Tet of the soldiers who stay at sea to protect the Fatherland

The Coast Guard ship numbered 9004 left Dong Hai port, Hai Phong at 5am. Less than 10 minutes into preparation, the ship accelerated, leaving the mouth of the Cam River, heading out to sea. According to schedule, ship 9004 will arrive at the island in 9 hours of continuous operation. The mission of ship 9004 this time is scheduled to be from 40 to 45 days of patrolling and controlling at sea.

During this mission, more than 20 soldiers on ship 9004 will celebrate Tet at sea. Therefore, the ship has prepared chicken, pork, sticky rice, dong leaves, peach branches and other necessities for both normal and Tet days.

While adjusting the peach blossoms and fruit trays in the living room, Captain Dao Hong Quang, Political Commissar of Ship 9004, shared: “Tet on the ship is as complete as on land, only lacking affection. On the 30th of Tet, the Command leaders wished everyone a Happy New Year via the satellite communication system. Those who are at sea are also at a disadvantage.

Before leaving, the crew had prepared all the supplies to prepare for Tet. That means there will be pork and dong leaves. The ship will organize the slaughter of pigs and the wrapping of banh chung. As for candies and you can see here, peach and apricot flowers have also been prepared and decorated in this spring room as a spring welcoming space at home for the officers and soldiers to celebrate spring here. I have been away from home many times, but this is the first time I have celebrated Tet with the ship at sea.

Managing a long sea area from Quang Ninh to Quang Tri, over the past 3 years, the Coast Guard force under the Command of Coast Guard Region 1 has carried out 26 rescue missions, rescuing 12 boats of various types, and rescuing over 100 fishermen and crew members in distress at sea. During Tet, fishermen still operate at sea, some boats following the fishing routes, even on the 30th, the first day of Tet, they still have not returned to the mainland.

Recalling his first sea trip on a search and rescue mission, Lieutenant Do Tung Lam, a soldier on the CSB 9004 ship, said: “Search and rescue at sea requires a lot of preparation, unlike going on duty where there is a long preparation time. Before going to sea, I liked the sea, but when I went out, I realized how fierce the waves were. But after a few days, because of the mission, I gradually got used to the waves and tried to complete the tasks assigned by my superiors.”

In the afternoon, the tide receded, the CSB 9004 stopped about 2 km from the shore of Bach Long Vy island, all people and goods had to be transferred to a wooden boat with a lower draft. The young soldiers of the 9004 were busy cooking and taking care of the seasick people, now they were busy putting on life jackets to transfer the goods to the island. Wave after wave came, pushing the wooden boat down and up several meters high. It was difficult when the weather was calm and the sea was calm, but when the waves were big and the wind was strong in the middle of the ocean, it was even more difficult.

Bach Long Vi Island is the farthest island district in the Gulf of Tonkin. Bach Long Vi port has a capacity of about 20,000 fishing boats.

Ms. Ly Thi Men, a fisherman in Cat Ba, often stops her ship at Bach Long Vy port, and just received a small gift of a banh chung that was just boiled on ship 9004, saying: “I feel that the border guards and coast guard here care a lot about the people and the people are very satisfied and happy. I just hope that the state agencies, the police, and the coast guard pay more attention to the people to develop the people's maritime industry.”

Fisherman Nguyen Van Nhuan, in Tien Lang, Hai Phong, said: For us, the Border Guard and Coast Guard are close friends. When we are at sea and encounter an accident, these forces are the ones who help us the fastest.

Raising the national flag that had just been presented by the Coast Guard, Mr. Nhuan said: “I feel honored and proud to see the national flag on the roof of the ship. I see the presence of the Fatherland in the East Sea.”

The “hard” task is to patrol and control at sea, but the “soft” task is to be friends with fishermen. Colonel Nguyen Van Tu, Deputy Commander of the Coast Guard Region 1 Command, affirmed this. The task of helping fishermen at sea, in addition to propagating laws and searching and rescuing, the “Accompanying fishermen” programs in coastal and island provinces have achieved good results.

Colonel Nguyen Van Tu said: “The feelings of fishermen as well as people in remote islands are very exciting. I find this model very practical and in the future, according to the directive of the Coast Guard Command, this model will be expanded nationwide. Coastal provinces from Quang Ninh to the Southwest. How can we encourage people to stick to the sea, to protect the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland?”

Hearing the ship’s whistle sounding to greet each other, joy welled up in our hearts. We were happy because Vietnamese fishermen had another companion at sea, and moreover, the lives of the people on Bach Long Vy Island in particular had also improved since then. And in the midst of the “vast ocean”, bringing that peace were the silent sacrifices of the soldiers on duty to protect the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland./.