Top water commando tells of 24 hours drifting at sea, swimming and eating porridge

(Dan Tri) - 24 hours wearing only life jackets drifting on the sea, porridge in bottles tied around their bodies, Vu Xuan Cuong and the water commando students swam, ate, rested and "trained hard".

Dropped out of college to return home to study for the exam again

Vu Xuan Cuong, 23 years old, graduated as valedictorian of the Water Special Forces major, Special Forces Officer School, with a GPA of 8.02/10, and the rank of Lieutenant. The young man from the old Thai Binh (now Hung Yen) also won the title of Advanced Soldier and Emulation Soldier at the grassroots level four times.

Last August, Cuong represented all graduating students of the class of 2025, reciting the three honorary officer oaths under the national flag and performing the flag-kissing ceremony.

Tomorrow (November 14), I am honored to be one of 95 excellent valedictorians from universities in the capital city to be honored at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam.

Vu Xuan Cuong graduated as valedictorian of the Water Special Forces major (Photo: NVCC).

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Cuong said that he had dreamed of becoming a military officer since he was a child.

Fate did not smile on him when in the 2020 high school graduation exam, he only scored 25 points in the A00 combination, 0.3 points short of passing the entrance exam to Army Officer School 1.

I entered Hanoi University of Civil Engineering with the thought that "perhaps going into another field would not be a bad experience".

When I entered school, I suddenly realized that this was a completely unsuitable choice for me. The tuition, rent and daily expenses in Hanoi were too expensive, putting a heavy burden on my family, making me reconsider.

Cuong said that the idea of ​​retaking the exam had been in his mind since he first entered university. It was not until 4-5 months later that he decided to leave the Construction School and return to his hometown to retake the exam.

Cuong and soldiers in a diving training session

“My parents were farmers. During the off-season, they had to go to the South to make a living when I was young. They only came back to the countryside occasionally.

So my thoughts were only about how to join the army, both to fulfill my dream of being a soldier and to support my family. That was the reason why I decided to drop out of university.

But when I returned home, I faced criticism from my neighbors. They thought I was trying to show off, so I dropped out of school, did nothing, and just stayed home.

Despite the gossips of my neighbors, I still studied by myself to retake the exam. Besides taking some extra classes online and at some centers in my hometown, I spent most of my time studying by myself,” Cuong said.

In the re-exam later, Cuong was in the top 3 of the Special Forces Officer School, officially setting foot on the path he had long dreamed of.

Vu Xuan Cuong and relatives (Photo: NVCC).

24 hours of drifting and training at sea

Cuong's total study time at the Special Forces Officer School lasted 4 years.

With a good physical foundation, plus the sudden death of my father in an accident in 2022, I wanted to work close to home to take care of my mother, so I decided to choose the Water Special Forces major.

Cuong said that before entering university, he only knew how to swim freestyle. However, during the first 6 months of training, he went through a series of rigorous training sessions.

In the third year, when having to study 3 majors: Infantry Special Forces, Special Forces, Water Special Forces, it was really a challenging time because it mainly involved diving, freestyle swimming, breaststroke from basic to advanced, regardless of harsh weather.

In some training sessions, soldiers like Cuong have to swim shirtless in freezing weather of 12-13 degrees Celsius (Photo: NVCC).

In particular, during the last 10 days of the course, when the temperature was 12-13 degrees Celsius, he and his teammates had to carry 30-35kg backpacks and march 120km. In practice battles such as island attacks and lake port attacks at night in the freezing winter weather, Cuong and his students had to go shirtless, wearing only shorts to swim. Many soldiers with weak mentality were discouraged, but thanks to the encouragement of the teachers, everyone pulled together to overcome.

“Before special training, we often drink ginger water or sip fish sauce and hold it in the middle of our neck for a while to warm up our bodies.

However, due to swimming for too long and the harsh weather, many people felt unsteady when they reached the shore, their legs were unsteady, and their whole bodies were frozen," Cuong said.

Especially the 24-hour drifting at sea event to test the body's endurance is probably the biggest challenge for soldiers like Cuong.

“We only had life jackets and drifted for 24 hours straight at sea. We put porridge in bottles and tied them to our belts to eat during breaks.

It's called a break, but in reality, everyone is only allowed to stop training. All breaks and eating activities take place on the water," Cuong shared.

During the 24 hour training period above, there will be 2-3 boats following to ensure safety.

Special forces soldiers in training uniform (Photo: NVCC).

Although physically fit, according to Cuong, 24 hours floating on the water is quite tiring. At sea, the weather is harsh, the skin gets burned, and after a few days on land, it will peel off very painfully. Daily hygiene activities are also limited when at sea.

In theory subjects, Cuong also achieved good results. He said that he did not take many notes, only wrote down the main ideas, then rewrote them so the knowledge was remembered more deeply.

It is known that during 4 years of studying and training, Cuong was awarded the title of advanced soldier, emulation soldier, and is a typical young face of the Special Forces Corps.

In particular, Cuong is very talented in sports such as soccer and volleyball. He has received many certificates of merit at military sports competitions in these subjects.

Cuong aims to continue achieving the title of Emulation Fighter this year (Photo: NVCC).

According to the school's assessment, Cuong is a well-rounded student. Not only is he studious and physically fit, but he is also active in extracurricular activities and complies with school regulations.

Cuong is a very good swimmer and is especially good at the armed pull event. The exercises usually require the student to pull a 20-25kg weight for about 30-35km.

In 2025, Cuong was among the 45% of students graduating with the rank of Lieutenant.

At the end of August, Cuong was assigned to the Special Forces Battalion, General Staff of Military Region 3 in Hai Phong, holding the position of Platoon Leader and in charge of managing soldiers.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/thu-khoa-dac-cong-nuoc-ke-24-gio-tha-troi-tren-bien-vua-boi-vua-an-chao-20251113094726317.htm