On May 27, General Phan Van Giang - Member of the Politburo, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense - sent a letter of commendation to officers and soldiers of the Border Guard, Vietnam Coast Guard, Navy, Air Defense - Air Force, Military Region 3, Brigade 18, and forces directly involved in searching and rescuing people on fishing vessel HP 90666-TS that sank in Bach Long Vi sea area, Hai Phong city.
In the letter, General Phan Van Giang wrote: "I am very pleased to know that immediately after receiving the news that fishing boat HP 90666-TS sank at 5:19 pm on May 26, 2026, 26 nautical miles northwest of Bach Long Vi island, the Command of the Ministry of National Defense, the Department of Rescue and Relief has proactively and actively advised, directed, and operated forces, on-duty ships, ships on duty at sea, helicopters, Border Guards, Vietnam Coast Guard, Navy, Air Defense - Air Force, Brigade 18 quickly mobilized to the scene to closely coordinate and deploy search and rescue plans; Military Region 3, Border Guards promptly directed units to advise Party committees, authorities, local Civil Defense Command Boards, coordinate with the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Center Region 1 to urgently mobilize rescue ships and civilian fishing boats to participate in search and rescue".
General Phan Van Giang noted: With the spirit of "human life is paramount, first of all", "where there are difficulties and dangers, there are soldiers", the comrades promptly arrived, overcame difficulties, determined to search and rescue people in distress at sea, and by 6:20 PM on May 27, 2026, the forces had successfully searched and rescued all 11 victims safely. The comrades' actions have set a bright example of the courage "for the people, forgetting oneself" of the heroic Vietnam People's Army, contributing to embellishing the noble qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" in the new era, worthy of the trust and love of the Party, State and people.
On behalf of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense, General Phan Van Giang acknowledged and praised the outstanding achievements of the comrades. It is hoped that in the coming time, the comrades will further promote revolutionary heroism, the tradition of determination to fight and win of the heroic Vietnam People's Army, solidarity, close coordination, absolute protection of the safety of the province and people's property, and always be a solid support for fishermen to reach out to sea and stick to the sea.
