Early Spring at the Nghe An Provincial Police Detention Center
In the final days of the year, as the festive atmosphere of Tet (Lunar New Year) filled the streets, a warm year-end meal was held at the Nghe An Provincial Police Detention Center, bringing an early spring to the inmates serving their sentences. More than just a hearty meal with traditional Tet flavors, it was also a gesture of encouragement and sharing from the Detention Center's management and correctional officers, helping those who had made mistakes to regain faith and determination to reform themselves so they could soon return to their families and society.
The New Year's Eve dinner dispels homesickness.
On the afternoon of February 12th (the 25th day of the 12th lunar month), amidst the festive atmosphere of the year-end, the Nghe An Provincial Police Detention Center held a year-end meal for inmates serving sentences there. This year, 108 inmates participated in the meal in a warm and solemn atmosphere. This activity has become a tradition for many years, demonstrating the unit's care and concern for the spiritual well-being of inmates during the Lunar New Year season.
After the brief but heartfelt New Year's greetings from the representative of the prison management unit, the atmosphere in the hall became warm and intimate. Touching glances and rare smiles in this prison setting seemed to dispel some of the inherent sense of isolation and closed-offness.
This year's New Year's Eve feast is fully prepared with dishes that embody the traditional flavors of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year: green sticky rice cakes, golden boiled chicken, crispy and spicy pickled vegetables, bone broth soup with root vegetables, and sweet and refreshing fruits… Each dish not only evokes the atmosphere of family reunions but also represents the hard work of the inmates throughout their rehabilitation process.
It is known that most of the ingredients for the meal are the result of the prison's own farming activities. The vegetable gardens and poultry are cared for daily, and the preparation, wrapping, and cooking processes are all carried out collaboratively by the inmates and correctional officers. Therefore, the New Year's Eve meal not only signifies reunion but also represents the culmination of each person's efforts, training, and sense of responsibility.
Sitting at the dinner table, inmate Tran Thi T. couldn't hide her emotions: "It's understandable on normal days, but as Tet approaches, everyone misses home and feels the consequences of their mistakes even more acutely. These days, my family is probably cleaning up and preparing for the New Year. The care and attention from the prison management and correctional officers, organizing an early Tet celebration like this, has eased some of our sadness and warmed our hearts considerably. We promise to reform ourselves well so we can return to our families soon."
At another corner of the table, inmate Nguyen Van H. further shared: "Before, I was thoughtless and didn't think much about the value of family meals during Tet. Only when I'm here do I understand the feeling of intense homesickness. Today's meal made me clearly feel the care and encouragement that the officers have for us during these days leading up to Tet. I consider this a motivation to try to correct my mistakes and rebuild my life."
Instilling confidence, fostering motivation for reform.
Along with organizing a warm year-end meal, and acting on behalf of the Provincial Police leadership, the Detention Center presented over 1,700 gifts worth a total of 170 million VND to detainees and prisoners held at the unit and its sub-detention centers, aiming to encourage them to focus on rehabilitation and strictly abide by regulations.
In addition, the unit also presented 100 gifts donated by officers and soldiers to support inmates with particularly difficult circumstances and no visitors, contributing to spreading the spirit of sharing and humanity during the traditional Lunar New Year.
Lieutenant Colonel Chu Quang Thanh, Superintendent of the Nghe An Provincial Police Detention Center, emphasized that organizing the year-end meal is an activity with profound humanitarian significance, clearly demonstrating the lenient and humane policies of the Party and State towards offenders. “We always determine that, in addition to ensuring security and safety, the important goal is to educate and rehabilitate inmates, helping them recognize their mistakes and giving them a chance to correct them. The year-end meal is an opportunity to acknowledge their efforts over the past year, and at the same time, to encourage them to continue striving for better rehabilitation.”
During the Lunar New Year holiday, inmates are given time off from labor and receive a more substantial meal than usual. In addition, the facility organizes many recreational activities to celebrate the New Year, such as volleyball and table tennis competitions, watching television, reading books, and cultural performances by the inmates themselves. These activities not only improve their mental well-being but also create a healthy living environment and strengthen solidarity and camaraderie among the inmates.
For those who, due to geographical distance or difficult economic circumstances, receive few visits from relatives, Tet (Lunar New Year) is often the most disheartening time. Understanding this, the prison management and correctional officers always show care, closeness, and timely encouragement so that they do not feel abandoned. This care, though simple, has become an important source of emotional support.
It can be said that, amidst the seemingly sterile atmosphere of the detention facility, the New Year's Eve meal on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month brought warmth and human connection. There, it wasn't just about green sticky rice cakes, chicken, and a bowl of hot soup, but also about tolerance, sharing, and faith in change.
Spring is fast approaching. And within the Nghệ An Provincial Police Detention Center, spring arrives in its own unique way, through heartwarming family meals, sincere New Year's greetings from officers, and the tearful eyes of inmates when they mention their families.
From such warm year-end meals, faith is sown and determination is strengthened. Then, one day not far off, when the prison gates open, they will return to society with a different mindset, appreciating freedom, cherishing family, and striving to become good citizens, responsible to their families and society.