People from Luong region on the Gulf of Tonkin
I jokingly told him that he was "a native of Luong on the Gulf of Tonkin." He laughed heartily, his eyes behind his glasses seemingly capturing the setting sun's rays on the waves. He said, "It's strange, but since childhood, from selling rice cakes and pastries at Luong market, to frolicking on the Lam River and in the fields, I never imagined I'd be so attached to the sea and its waves. And then I fell in love with the sea as much as I love my homeland!"
Content:Dao Tuan /Present:Hong Toai• 07/05/2026
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I jokingly told him that he was "a native of Luong on the Gulf of Tonkin." He laughed heartily, his eyes behind his glasses seemingly capturing the setting sun's rays on the waves. He said, "It's strange, but since childhood, from selling rice cakes and pastries at Luong market, to frolicking on the Lam River and in the fields, I never imagined I'd be so attached to the sea and its waves. And then I fell in love with the sea as much as I love my homeland!"
Driven by his love for the sea, this man in his fifties has traveled thousands of nautical miles, from Tran Island - Co To, Cat Ba, Con Co to Truong Sa and Hoang Sa. He is Lieutenant Colonel Le Manh Thuong - a propaganda officer, Political Department, Command of Coast Guard Region 1.
I first met him during a joint patrol between the Vietnam Coast Guard and the China Coast Guard in the vicinity of the demarcation line in the Gulf of Tonkin. On board the CSB 8004, he was in his blue uniform, with a camera strapped to his chest and a video camera in his hand. Initially, I wasn't very impressed. But in the following days, whenever I needed information about the trip, propaganda content, or data about the flagship 8004, I was always directed to him: "Ask Mr. Mạnh Thường," "He knows the most!" We were even advised: "Before publishing, you should ask Mr. Mạnh Thường to review it to ensure correct terminology." When I submitted my article, he smiled kindly: "I've participated in the most joint patrols, so I have some experience, and people ask me to review it to make the propaganda more effective."
Interestingly, Mạnh Thường has made 26 voyages with the Coast Guard. He knows every island and every point along the demarcation line of the Gulf of Tonkin like the back of his hand. “This trip is from Point 21 to Point 9. Point 21 is on the same level as Quảng Trị!” he said, then pointed west: “The sea and sky are vast; I feel sorry for our fishermen whose boats are as numerous as leaves, yet they still come all the way here to fish.”
During my time aboard the CSB 8004, whenever I had a free moment, I would visit his small cabin on the second floor at the bow. In that cramped space were his laptop, video camera, still camera, memory cards… From here, reports, news, and articles were sent ashore to the Vietnam Maritime Magazine, VTV, VOV, and many other media outlets.
From his cabin, which bobbed gently with the waves, every day at 5 PM, we listened to the news report he produced: It covered the day's activities of the working group, the coordinates of the areas they had visited, the history of each sea region... For those venturing out to sea for the first time, it was invaluable information. He said, "I'm used to it, so I write quickly and read quickly, and my superiors are confident in assigning me tasks." He is also a regular contributor to the Nghe An Newspaper and radio and television: "Some years I received tens of millions of dong in royalties from your newspaper!" he proudly boasted.
“A man from Do Luong on the Gulf of Tonkin” – that’s what I told Lieutenant Colonel Le Manh Thuong, but that’s not enough to describe the vast ocean he’s traveled. Few people know that this man from Do Luong has visited the Truong Sa archipelago 13 times. Even more remarkable are his two trips to the Hoang Sa archipelago. That was during the time we were relentlessly fighting against China’s placement of the Haiyang 981 oil rig 80 nautical miles deep within Vietnam’s continental shelf, in our Hoang Sa waters. At that time, Manh Thuong participated in two missions totaling 56 days and nights at sea. He not only reported and disseminated information but also acted as a bridge in propaganda efforts, supporting domestic and international reporters and journalists in covering this event.
“How did you manage that? Don’t you get tired from all that time at sea?” I asked. With a radiant smile, Mạnh Thường replied, “There have been countless times I’ve been exhausted by rough seas and long voyages, but who told me I chose the Coast Guard uniform to dedicate myself to this!”
Each day, little by little, surprises about this man from Luong province kept unfolding before me. For example, his profile: He graduated from the Faculty of Theater, Film and Creative Writing, Military University of Culture and Arts (Film and Television Screenwriting major). Hidden beneath his blue military uniform and the rank of Lieutenant Colonel was a journalist and writer. Manh Thuong was a member of the Vietnam Writers Association and the Hai Phong Writers Association. He could have become an independent writer, screenwriter, or director, or joined military art units, but he chose the Coast Guard. As he said from the beginning, it was because "I truly love the sea." That's why he wrote the screenplay for the film "Grave of the Wind," which was directed by the late People's Artist Nguyen Huu Phan.
Furthermore, a look at his "intellectual offspring" reveals that Mạnh Thường was born by the Lam Giang River but embraced and nurtured by the sea: Short story collections: "The Sound of the Island" - Vietnam Writers Association Publishing House (2011), "The Sea Cries" - People's Army Publishing House (2013); Memoir "The Loyal Soldiers Guarding the Sea" - People's Army Publishing House (2016); Essay collections: "Sentiments of a Seaman - A Message to the Seagulls" - People's Army Publishing House (2020), "The Colors of the Square-leaved Banyan Tree on the Street" - Essay collection - Literature Publishing House (2022)...
In one of his articles, he confided: “The desires and aspirations to escape the confines of my village, to leave my hometown river and cross the ocean gradually accumulated, becoming ambitions and motivating me to study and strive for success. And the baggage I carry after more than 30 years in the military includes voyages with ships to all the beloved seas and islands throughout the length of our homeland, and a few voyages to some countries in the region and around the world. For me personally, those voyages are a great treasure, filled with countless memories of a soldier who dared to live his whole life with the sea.”
What's even more remarkable is that, despite living and working in the port city of Hai Phong, he still uses the pen name "Lam Giang" as a way to remember his hometown and live up to the legacy of the place where he was born.
Writer Le Manh Thuong.
Member of the Vietnam Writers Association.
Pen name: Lam Giang.
Prize:- First Prize - Short Story - Hai Phong Union of Literature and Arts Associations, 2008.
- Journalism and Arts Awards of the Ministry of National Defense for the period 2009-2014 (Volume)
short story "The Sea Weeps".
- Ministry of National Defence Journalism and Arts Award for the period 2009-2014 (Film)
(from the movie "Grave of the Wind").
- Award for best work in Vietnam People's Army Magazine 2014 (Essay "The Sacred Soul of Waves")
"Hoang Sa country".
- Award from the "Seaside Magazine" - Hai Phong Union of Literature and Arts Associations, 2014.
- Award for the Short Story & Essay Contest - Cu Bien Magazine - Association
Hai Phong Union of Literature and Arts in 2016.
- Gold Medal at the National Television Festival
34 years, 2014.
- Award from the National Committee of Vietnamese Associations of Literature and Arts in 2016 (Collection of essays)
"The loyal soldiers who protect the sea."
- Journalism and Arts Award for writing on the Navy in 2020 (Collection of essays)
"The sentiments of a sailor - a message to a seagull."
- Second Prize in the writing contest "The Inviolability of Sea and Island Sovereignty"
Organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper in 2021.
- Gold Award - 13th All-Army Television Festival, 2021.
- Second Prize of the Central Propaganda Department - Creative Writing and Advertising Campaign
Promoting journalistic and artistic works on "Studying and following the ideology, ethics, and traditions"
"Ho Chi Minh Way" in 2023.
- Silver Award - 14th All-Army Television Festival, 2024.
- Journalism Award "For the Cause of National Unity"
16th time, 2023-2024…
