"General's Flower Garden" on Son Ca Island

(Baonghean) - Visiting Son Ca Island, one not only admires the resilient soldiers who stand firm at the forefront of the waves and winds, but is also amazed by the flower garden named after General Vo Nguyen Giap, with its many colorful flowers. This garden not only affirms life in a place with abundant sunshine and wind, but also a scarcity of fresh water and vegetables, and represents the gratitude of the officers and soldiers of the heroic Son Ca Island towards their elder brother in the People's Armed Forces.

FLOWER SEEDLINGS BRAVE THE WAVES TO REACH THE ISLAND

To commemorate and express gratitude for the immense contributions of General Vo Nguyen Giap, in early 2014, the Son Ca Island Command launched a plan to build a "General Vo Nguyen Giap Flower Garden" within the unit's grounds. But where would they get the flower seeds, and how would they plant them in this harsh climate, when the soldiers only knew how to grow vegetables? The island's command held a meeting and determined: No matter how difficult, they had to plant the flower garden; it was both a duty and an expression of gratitude to the General.

In March 2014, numerous ships from the mainland carried delegations across the sea. On each ship, in addition to goods and gifts, were many potted flower seedlings brought to the island by soldiers according to pre-orders. Although it was "March," a month when the sea is calm and the weather was quite favorable, transporting these flower seedlings to the island was not easy. For seedlings, saltwater damage renders them completely unusable, especially flowers like chrysanthemums and gladioli. Therefore, the process of transporting flowers from the mainland to the island faced many difficulties. Lieutenant Vuong Huy Tho, head of the General's flower garden care team, said that due to the long and arduous journey at sea, keeping the roots fresh in the rough seas and salty conditions was the top priority.

The delegation from the mainland arrived at Son Ca Island (Spratly Islands).

After the flower seedlings were gathered on the island, the second step was sowing and nurturing them. The soil for planting, in addition to being brought from the mainland, was also dug up from the island's interior. Hundreds of man-days of soldier labor were mobilized. After training sessions, the young soldiers would take their pickaxes and dig up the pristine soil within the island. This soil was free from salinity and gravel. A layer of loose, humus-rich soil was spread on the surface, and a layer of loamy soil brought from the mainland underneath retained moisture. Chrysanthemums, gladioli, and bougainvillea were planted in designated areas. Surrounding the 200m² flower garden were coral rocks of various shapes, brought by the soldiers from the island's slopes. In the center was a cluster of yellow chrysanthemums shaped like a five-pointed golden star. “To create the flower garden named after the General in the middle of Truong Sa, our officers and soldiers utilized their two weekend days off and time after training to build it. Creating the General's flower garden is one of the four criteria for building a strong island, and it also reflects the affection of our officers and soldiers for the elder brother of the army. We consider this a sacred duty,” shared Lieutenant Colonel Bui Xuan Le, Political Officer of Son Ca Island.

CULTURAL PARK IN THE MIDDLE OF A REMOTE ISLAND

Amidst the vast sea and islands, officers, soldiers, and visitors from the mainland gathered before the flower garden named after General Vo Nguyen Giap. All bowed in reverence. The night before the inauguration of the General's Flower Garden, almost the entire island was sleepless. Many young soldiers sang and played music all night, waiting for dawn. Everyone wanted to do something meaningful, considering it a gesture of respect and affection for the General.

A corner of the "General's Flower Garden" on Son Ca Island.

After its completion, the "General's Flower Garden" became a meeting place for interaction and conversation among generations of officers and soldiers on the island. It also serves as a place for educating about the glorious traditions of the Vietnam People's Army; telling stories about the heroic martyrs of Truong Sa who bravely fell in the heart of the mother sea. For Son Ca Island to be strong in defense, beautiful in its environment, and full of the bond between the military and civilians as it is today, many Truong Sa soldiers have forever rested in the blue sea at a very young age. This tradition, like a silent command, urges the soldiers of Son Ca Island to continue writing the heroic epic left behind by generations of officers and soldiers of the Vietnam Navy.

The General's Flower Garden features many types of flowers, including ancient trees transported from the mainland. These ancient trees symbolize the previous generation of officers and soldiers reaching out to the sky, surrounded by young green saplings representing the young generation of Son Ca Island today, always ready to defend the island and protect the sea and sky in all situations. Lieutenant Vuong Huy Tho, head of the garden care team, said: “The garden is cared for with a special regime. During the dry season, the trees remain lush and green because of the water supply system that brings water from other areas to the garden for irrigation, so the trees thrive. However, during the harsh sea winds, which bring in a lot of salt spray, the trees on the island dry up and their leaves burn. Only the Terminalia catappa, Terminalia catappa, and Terminalia chebula trees can withstand it; other species need protection to grow. Therefore, planting and caring for trees on the island is a very difficult and arduous task. Every soldier who comes to the island for duty brings a flowering plant to plant. Every soldier plants a flowering plant before completing their service and returning to the mainland. This is considered a gesture of gratitude to the General.”

Now, the "General's Flower Garden" on Son Ca Island serves as both a meeting place for heartfelt conversations and a sacred cultural landmark for officers and soldiers. After a hard day of training, and during moments of longing for the mainland after guard duty in the misty, windy sea, visiting the General's Flower Garden strengthens their love for the sea and islands, and their resolve to firmly protect the sovereignty of the Fatherland.

Text and photos:

Mai Thang

(Vung Tau)