More than 50 overseas Vietnamese from 19 countries shared their pride and emotion as they travelled more than 1,000 nautical miles to visit Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Sea, the nation’s sacred territory, according to VnExpress.The eighth trip of its kind was held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOV) in mid-April and lasted for 9 days.
In the occasion, ship KN 490 of the Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance carried the delegation of ministries and government officials as well as overseas compatriots to visit five islands and the DK1/20 offshore platform.
The delegates offered their incense to General Vo Nguyen Giap and attended two commemorations of the heroic martyrs who lost their lives in the Gac Ma naval battle.
The delegation and soldiers join an art exchange at the Truong Sa Archipelago's Truong Sa Dong island. Photo by Anh Ngoc/Vnexpress.
|
“I was born overseas and on this occasion, I have chance to visit Truong Sa and meet with other compatriots who speak the same mother language, I consider this the greatest honor of my life", Sau shared her feelings.
She also expressed her gratitude toward the Vietnamese forefathers who fought to their last breath to protect every inch of the land and today’s soldier generation who are holding their guns tightly to defend Vietnam’s sovereignty.
Hong Kiem emotionally wiped her tears when visiting Son Ca island, the first destination of the sea journey, saying that making the trip and being accompanied by her husband Pham Van Dan to Truong Sa was meaningful to her because both of them were soldiers in Vietnam before settling down in Ukraine.
"I was surprised and moved to witness the beauty of Truong Sa with the soldier’s bravery and youth despite the scarcity of everything. We hope that the Vietnamese community in Ukraine would be more united after the trip,” Kiem said.
The Thailand overseas Vietnamese delegation poses at the sovereign landmark on Sinh Tac Dong island of the Truong Sa archipelago. Photo by Anh Ngoc/Vnexpress
|
This year, Tung and other overseas Vietnamese presented gifts including essential foods and multi-purpose exercise machines for soldiers and people on the islands.
Vietnamese from abroad have a huge demand for visiting Truong Sa, however, there are only 50 to 80 people allowed to join each trip due to harsh weather and long distance, said Vice Chairman of the SCOV Luong Thanh Nghi.
“The trip is a good chance for people to better their knowledge of Vietnam's maritime sovereignty and creates beautiful memory among people who live far from the Mother’s Land. After the trip, each person would become a herald of spreading patriotism and further the determination to protect the country’s sovereignty”, said Nghi.
The official also mentioned that after 8 years of implementation, the Truong Sa movement has strongly progressed, especially among the countries where large numbers Vietnamese people are living. This year, the overseas Vietnamese delegation continued to donate many gifts of essential food, equipment and cash with a total value of about VND1.2 billion (US$51,000) to the soldiers and people in Truong Sa.
Last year, the project of “Truong Sa and DK1 platforms - a journey of the heart” implemented by SCOV and other overseas compatriots released 5,000 calendars with the most authentic images of Truong Sa, drawing the support of the overseas Vietnamese communities across 5 continents.
After this journey, the aforementioned project will continue to be implemented. Thus, the proceeds from the calendars sale will be donated to purchase equipment for the islands along with 32 scholarships to children of naval soldiers in Truong Sa archipelago and the platform DK1, who are braving harsh circumstances in the midst of the sea.
