From Eye Island, the echoes of Bach Dang River are heard.

(Baonghean) -Arriving at Mat Island, we seemed to see here and there the silhouettes of our ancestors who went to open up new territories with the "Hoang Sa team" and "Bac Hai team" on simple wooden boats overcoming storms and waves to affirm the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Mat Island is like a sacred lamp in the storm, like a protector of the sacred land, sea and sky of the homeland. Following the heroic tradition of our ancestors for the sake of our beautiful country, today's Mat Island soldiers are always determined to overcome all difficulties to protect the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland...

Cua Hoi - where Lam River flows into the mother sea on a peaceful June morning: fresh and salty water quietly blend, the deep green casuarina forest rustles on the white sand bank. From Cua Hoi, looking far away to the open sea only about 25 km away, Mat Island faintly appears and disappears under the curve of countless waves. Each loud whistle sounds as if earnestly bidding farewell to the mainland, the ship carrying the delegation of the Party Committee of Nghe An province's agencies from Cua Hoi heads to Mat Island; a few vendors around the port rush to bring aboard several barrels of clean water "to give to the soldiers on the island, this season there is a great shortage of water"... The ship of Nghe An Province's Military Command takes us through the waves, our hearts are cheerfully looking towards the horizon. Going out to sea in the summer, the East Sea's sunshine is golden like honey, the sky is vast and blue, the vast waves are surging and splashing white foam.

In front of the vast sea, someone in the group hummed to everyone the story of King Le Thanh Tong riding a dragon boat through this seaport to punish the invading Champa army... In the opposite direction of the sea route, each ship was returning to the fishing port, the smiles of the owners of the sea sparkling as if announcing the good news of a bumper harvest. The wind blew on the surface of the sea, creating waves - the waves helped push the boats laden with shrimp and fish back to shore - the wind and waves were singing a heroic song honoring the fishermen who stuck to the sea day and night, overcoming the power of nature. A colleague half-narrated, half-analogy for us: Fishermen are like warriors guarding the land and sky of the Fatherland in the ocean, like living milestones affirming the eternal sovereignty of the national territorial waters.

After only nearly two hours of struggling with the waves, many people in the group were already quite tired (That shows the great feats of our ancestors with the "Hoang Sa team", "Bac Hai team" on simple wooden boats overcoming storms and waves to affirm the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland)... Heroic Mat Island appears firmly in the middle of the ocean like the strength of a wall guarding against storms for the mainland to have favorable weather and abundant crops. The island has an extremely important meaning in the defense and economic situation of Nghe An province. During the war against the US, to conquer it, the enemy dropped more than 4,000 tons of bombs and ammunition on it.

Leading the delegation to the island, Lieutenant Colonel Truong Duc Thuan, Military Command of Nghe An Province, who is over 50 years old this year, enthusiastically introduced about Mat Island: In the middle of the ocean, Mat Island is also known as the "eye of the sea", the soldiers not only guard and protect the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland, but also protect and shelter fishermen in storms or sea storms or unexpected accidents, up to now, the officers and soldiers of Mat Island have promptly rescued hundreds of people in distress. Like our soldiers in beloved Truong Sa, Mat Island soldiers always overcome all the difficulties of life far from the mainland, family, poor living conditions, harsh climate, day and night trying to train, ready to fight, completing their tasks well, worthy of the heroic tradition of the island, of the Vietnam People's Army. During the war against the US, Company 32 - today's Mat Island Mixed Battalion, had 9 brave soldiers sacrificed... Listening to his sometimes enthusiastic, sometimes sad voice, I suddenly remembered two lines of poetry by King Tran Nhan Tong, who was moved by the first resistance war against the Yuan-Mongol: "The white-haired soldiers are still there/ Forever telling the story of Nguyen Phong".

“The ship has returned home!” The ship’s pilot shouted loudly amid the bright smiles of the island soldiers who were welcoming them; the hugs were tight, the hands were tightly held, so affectionate. The salty sea breeze warmed the affection between the army and the people, of relatives who had not seen each other for a long time. The solidly built stone steps starting from the winding dock took them to visit the places where the island soldiers lived, where they trained and prepared for combat. In the group, there were people who had been to Mat Island many times, but each time they came, they were surprised by the changes on the island. Under the hands of the soldiers, beautiful gardens with freshwater tanks, vegetable gardens, chicken, pig and goat pens; barracks, houses, traditional and spacious meeting rooms were systematically planned and built on rocks and gravel. The lighting system and dozens of clean energy wind turbines were in the process of completion. On the island now, not only do they have phones, but they can also freely access and exploit the Internet, helping soldiers feel closer to the daily life of the mainland and integrate with the world.

Captain Nguyen Manh Hung - Battalion Commander of the Mat Island Mixed Battalion confided: All soldiers are familiar with and adapted to island life; along with the task of training and guarding the island, the effort to improve the material and living conditions on the island is also a practical action, first of all directly improving the lives of the soldiers, then contributing to affirming the country's solid sovereignty over the sea and islands, contributing to the successful implementation of the Resolution on Vietnam's Sea Strategy to 2020. On the island, the soldiers are all very young. Promoting the spirit of youth, youth volunteers closely following the theme "Vietnamese Wisdom, Vietnamese Youth for the sustainable development of the sea and islands of the Fatherland" to build the island with practical initiatives such as: making bulletin boards to update daily information, taking care of youth gardens, growing vegetables without soil, terraced gardens to increase production, repairing spring water pipes, rainwater tanks, and undertaking on-site livestock farming. Currently, the island has 7 basic terraced vegetable gardens that ensure enough green vegetables for the hot season, and all kinds of livestock to ensure fresh food... activities are always well maintained, and military discipline is strictly maintained.

Coming to offer incense at the Memorial of the soldiers who heroically sacrificed to protect the island, to protect the sovereignty of the Fatherland, we felt like we were absorbing more of the blood and bones that our ancestors shed to shape the country forever. Visiting Battery 3 of Platoon 2, which is on duty with its cannons reaching out to the sea to guard the sea and sky, to be more aware of the sacred duty of preserving and promoting the good values ​​passed down by our ancestors. Coming to Mat Island, we saw part of the hardships but also the pride of the island soldiers. Sergeant Tran Trong Hoan, from Hung Nguyen, talked about the daily difficulties that the island soldiers face: The life of a soldier on the island is especially difficult in terms of fresh water, especially in the summer, the soldiers save water for daily use as much as possible. Sometimes it feels hot, but as an island soldier, you are used to this feeling.

Under the shade of the trees on the island, Captain Nguyen Thanh Trung - Deputy Political Commissar said: Every season has its difficulties and advantages. Every shortage will gradually become familiar... The elders of the past crossed Truong Son to save the country, which was much more difficult but they still did it. Up to now, we, the next generation, have promoted the tradition of the previous generation, overcoming difficulties to complete the tasks assigned by the Party, State and Army, and successfully complete the task of protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Soldiers in the middle of the ocean, after hours of training, immerse themselves in volleyball and soccer sports activities; sing loudly to drown out the sound of the waves, the singing eases homesickness, warms the soldiers' hearts. The exchange with the island soldiers begins with the shoulder-to-shoulder, neck-to-neck, and hand-to-hand microphone singing about the Party, about Uncle Ho, about the sea and islands, Truong Sa... Mat Island is always noisy and harsh because of the four seasons of waves, wind and the saltiness of the ocean. However, the will of the young soldiers remains steadfast and resilient, like the statue of Saint Tran and Emperor Quang Trung carved into the island in the middle of the East Sea.

In the afternoon, the golden sunlight seemed to brighten again. The sun - the place where life begins - set over the distant mountains inland; The night curtain fell, the coastal town of Cua Lo was brightly lit up by festival lights... The cold moon late at night, the island soldier confided in the story of a pure heart and two heavy shoulders, one side had the duty of staying to guard the sea and islands of the Fatherland, the other side was the burning nostalgia for the mainland, the heavy burden of family... The night turned towards dawn, the sea changed, on the horizon, the ruby ​​​​light of dawn was seen. Amidst the sound of the wind and the waves, I heard the echo of the "eternal heroic poem" Bach Dang Giang Phu by the famous scholar Truong Han Sieu of the Tran Dynasty, praising the glorious victory of our ancestors in defeating the invaders at the Bach Dang River mouth, sung majestically by a young soldier... The poem says: "Dang River is a long and terrifying strip/ The red waves roll towards the Eastern Sea/... The Southern sky gives birth to heroes/ The sound of the waves is quiet, the country is stable/... A thousand years of contemplating the peaceful life/ Wherever the land is dangerous, it is because of one's high virtue.

Thanh Chung