An - Ngai love

(Baonghean) - During the resistance war against the US to save the country, Nghe An and Quang Ngai were two provinces that became brotherly brothers. Since then, the deep affection between An and Ngai has always been engraved in the hearts of later generations, becoming a beautiful symbol of a heroic and brave time. Today, when the rights of fishermen in Quang Ngai are seriously violated because China illegally placed a drilling rig in Vietnam's continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, the people of Nghe An are not left out...

We, along with the delegation of the City Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and Fatherland Front Committee of Vinh City, arrived in Quang Ngai on a sunny and windy day in mid-July with many different moods. The main task of the trip was to bring the hearts and feelings of the government and people of Vinh City to share the difficulties with the resilient Quang Ngai fishermen who are clinging to the Hoang Sa sea. Comrade Vo Viet Thanh - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Vinh City Party Committee confided that the trip was not simply to bring the money contributed by the people of Vinh City to give to the fishermen of Ly Son island district, but it was also a trip of love and gratitude.

During the resistance war against the US to save the country, to share the hardships and encourage and help each other in fighting and building the country, Nghe An and Quang Ngai became brothers, many localities of the two provinces also became blood brothers. Many village names, mountain names, farm names, construction works in Nghe An were named after some places in Quang Ngai province such as An Ngai Farm, Tra Bong Hotel,... Therefore, all 17 members of the delegation felt that coming to Quang Ngai was like returning to their homeland, returning to their home.

Unable to hide his emotions, when welcoming our delegation by the poetic Tra Khuc River, Comrade Nguyen Chin - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Quang Ngai City Party Committee; Comrade Nguyen Tang Sinh - Chairman of the City People's Committee and leaders of the Quang Ngai City Fatherland Front Committee hugged the members of the delegation like brothers who had met after a long time. "With the affection and sincerity of brothers, we hope that our brother Vinh City with a heroic history of half a century will help Quang Ngai City in some urban development issues as well as strengthen cooperation and exchange experiences in attracting investment", the Chairman of the Quang Ngai City People's Committee confided.

Early the next morning, we left Quang Ngai City, went to the famous Sa Ky port to catch the first boat to Ly Son island district. The atmosphere of Sa Ky port on the days when the East Sea was stormy became unusually bustling with hundreds of tourists and many working groups visiting Ly Son. On the modern high-speed boat, besides fishermen coming and going, there were also many young men and women, many children wearing uniforms printed with the words "Towards the East Sea" or "Hoang Sa, Truong Sa belong to Vietnam". They were students, taking advantage of their summer vacation to come to Ly Son, the outpost island, the gateway to Hoang Sa of the Fatherland. Ly Son is located about 15 nautical miles from the mainland, almost the same distance as Mat Island in Nghe An but the area is 10 times larger with more than 10km2, the population is nearly 22 thousand people. This is the district with the highest population density among the 14 island districts of our country, holding a key position in the East Sea and playing an important role in economic development and protecting the sovereignty and security of the islands. Ly Son fishermen live mainly on seafood exploitation and farming. In particular, the fishing fleet of fishermen always sticks to the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa fishing grounds to exploit seafood and affirm and protect the sacred territorial sovereignty of the Fatherland.

Because it is completely isolated from the mainland and only has trade by sea, with two trips per day, the busiest time on Ly Son Island is in the morning, when the ships just dock. With a strong Quang Nam accent, the leaders of Ly Son Island warmly welcomed the members of the working delegation right at the pier. Ignoring the polite and formal words, the leaders of Ly Son Island immediately reported on the tense situation in the East Sea and the difficulties of fishermen in the district. Since China illegally placed the Haiyang 981 drilling rig in Vietnam's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, fishermen have been the ones who have suffered the most. The location of the drilling rig is right on the vital route to the Hoang Sa fishing grounds of fishermen in the Central region, including fishermen in Ly Son.

This has been a traditional fishing ground for generations of Ly Son people as well as Vietnamese fishermen. However, for more than 2 months now, every time the fishermen's fishing boats go to Hoang Sa, they are blocked and chased away by Chinese ships. To continue to stay at sea, the fishermen have had to go in a detour with a distance twice or three times longer, spending a lot more money and almost every trip is a loss. Not only that, many fishermen have been attacked and arrested by Chinese ships with water cannons, typically at present, 6 Quang Ngai fishermen are still being illegally detained by China... "Never before has the situation at sea been as tense as it is now, the fishing grounds and the lives of fishermen are threatened, but Ly Son fishermen will not give up because this is the sea of ​​their ancestors, they have to go to sea to exploit seafood, to preserve the sacred territory", Comrade Nguyen Tai Luan - Standing Deputy Secretary of Ly Son island district affirmed.

Sympathizing with the difficulties of Ly Son fishermen, the government and people of Vinh City did not stand aside. Responding to the call of the Vietnam Fatherland Front of Vinh City, for more than a month, people in the city have together donated money to help fishermen at sea and the Coast Guard and Fisheries Surveillance forces who are on duty to enforce the law in the area where China illegally placed the drilling rig. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Cat - Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front of Vinh City said that this is a campaign that has received the support of a large number of Vinh City people. As of June 30, the amount of money transferred to the city's Fatherland Front is more than 3 billion VND. In the immediate future, this money will be given to fishermen of Ly Son island district, the Coast Guard force of Region 2 and the Fisheries Surveillance Sub-Department of Region 2 (each unit receives 1 billion VND). In addition, the Fatherland Front of Vinh City will use this money to encourage and visit the Coast Guard and Fisheries Surveillance soldiers from Nghe An who are on law enforcement duty in the Hoang Sa sea area.

The delegation visited and gave gifts to fishermen in Ly Son island district.

Immediately after presenting the 1 billion VND to the fishermen of Ly Son island district, the Vinh City delegation went directly to the households fishing in the Hoang Sa fishing grounds to give gifts and encourage them. Too surprised by the attention of the authorities and people of the faraway Vinh City, Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Nguyet, wife of Captain Le Tuc, could not hold back her tears. Mr. Tuc was the one who had just been injured in the neck by a water cannon sprayed by a Chinese ship. His family's fishing boat was severely damaged, but he was determined not to be afraid or give up. As soon as he finished treating his wound, Mr. Tuc continued to go out to sea to catch sea cucumbers in the Hoang Sa waters.

Mr. Phan Trung Thanh, a fisherman in An Hai commune, Ly Son island district, confided that Hoang Sa and Truong Sa have been our ancestors' traditional fishing grounds for centuries, and are our territory, so Ly Son fishermen have never been afraid. "We will continue to stick to the sea no matter what the circumstances are," Mr. Thanh affirmed. After presenting 4 gifts to 4 fishing households, each worth 3 million VND, Comrade Vo Viet Thanh, Secretary of the Vinh City Party Committee, encouraged the fishermen that behind the resilient fishermen who stick to the sea is the Fatherland, the Vietnamese people. "The people of Vinh City as well as the people of Nghe An always trust the fishermen of Ly Son. You should try to stick to the fishing grounds not only to exploit seafood but also to affirm the territorial sovereignty of the Fatherland. We will always accompany and support you," the Vinh City Party Committee Secretary advised.

Our visit to Ly Son Island became even more meaningful when Comrade Nguyen Thanh, Secretary of Ly Son District Party Committee, expressed to the leaders of Vinh City People's Committee that the government and people of Ly Son Island District really wanted to establish a sisterhood with Vinh City. A covenant ceremony was quickly held between the leaders of the two units, right on the shore of the East Sea. "We have been brothers and comrades and will always be. Future generations will forever remember and further foster the affection between Quang Ngai and Nghe An as well as between Ly Son and Vinh City. The people of Ly Son will never betray the trust of their blood brothers", Comrade Secretary of Ly Son District Party Committee held the hands of each person in the delegation, confided in a simple, sincere but affectionate and meaningful voice.

For us, this is truly a joy, an emotion in the days of the East Sea's turmoil. When the whole country is looking towards Truong Sa and Hoang Sa, the brotherhood covenant between the leaders of the two units becomes more meaningful than ever, this is the clearest proof of the deep love between Nghe An and Quang Ngai, the continuation and multiplication of the good traditions of previous generations.

Nguyen Khoa