Song Tu Tay Island under the national flag
PHOTO: MTH
The first calendars
Those are 300 desk calendars donated by Thanh Nien Newspaper to Truong Sa. These calendars were packed into 5 boxes, each weighing about 25 kg. If transported by air from Ho Chi Minh City to Cam Ranh, that would cost a considerable amount in baggage fees.
Therefore, we had to travel by Phuong Trang bus from Ho Chi Minh City to My Ca intersection ( Khanh Hoa ), and ask the soldiers to receive and store our belongings at Truong Sa Hotel.
The afternoon before the ship set sail for Truong Sa, we had to request the 4th Naval Region to send a pickup truck and two soldiers to load five boxes of calendars into the naval port, and nearly a dozen more soldiers carried them onto the ship.
New Year's greeting card for the Year of the Horse 2026 from Thanh Nien newspaper to the soldiers on Truong Sa Island.
PHOTO: MTH
The most arduous task was transferring the calendar boxes from the ship to the transport boats to take them to the island. Due to the rough seas and strong winds, the ship shook violently, and getting soaked by the waves was common, so the soldiers had to use specialized protective bags to cover and tie them tightly. When loading them onto the boats, they had to work together to carry them and carefully lower them when the waves were level.
The boxes of gifts from the Youth Union were carefully wrapped in protective bags and carried from ship 571 to the transfer boats to Sinh Ton Island.
PHOTO: MTH
The calendars published by Thanh Nien (Youth) magazine , when brought to the island, were enthusiastically received by the soldiers, who immediately opened them to check the current time and see which day was Tet (Lunar New Year)...
The soldiers on Sinh Ton Island admire the Thanh Nien (Youth) desk calendars with awe.
PHOTO: MTH
Lieutenant Colonel Tran Huy Phung, Political Officer of Truong Sa Island, honestly stated: "It's already been a month since the new year 2026, but we still haven't received any calendars from the mainland. The calendars from Thanh Nien Newspaper are so meaningful; we will distribute them to each unit so that we… know about Tet."
Desk calendars were placed right on top of the electric bus on Sinh Ton Island.
PHOTO: MTH
The most beautiful gift basket in Truong Sa.
For many years, Tet gifts sent to Truong Sa have always been in the form of gift boxes, handed out by delegations and island commanders in the assembly hall. This is natural, given the warm atmosphere and collective activities of the forces and households on the island…
Gifts from Thanh Nien readers arrive at Song Tu Tay Island.
PHOTO: CONG DINH
Before our trip to Truong Sa, we called the islanders, consulted with them, and they replied: "What we like most are the colorful gift baskets, bringing the festive atmosphere of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) and delivered right to our door. We have enough material things for Tet here; we just need some encouragement."
Unboxing the gift packages from Thanh Nien newspaper.
PHOTO: VO VIET
Speaking with Ms. Nghiem Phuong Nhi (Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Amber Capital Fund Management Joint Stock Company), Nhi offered to give gifts.
Attach the Lunar New Year decorations to the woven bamboo gift basket.
PHOTO: VO VIET
Goods (cakes, jams, candies, coffee, fruits, etc.) can be bought in Khanh Hoa, but the "vibrant colors that evoke the Tet atmosphere" must be sourced from Ho Chi Minh City, packed in boxes, and transported as part of an additional 40 kg of checked baggage, carried on the flight.
The gifts from the Youth Union were placed in bamboo baskets, along with bouquets of flowers.
PHOTO: MTH
When the boxes of gifts arrived on the island, everyone gathered around, marveling at the bamboo baskets, colorful New Year decorations, plastic flowers, and even the carefully arranged bouquets of real flowers.
Soldiers of Combat Group 2 - Truong Sa Island decorate and arrange gifts from the Youth Union for households on the island.
PHOTO: VO VIET
On Song Tu Tay Island, upon opening a gift box containing a bouquet of fresh willow blossoms, Major Nguyen Duy Hoa (a doctor from Hospital 108, assigned to the Song Tu Tay Medical Clinic) kept touching and inhaling the scent of the flowers, saying, "This is the first time in a whole year I've been able to touch a bouquet of fresh flowers."
Special gift baskets
PHOTO: MTH
On Truong Sa Island, when the soldiers of Combat Group 2 were assigned the "special task" of distributing Tet gift baskets to households and temples, they would all gather around, touching the red and green decorative strings, couplets, and stickers, and pleading: "If there are any left over, we'd like to have them so we can decorate the unit's spring-welcoming corner on the afternoon of the 29th of Tet."
It turned out that these decorations were unavailable on the island, so the soldiers had to use mats as backdrops, cut colored paper to make flowers, borrow hats from local households as decorations, and make use of everything they could to create a colorful display to welcome the spring.
A New Year's greeting card for the Year of the Horse 2026 from Thanh Nien newspaper next to the sovereignty marker on Truong Sa Island.
PHOTO: MTH
Here are some photos of Thanh Nien Newspaper readers giving Tet gifts to households living on the islands of the Truong Sa Special Zone (Khanh Hoa province), in the days leading up to Tet Binh Ngo 2026.
Donating gifts to households on Song Tu Tay Island.
PHOTO: VO VIET
The commander of Brigade 146 and officers and soldiers of Song Tu Tay Island presented gifts to local residents.
PHOTO: MTH
Youth gift baskets were presented by soldiers on Sinh Ton Island to residents.
PHOTO: MTH
The island commander and village officials of Truong Sa presented gifts from Thanh Nien newspaper to local households.
PHOTO: MTH
Special gifts on Truong Sa Island
PHOTO: VO VIET
Each gift package included a desk calendar and a New Year's greeting card from Thanh Nien newspaper.
PHOTO: MTH
Talking to the households
PHOTO: VO VIET
Special Tet gifts
PHOTO: VO VIET
Reporters from Thanh Niên newspaper always bring gifts for the soldiers and civilians on the islands during their work trips to Truong Sa.
PHOTO: MTH
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tet-o-truong-sa-ky-6-nhung-mon-qua-dac-biet-185260212203955118.htm
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