Floods bring tragedy and devastation. In localities like Con Cuong, Tuong Duong, and Muong Xen, the water rose rapidly overnight, forcing thousands of households to leave their homes. Many villages were submerged, property was swept away, crops were destroyed, and people were left penniless. In this time of hardship, without waiting for the people to call for help, the soldiers arrived. They came in boats, carrying supplies on their shoulders, wading through the cold water to bring the elderly and children to safety. Officers and soldiers of the 4th Military Region, from the main forces to the local units, from border guards to militia, silently took on the most arduous tasks without being told.

Officers and soldiers of the Nghe An Provincial Military Command rescue people during the severe flooding.

Beyond just rescuing people during the night of the flood, the images of soldiers staying behind to help villagers clear mud, unclog canals, repair roofs, rebuild classrooms, and clean every desk and chair moved many deeply. Many soldiers, their clothes soaked and their backs bent from carrying sacks of rice, basins of water, and bags of dried food, trekked through forests and mountains to reach isolated and cut-off villages. This was not just an act of relief, but the most concrete manifestation of the value of "selfless service to the people." Amidst the mud and debris, these soldiers became the spiritual pillars of the villagers.

The first shipments of relief supplies have been delivered to people in the flood-affected areas.

Share with the people whose food supplies are submerged in mud and floodwaters.

It is during natural disasters that we see even more clearly the golden quality of human kindness and the spirit of solidarity. Charitable organizations and philanthropists from all over the country extend their loving arms, accompanying the soldiers to help people overcome difficulties. Convoys of relief supplies from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi , Hai Phong, and downstream areas of Nghe An province stream to isolated and cut-off communes, delivering blankets, boxes of instant noodles, and medicine… No one is left behind. No one is alone in the face of natural disasters or enemy attacks. This is soft power, a precious national asset that history has cherished and preserved for generations.

Some villagers choked back tears as they said, "Seeing the soldiers brings peace of mind." A young soldier, when asked, shared, "We don't need thanks. Seeing the people safe is enough to make us happy." These seemingly simple words, however, contain profound humanistic values. They reflect the ethics and qualities of the Vietnam People's Army, from wartime to peacetime: always for the people, staying close to the people, living with the people, fighting and sacrificing for the people.

Soldiers of the 324th Division are helping the people of Con Cuong commune overcome the consequences of the recent floods.
Officers and soldiers of the 324th Division are helping the people of Tuong Duong commune overcome the consequences of the recent floods.

The floodwaters receded, but the bonds of solidarity remained. Clean beds were set up again in the medical stations, warm meals were shared around communal fires, and schools were illuminated by generators brought in by the soldiers – all of this extended the lifeline after the storm. Beyond overcoming the material consequences, the soldiers also sowed seeds of hope: faith. The hope that, in all adversity, the Party, the State, and the Armed Forces will never abandon their people.

The greatest lesson learned after each natural disaster lies not only in the number of casualties, but also in the test of the strength of national unity. The army and the people are like fish and water – this truth is reaffirmed once again.

Major General Doan Xuan Buong, Political Commissar of Military Region 4, personally visited and encouraged the people in the flood-affected area of ​​Con Cuong.

The flood will eventually pass, the mud will be cleared, and the villages will be reborn. But one thing will remain forever in the memories of the people of Western Nghe An: the warm gaze of the soldiers braving the rain, their mud-stained hands still firmly grasping the hands of the villagers. That is the bond between the military and the people, the indomitable spirit of Vietnam that can never be lost, and nothing can defeat it. It is this sentiment, this bond of affection, that is the most precious asset after every natural disaster, one that we must cherish and cultivate in the hearts of each and every one of us.

HOANG KHANH TRINH

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/nuoi-duong-van-hoa-bo-doi-cu-ho/tinh-quan-dan-trong-lu-du-839176