Green vegetables are more precious than rice and meat
The weather in the Truong Sa archipelago (Khanh Hoa province) is famously harsh. Colonel Nguyen Vinh Nam - Deputy Commander of Naval Region 4 shared: "There are times when the sun is scorching hot, then there are days of hazy storms. Lack of fresh water, barren land, severe saltwater intrusion, year-round sunshine and wind make planting trees and vegetables on the island never easy.
The first place the working delegation set foot in was the submerged island of Da Lat. It was necessary to wait for the right high tide and small boats to be able to transfer people to the island. Amidst the vast ocean, Da Lat is just two small rocky outcrops enough to build defensive structures, surrounded by no trees.
However, right at the foot of an antenna pole, in a space of less than 20m2 carefully covered, the green color of mustard greens and Malabar spinach still exists - a "miracle" in the open sea.
Private Nguyen Ngoc Phung, while meticulously pruning leaves, smiled gently: "Before enlisting in the army, I was a college student in mechanics, never thought that one day I would know how to grow vegetables. After going to the island, I understood that being a Truong Sa soldier must know how to swim and... know how to grow vegetables. Some days at night, brothers even shine lights to catch worms. Harvesting must also be at the right time, a few days late, the leaves will all wrinkle.
On An Bang Island, one of the most inaccessible island points in the Truong Sa archipelago because it is located on strong ocean currents, the transportation of people and goods is always potentially risky. Silver-faced waves crash straight into the island, boats can capsize at any time.
However, stepping onto the island, what surprised the working delegation were the vegetable beds and flower pots that were surprisingly lush green. In the place considered the most harsh in the East Sea, life is still silently multiplying.
According to the soldiers, the soil for planting, microbial fertilizer, and vegetable seeds are all transported from the mainland. Fresh water is extremely rare. If a well can be drilled, the water will also be barren, just enough for daily life. Rainwater is collected and stored for drinking.
To have water to water vegetables, Truong Sa soldiers came up with a way to reuse domestic water: rice washing water, vegetable washing, even bathing water is led through a filter tank, collected to water plants.
Soldier Le Van Thong skillfully picks a bunch of young Malabar spinach, recounting: "Not every vegetable can survive here. It takes a very long time to test to choose the right variety. Dried branches and leaves on the island are also collected and composted into organic fertilizer. Vegetables grow up from the sweat of our brothers.
Covering distant islands in green, keeping the green of hope
On Truong Sa Dong Island, where the weather is always uncertain, every inch of land is covered in green with the efforts of many generations of officers and soldiers. Every Saturday, the Youth Volunteer Union launches a campaign to take care of green trees, considering building a "green - clean - beautiful" landscape as a regular task.
In remote islands, green vegetables are likened by soldiers to "medicine", even more precious than rice and meat. Overcoming countless challenges, from floating islands to submerged islands, there are gourd trellises and pumpkin trellises laden with fruit, swaying with the sea breeze.
Barringtonia acutangula, phong ba, casuarina, banana, bodhi tree... have taken root and grow steadily in the salty sun and wind. On the small paths, white, yellow, and tiny pink wildflowers bloom, evoking a rare peaceful feeling in the open sea.
The old casuarina tree next to the Capital Guesthouse, the tree trunk rough due to the salty wind still sprouts lush green buds - like a symbol of Truong Sa vitality.
Not only soldiers, people living on the islands also actively increase production, raise pigs, chickens, and even shrimp and fish. In the evening, soldiers and people gather around warm teacups, laughter mixed with the sound of sea waves.
Cultural exchange nights, homeland melodies echo in the middle of remote islands. Non-professional voices, sometimes off-key, off-beat, but make many people touched. Innocent, innocent smiles on remote islands seem to add strength for soldiers to stand firm at the forefront of the waves.
In particular, Truong Sa also has snail flowers - flower branches made from snail shells jumping through the skillful hands of navy soldiers. On the day of leaving the island, many people brought snail flowers as if carrying a part of Truong Sa memories back to the mainland.
At night, Truong Sa is shimmering with electric lights. During the day, Truong Sa is filled with the green color of vegetables, trees, and hope.
Not only self-sufficient with green vegetables, many islands also support neighboring islands and help fishermen avoid storms. People from before pass on experience to later generations, each vegetable bed and row of trees is the crystallization of enthusiasm and responsibility," Colonel Nguyen Vinh Nam emphasized.
