelago) have to take hourly measurements and continuously send data to the mainland to provide accurate weather forecasts.

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Flag-raising ceremony on Truong Sa Island

PHOTO: MTH

For nearly six years, Thành was stationed in Trường Sa, and each year he received 1-2 months of leave to visit his "wife's colleagues" in their shared room in Buôn Hồ (Đắk Lắk) and his "father's colleagues" in An Khê (Gia Lai).

He has no children, no house of his own, but Phan Nhat Thanh still smiles gently: "My profession is connected to the sea and islands, so I can only stay in Truong Sa. It's hard and difficult, but how can it compare to those who came before me?"

The Truong Sa Meteorological and Oceanographic Station was renovated and rebuilt starting in 1976 and has been gradually modernized.

This is a first-class meteorological station that observes eight times a day at regular intervals, capturing all the necessary elements (temperature, humidity, pressure, wind, rain, sea level, special weather, oceanographic measurements of sea waves, seawater temperature and salinity, etc.).

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Meteorological Garden on Song Tu Tay Island

PHOTO: MTH

The Song Tu Tay Meteorological and Oceanographic Station, renovated and rebuilt since 1986, has been extensively repaired and gradually modernized. This is a Class 1 meteorological station that observes weather four times a day at round hours (1, 7, 13, 19) with all necessary elements.

The Truong Sa and Song Tu Tay meteorological and oceanographic stations are responsible for monitoring and providing international reports to support disaster prevention and control efforts at sea.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tet-o-truong-sa-ky-4-danh-ca-cuoc-doi-cho-truong-sa-185260210184842659.htm