Nguyen Thi Thuy Duong (born in 1992) is the wife of Major Cao Anh Le Phuong (born in 1988), Commander of Platform DK1/18. They have just celebrated 11 years of their journey of love and marriage.
Thuy Duong recalled each precious moment: April 2014 when they started their love, January 2016 when they registered their marriage, July 20, 2016 when they held their wedding ceremony... Now, their small family has two sons, Cao Chi Khang (born in 2017) and Cao Chi Khuong (born in 2021).
For the past 11 years, like many marines, Major Cao Anh Le Phuong has been staying at the forefront. He has been attached to ships such as: Truong Sa 06, Truong Sa 19... and since 2024, he has been working at DK1/18 Platform.
With a husband who is a marine, Duong and her family are used to the geographical distance when he comes home once a year on leave, but love and trust are always full in her heart, in every mark of her life and her children’s.
In addition to work, Thuy Duong also participates in activities in groups that love Vietnam’s seas and islands and makes handmade models expressing sovereignty and love for the Fatherland.
From familiar materials such as paper, wood, plastic, paint, glue... she has surprised everyone when they see before their eyes models of sovereignty markers in Truong Sa (Spratly), the national flag fluttering in the windy blue sky, the DK1 rig proudly amidst the white-capped waves... That is how she sends her love to her children, to life and to her husband who is working far away.
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| Every detail is meticulously taken care of by Thuy Duong. |
For Thuy Duong, each model is a story, a touching memory. There is a model she made after seeing her husband off at the military port; there is a model completed during the days when her son - just starting primary school - was passionately coloring the landmark with his mother, then presenting a presentation about the sovereignty of the Fatherland at school; and the paper cranes that were sent by ship to Truong Sa, released during the Memorial Ceremony for the fallen heroes and martyrs were carefully taken care of and packed in boxes, and sent with the working group.
With the love of a wife and a mother in peacetime, the place where the waves and winds blow is no longer a distant concept, but becomes close, present in every small room, every child’s eyes, every school, every ritual of the working group.
Their eldest son is always passionate about telling stories about Truong Sa, about the Platform, about the meaning of each detail on the national flag, the sovereignty milestone... as a natural thing, because the spirit of pride in the sea and islands is always filled in her family life through the way she passes it on to her children with a kind heart.
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| Each model shows her passion and love for the Fatherland. |
Making a model is not simply cutting and pasting or assembling, but requires skill, patience, and precision down to the smallest detail, from coming up with ideas, choosing materials, measuring, cutting and assembling to color matching...
Taking advantage of her free time, Thuy Duong often spends many days, even a whole week just to complete a small model because she always wants those special gifts to be perfect, in the right proportion and aesthetically harmonious.
Her ingenuity and love are most clearly shown through the delicate details. Sometimes just a window or a tree branch is meticulously cared for by her, making viewers admire.
The works are both beautiful and “soulful” because it seems that every detail has the breath of life, the authenticity rarely seen in ordinary models.
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| Patriotic education is important in Thuy Duong’s family. |
She puts her passion and aspiration into each model. That is how she shows her love for beauty, with nurturing, care and patience. Even though it takes a lot of time, even though she has to do it over and over again, she always maintains her enthusiasm and joy in each stage.
Each model, whether kept or given away, she always considers it a precious gift from her family, from her children, spreading to everyone with the spirit: The country always has people who quietly protect the sea with their whole lives.
A true soldier is someone who, when the Fatherland calls, is ready to devote his whole heart to that place. I believe that my husband is such a soldier, so all difficulties can be overcome.
Thuy Duong, the wife of Major Cao Anh Le Phuong, Commander of DK1/18 Platform
Thuy Duong’s models have been displayed in many schools, children’s activities, and programs for the sea and islands...
Many students stood in front of the model milestone, learning about Truong Sa for the first time; many veterans had tears in their eyes because: “It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to the sea, now I feel my heart filled with the wind of the open sea...”
There were times when she took her children along to send gifts to her father. The three of them stood next to many carefully wrapped gift packages waiting before being loaded onto the ship. The young wife’s eyes were filled with tears but determined.
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| A model of Thuy Duong’s sovereignty landmark stamped with the seal of Truong Sa island. |
She deeply understood the hardships of the marine soldiers, and knew well the circumstances of many of her husband's comrades who were working far away... so all the gifts were gifts for the soldiers.
His hometown is Quang Nam, so in each gift sent to the Platform, she always wrapped a little bit of his hometown’s gifts, the typical flavors of the mainland to help him and his comrades ease their homesickness.
When the ship was about to leave the mainland, the youngest son burst into tears, insisting on getting on the ship to “visit his father Phuong”. The ship gradually disappeared, the mother and son still stood silently at the pier, their eyes fixed on the deep blue horizon.
“A true soldier is someone who, when the Fatherland calls, is ready to devote his whole heart to that place. I believe that my husband is such a soldier, so all difficulties can be overcome”, she emotionally shared.
Ms. Thuy Duong confided that normally the man is the pillar of the family, but for most soldier wives, they are the pillar. Because their husbands work far away, the wives have to take care of all the household chores for them. She wittily said: “That is also the “prestige” of a soldier’s wife that not everyone has”.
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| Small gifts filled with love for the Fatherland of a soldier’s wife. |
She is always proud of her friends, colleagues and neighbours because her husband is a soldier. Of course, there are moments when she sees families together and she feels sad, but she overcomes them so that her husband can work with peace of mind.
It is difficult to describe all the joys, sorrows, worries and concerns of soldiers’ wives. Women who are emotional and brave like her are all loyal and devoted, taking care of their husbands to raise good children and take care of their parents.
“In times of hardship and misfortune, when children are sick, parents are old, soldiers’ wives shoulder the burden. Although they know that being married to a soldier is hard work and requires enduring hardships, the home front is always proud of them. Their efforts, attempts, sacrifices of their own interests and happiness have helped them have a solid foundation to rise up and complete their missions,” she said.
The road ahead may be full of challenges, but Duong always firmly believes that as long as she has love, unity and her children by her side, she will continue to move forward and write new meaningful chapters.
