Lesson 3: Vietnamese Soul in the Middle of the Ocean

(Baonghean) - In the middle of the harsh wind and sun of the ocean, the once white-sand coral island of Truong Sa is now green and full of life. The army and people on Truong Sa Island are working side by side day and night to build a modern and developed Truong Sa Town, gradually taking on the appearance of a solid Vietnamese coastal city at the forefront.

During the voyage to Truong Sa archipelago, due to the rough sea, we once missed our appointment with Truong Sa island. During a long week at sea, the HQ 571 ship had to anchor in shallow waters near Da Tay island, which the sailors colloquially called "Da Tay lake", waiting for the opportunity to dock at Truong Sa island. The reporters were all impatient and impatient, not only because of the waiting time but also because of the excitement of setting foot on this famous island. Finally, the sun was rising on the horizon, the updated weather information showed that the sea was calmer and more peaceful. On the morning of the last day of 2013, the ship decided to weigh anchor towards Truong Sa island. The journey was only 22 nautical miles long, meaning it took about 2 hours to reach the finish line. Everyone crowded onto the deck, watching each wave pass by the bow of the ship. Truong Sa island finally appeared in the early morning mist. The crew announced that everyone was required to go into their cabins to ensure safety when the ship docked.

School hours of the children on the island.

As soon as we stepped onto the island, we were really surprised, thinking we were in a Vietnamese village on the mainland. Truong Sa town not only had basic investment in electricity, roads, schools, and medical stations, but also had cultural and spiritual addresses. Uncle Ho Memorial House - a gift from Nghe An became a familiar visiting address for officers, soldiers, and people on the island. It was like a red address educating tradition and patriotism in the hearts of every Vietnamese child in the middle of the ocean. Not far away was Truong Sa Lon Pagoda with its architectural style imbued with the characteristics of a Vietnamese village communal house. None of us thought we were in Truong Sa, an archipelago more than 250 nautical miles from the mainland.

Not yet overcome with the feeling of surprise because of the familiar space, we continued walking along the roads shaded by the square-leafed banyan trees to visit the people on the island. A spacious, solid fishing village located close to the shore with the sound of waves. The life of the fishing village people takes place peacefully, like any other fishing village on the mainland. In the morning, dark-skinned, strong men go to sea to fish, women take their children to school, do housework and participate in social activities of Truong Sa Town. Stop by the house of fisherman Le Duc Phat, originally from Ninh Thuy commune, Ninh Hoa district (Khanh Hoa) when he is busy repairing his nets to prepare for the year-end fishing trips before Tet holiday.

Mr. Phat is 34 years old this year but looks very young! With a typical, lively South Central accent, he shared: “Here, the people and the army are very united! So although life is more disadvantaged than on the mainland, everyone's mindset is steadfast, determined to stay here to both develop the economy and contribute to protecting the sovereignty of the homeland's sea and islands.” While talking, his wife, Nguyen Thi Bich Ha, picked up their two children from school. Different from the image of a crowded family often seen in a fishing village, after 8 years of marriage, the couple only has 2 children, the eldest is Le Duc Tinh (7 years old) and the youngest is Le Duc Toan (4 years old). When asked why they have so few children in the fishing industry? Ms. Ha smiled and honestly answered: “Just stopping at two children is enough. Only then can we invest in their education. Now, no one in our fishing village has a third child.” In the remote island, Ms. Ha’s sentiments are also the progressive views of many citizens in Truong Sa Island. They are more confident when the educational infrastructure is invested in and built quite spaciously, impressively, with relatively adequate teaching and learning equipment.

Right next to the “fishing village” is a spacious two-story school built by the Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund – Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper, donated under the “For Beloved Truong Sa Students” Program. The day we arrived, teachers and students were in the last lessons of the year, before the students went home for Tet with their families. In the first grade classroom, teacher Dong Minh Hiep was reviewing Vietnamese for the students. The students’ voices reading the letters clearly and evenly echoed in the sound of the sea breeze, seeming to echo and fly further. Teacher Hiep was born in 1991, from Dien Khanh district (Khanh Hoa), with a small, scholarly figure.

After graduating from Nha Trang Pedagogical College, Hiep volunteered to teach in Truong Sa archipelago. In the same class as Hiep, there were two other friends who are now teaching on other islands in the archipelago. Under the shade of the banyan tree, Hiep recalled the impressions of his extremely "stormy" journey to the island: "The first time I went to sea, two days and two nights on a ship drifting on the sea, I was seasick and couldn't eat or drink anything. In my mind, I kept thinking about getting to the island quickly. But it passed, now every day I get to teach the students is a joy for me." As soon as Mr. Hiep finished speaking, the mischievous, dark-skinned student Nguyen Phong Dat sitting next to me innocently interjected: "Uncle! Mr. Hiep taught me a lot of good and useful knowledge! Now I can read and write fluently, and I can do math too. We all love him so we love going to school."

Another colleague of Mr. Hiep is Mr. Pham Trung Viet. He also graduated from Nha Trang College of Education and used to be a teacher at Van Thanh II Primary School, Van Thanh island commune, Van Ninh district (Khanh Hoa). Van Thanh is a poor island commune, the preferential treatment for teachers like Mr. Viet is not small, but suddenly, he volunteered to go to Truong Sa to teach. At first, everyone in the family was surprised and had many opposing opinions, but in the end, when they understood the ideals of their children and siblings, everyone agreed and supported him to go to the island to work. On Truong Sa island, although the subject is primary school, because the number of students is still small, he is in charge of teaching kindergarten. Seeing Viet carefully instructing and caressing the young bamboo shoots of Truong Sa town like a father, few people know that deep in his soul there is a private feeling.

Teacher Viet and his hometown girl Le Thi Nhu Tuyet decided to get married after 3 years of love. Seeing the handsome man and beautiful woman become husband and wife, everyone in the family and village was happy and blessed them. But after less than 2 months of living together, the couple had not yet had time to get to know each other when Viet decided to go to Truong Sa island to teach. Now, Tuyet still works as an accountant on shore every day, he teaches on a remote island, and every day the couple only knows how to share their longing through phone calls. "When I volunteered to come here, she was very supportive, even encouraging. I just felt sorry for my wife who had to take care of all the family matters at home. If only we had had our child, she would definitely be less lonely and sad, especially during holidays like this" - Teacher Pham Trung Viet choked up and confided. “No matter what, my spirit and ideology were clearly determined before I left, so I was determined not to let my personal thoughts waver. The students here need me, they need to learn,” Mr. Viet firmly affirmed. At that moment, the young teacher’s eyes lit up with determination and belief. Looking at the scene of innocent children running to hug the teacher’s shoulders, I realized how precious those silent sacrifices were.

Saying goodbye to the special classes, we continued to be absorbed in the impressive pieces of the Truong Sa picture, time passed by without us noticing. At night, standing from the 27m high peak of the large Truong Sa lighthouse, looking out over the whole scene, the island town shone brightly like a diamond in the middle of the vast dark sea. Lieutenant Dang Van Toi - a native of Yen Thanh, Nghe An, in charge of the island's power grid, stood by happily and said: "Currently, the whole island has 21 wind fans and nearly 500 solar panels producing about 40KwA of electricity a day, serving enough lighting needs and other activities for both officers, soldiers and people on the island. Truong Sa is still far from the mainland in some places, but the electricity alone may be more modern, comrade reporter. Because it is all clean energy".

Truong Sa Island - the "heart" of the Truong Sa pearl chain in the Southeast of the East Sea is bursting with life every day. During the days living here, in the middle of the vast ocean, we realized that patriotism is not something too lofty. It is simply the silent sacrifices of teachers, the sounds of children spelling out words or the steadfast heart of the Vietnamese people who stick to Truong Sa in the midst of storms and tempests... All are very familiar, but in Truong Sa, it has created a space imbued with Vietnamese character, sublime, calm and strangely proud.

Dao Tuan - Thanh Duy