A naval soldier on Len Dao island carries out his mission to safeguard the country’s sovereignty over the sea and islands. (Photo: VietnamPlus) Hanoi (VNA) - On the Truong Sa (Spratly) – the frontline of the homeland, young naval soldiers are tirelessly fulfilling their duty of guarding every inch of the area, ensuring the steadfast sovereignty of Vietnam over its sea and islands.
Nguyen Phi Hoang, deputy captain of Ship Truong Sa 20, said he and his teammates have been on duty on the vessel near Sinh Ton Dong island for nearly two months. Their daily task is to patrol around the island within a range of 30-40km to chase away foreign fishing vessels showing signs of violating Vietnam's sovereignty over the sea and islands.
Nguyen Phi Hoang, deputy head of Ship Truong Sa 20, and his comrade. (Photo: VietnamPlus) The foreign fishing vessels are numerous, and many of them have the attitude of gradually encroaching upon Vietnam’s territorial waters day by day, he said.
“When I see them encroach, I approach and drive them away, and I use communication and broadcasting to convey our message. In the past two months, our naval force has communicated with more than 50 foreign ships, using languages such as Chinese and English."
Hoang elaborated that in addition to documents provided by the regional naval command, officers on the ship have been trained in Chinese and English to directly broadcast messages to foreign fishing vessels with signs of violations, making them aware and move away. Furthermore, while ready to fight, Ship Truong Sa 20 is always prepared to assist Vietnamese fishermen in distress or emergency situations.
On Len Dao island, soldier Thieu Tan Duong said he is living and protecting maritime sovereignty with the effort and ideals of the younger naval generation. Duong believed that the lessons and experiences gained while performing duties on the island will be life-long assets, enabling each young naval soldier to contribute a small part to the mission of protecting the nation's territory, just as previous generations did with their blood and youth.
Soldier Thieu Tan Duong on Len Dao island. (Photo: VietnamPlus) Vietnam has a coastline of over 3,260km from the North to the South, ranking 27th out of 157 coastal countries, island nations, and territories worldwide. The weather at sea is harsh, with 131 stormy days per year and between 13 and 20 days of strong winds per month.
Nguyen Hoai Bac, a businessman and overseas Vietnamese in Canada. (Photo: VietnamPlus) A member of the working delegation No. 4, which is visiting islands in Truong Sa and the DK1 platform, overseas Vietnamese in Canada Nguyen Hoai Bac expressed his admiration for the strong will of the naval soldiers safeguarding Truong Sa.
According to him, members of the working delegation have a deep sense of the boundless sacrifices made by the group and the residents on the islands, as well as the unity of the 100 million people living in Vietnam and of overseas Vietnamese. “We sense that Vietnam's sovereignty is being firmly maintained,” said the businessman.
On the Truong Sa (Spratly) – the frontline of the homeland, young naval soldiers are tirelessly fulfilling their duty of guarding every inch of the area, ensuring the steadfast sovereignty of Vietnam over its sea and islands. (Photo: VietnamPlus) Bac noted that more than ever, these maritime journeys help people get an insight into the silent sacrifices of soldiers and inspire them to make contributions to the homeland's sea and islands. Through these journeys, each overseas Vietnamese will become an ambassador, spreading the stories of truth, love, and hardships involving soldiers and residents on the islands to over 5.3 million overseas Vietnamese and the global community.
Captain Phan Tien Dinh of Ship 571 monitors the journey’s course. (Photo: VietnamPlus) Rear Admiral Pham Van Hung, Deputy Chief of the Staff of the Vietnam People's Navy, emphasised that in the current context, the struggle to protect the sovereignty of the homeland's sea, islands, and continental shelf, while maintaining a peaceful and stable environment in the region, is a long-term, difficult, complex, and sensitive endeavor. This also represents the strength of the entire Party, people, military, and political system./.
The slogan "The island is the home, the sea is the homeland" of the Vietnamese People's Navy is prominently displayed on the islands. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
