Truong Sa is sacred and passionate - Part 1: White "fish" on the windy East Sea

The series of articles is not a comprehensive overview of the Truong Sa archipelago. We only want to bring to readers a perspective of a Vietnam Law reporter with a heart full of sympathy, from the miraculous stories of the army and people in the sacred Vietnamese land in the middle of the Fatherland's ocean... There, life takes place intensely, fresh and radiant every day.

I was overwhelmed by the majestic appearance of Ship 571 (belonging to Squadron 411, Brigade 955, Command of Naval Region 4) ready to welcome us when we entered Cam Ranh Military Port (Khanh Hoa Province). This ship will take us across thousands of nautical miles to the northern part of Truong Sa island district with the islands of Sinh Ton Dong, Song Tu Tay, Co Lin, Len Dao, Da Thi, Sinh Ton, and Da Nam.

Sacred Mission

While struggling with my suitcase and heavy backpack of working equipment at the port, a sailor's arm reached out with a warm smile to help me onto the ship. "Don't worry, journalist, all your luggage will be delivered to your private room. Welcome to Truong Sa..." The shimmering sunlight intertwined with his weather-beaten eyes and warm voice, was the first impression of one of the sailors on that special Navy ship.

Captain - Major Le Van Lam is commanding the anchoring of Ship 571 at Cam Ranh Military Port. (Photo: Nguyen Nguyen)

Welcoming the first dawn on the ship, Major Le Van Lam, Captain of Ship 571, stood on the deck looking out to Truong Sa archipelago. He began the story: “With the sacred consciousness of being the bridge connecting the mainland with the distant sea and islands, the crew of Ship 571 all carry within themselves the honor and pride of taking on this great responsibility. Each time we go to Truong Sa, it is not just a simple cargo and passenger ship. This is a journey filled with the trust, love, admiration, and sharing of hardships from relatives, soldiers and people from all three regions of the country to the officers, soldiers and compatriots in the sacred Vietnamese land in the middle of the ocean.”

Around noon, getting on the boat to Song Tu Tay Island, the officer steering the boat skillfully steered the boat, riding the waves like a talented artist drawing white foam curves in the middle of the blue East Sea. The sailors on Ship 571 now understood very well the "character" of the unusual waves and sharp coral reefs on the Truong Sa archipelago.

“The mainland, please be steadfast, we have the responsibility to preserve the sacred islands and continental shelf of the Fatherland and bring the warmth of the mainland back to the mainland, bringing back the trust of officers, soldiers and people on remote islands to the mainland” - Major Lam firmly affirmed. With decades of military experience, he was trained thoroughly at the Naval Academy. In early 2024, he officially took on the task of Captain of Ship 571.

The days when Ship 571 set sail were stormy and rough. Despite the 4-5m high waves, the ship was rocking up and down with strong vibrations and seasickness, but we were still drawn to Major Lam's story. He said that each business trip like this always left him with many impressions, associated with the unique colors of each group, people from each region expressed through costumes, music, cuisine...

The busy daily work of the "feeders" of the logistics team of Ship 571. (Photo: Tran Nguyen Phong)

The Central people are honest and simple in their songs. The Central Highlanders will bring the sounds of gongs in the dance of the mountains, the Northwest will have the sounds of strings and panpipes full of love and charm. Or the Southerners will have the romantic and charming Don Ca Tai Tu, while the Northerners will have Quan Ho Giao Duyen or the passionate and sweet Cheo tunes. However, they all have the same way of expressing their intense emotions for the sea and islands of their homeland. That is why they stand still on the deck for hours, as if they want to remember as much and as carefully as possible the beauty of the sea and sky of the Fatherland, from the white-capped waves whispering day and night to the seagulls circling to catch the flying fish that jump up and fly up...

When mentioning his job, Major Lam emphasized that, for him and all officers and soldiers of Ship 571, the missions they carry out are basically favorable and each voyage often brings a lot of joy. Then there are missions that contain many dangers such as participating in search and rescue in bad weather conditions. The memories he remembers most are the trips to rescue fishing boats in distress.

Political activities on Ship 571 of Navy soldiers. (Photo: Tran Nguyen Phong)

“The waves were level 7 and 8. We received orders from the command post but only knew the area where the boat had broken down and was drifting, but did not know the exact coordinates. I still commanded the mobile ship to search, and finally discovered and approached the target to rescue and pull it back to safety. At that time, the boat was swaying on waves up to 5 meters high, and even the strongest person could still get seasick. But since it was a sacred mission, the spirit of being ready to fight overcame the obstacles and difficulties,” said Mr. Lam.

The silent heroes

When stepping down from the CQ speedboats connecting the big ships to the docks of the islands, served by the officers of Ship 571, everyone felt secure because they were like solid supports. I cannot forget the moment when returning from Sinh Ton Dong Island to Ship 571, just about 400m away from the island, the tide was low, the shallow rocks in front of the dock emerged as if waiting to puncture the bottom of the boat. The boat hit the rocks continuously, making continuous popping and scraping sounds.

CQ speedboat of Ship 571 is on duty. (Photo: Tran Nguyen Phong)

Many people's eyes showed anxiety and worry. Captain Thong, who was driving the boat, stopped the engine and dove into the sea to check the water level. Half a minute later, he surfaced and told everyone to rest assured. Back on the boat, Thong turned the wheel to another direction, riding the waves, letting the strong sea breeze dry his hair and uniform. "Sometimes we still encounter situations like that and have to quickly judge the situation, handle it directly, and avoid making everyone worry. Ensuring the safety of the working group is the duty of all of us" - with a warm and decisive Nghe accent, Thong affirmed from the responsibility of an experienced crew member.

Then there was a captain who looked very energetic in his work and was always open to everyone, but few people knew how he had quietly overcome life's difficulties. In the past few years, his healthy wife unfortunately suffered from a serious illness and had to quit her job (as a teacher) for treatment. Yet her husband was always away, having to send his first child to Ho Chi Minh City for relatives to take care of and educate. Whenever he took a leave, he spent every moment to be with his wife and children. When he went on a business trip, he was absorbed in ships and boats...

CQ speedboat cut through the waves to take the working group to Song Tu Tay island. (Photo: NSNA Nguyen Thanh Hai)

Going to the end of the ship down to the C floor, I met the Navy "foster brothers". During the entire voyage, they served hundreds of people 3 delicious meals a day, but they still took good care of them, forgetting whether they had had time to sleep or not. They were people like Chef Quyet, Major Son or soldier Linh... At first, ensuring military supplies was also "tense", but now they are too used to the "spinning" of welcoming one group after another of Ship 571.

According to Colonel Do Hai Dang, Deputy Political Commissar of Brigade 146, Naval Region 4 - Head of the working group, in order to have breakfast for the whole group at 6am, the logistics team had to be busy in the kitchen of only 20m2 at 3am. Hundreds of meals, on land is already difficult, on the narrow ship, it is especially difficult when the waves are big and the wind is strong, the pots and pans on the stove keep jumping around as if they have legs.

Despite the hardships, no one complained. When I saw them, I heard their words of encouragement: “Is the food to my taste? Please give me your honest feedback”, “Are you guys seasick? If you can’t swallow the rice, let us know so we can make porridge”… While busy in the small, hot kitchen, quickly wiping the sweat from his forehead, Chef Quyet smiled and said: “Can you take a souvenir photo for me?”. They are part of my memories, memories of the proud trip to Truong Sa.

* Next article: Bright and proud youth

Tran Nguyen Phong

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/truong-sa-tha-thiet-thieng-lieng-bai-1-kinh-ngu-trang-tren-bien-dong-long-gio-post545150.html