Green trees from all over the country come to Truong Sa
Colonel Nguyen Trung Quang, Deputy Head of Logistics and Engineering of the Naval Region 4 High Command - who has devoted much effort to this programme, shared: “The greening of the islands in Truong Sa Island district is of great significance in proactively responding effectively to climate change and developing the economy and national defence in Truong Sa, while contributing to building a regular, green, clean and beautiful environmental landscape on the islands. Trees in Truong Sa create beautiful landscapes, regulate the climate, create shade and sweeten the water, become fences to shield, block wind and storms, directly contributing to the defence and combat capabilities of the army and people on the island. In addition, it also strengthens the vegetable garden, ensuring green vegetables for the troops”.
To implement the “Greening Truong Sa” programme, the Logistics and Engineering Department of the Naval Region 4 Command has developed plan No. 4241/KH-BTL dated September 13, 2022. Accordingly, the programme sent an open letter to 44 localities and business agencies nationwide to communicate and mobilise resources.
With that open letter, many localities and businesses nationwide joined hands to contribute. For example, the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Nature and Environment Protection supported 1,500,000 trees, the PetroVietnam Fertilizer and Chemicals Corporation supported 100,000 trees and tree care materials...
These are trees that are typical of each region of the country but also suitable for the soil of Truong Sa such as coconut trees from Binh Dinh, Ben Tre, Ca Mau candleberry, Con Dao banyan tree...
Since 2020, businessman Nguyen Van Tuong, Chairman of Khanh Hoa Agarwood Company, has supported 2,000m3 of fertile soil to Da Tay Island.
Da Tay Island - as its name suggests, is formed from coral reefs, only rocks and salty sand, so the fertile soil blocks from the mainland become extremely valuable. With fertile soil, there are green vegetables, trees grow, and birds fly back.
Enterprises such as Cinnamon Worm Farm - Phu Tho, Shu Farm Company - Thanh Hoa, Lam Thao Superphosphate and Chemical Joint Stock Company... have supported more than 120 tonnes of fertilizer.
In 2023, Naval Region 4 organised three conferences combining island propaganda and mobilisation, receiving fertilizer materials for seedlings in three provinces - Phu Tho, Binh Dinh and Ben Tre. The Logistics-Technical Department coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Binh Dinh and Ngoc Trang Xanh Company to organise training on planting and tree care techniques for the forces before going to the islands to carry out their missions.
However, ensuring that the trees remain green after crossing hundreds of nautical miles of strong winds and waves from the mainland to the Truong Sa archipelago is not simple. The main means of transport is a combination of ships carrying out missions of Region 4, so they cannot carry much.
When the trees reach the islands, they begin to face many challenges in a harsh and strange soil area. There, there are mainly coral rocks with poor nutrients, white sand, and a lack of water, especially water to ensure the trees in the newly planted stage...
The High Command of Naval Region 4 has decided to establish a steering committee and an executive committee to implement the “Greening Truong Sa” programme; develop a plan to implement tree planting and establish tree planting teams on Son Ca, Tien Nu, and Thuyen Chai islands; directing the remaining islands to build tree nurseries, promote tree breeding, grafting, and planting in planned areas.
Tree breeding, grafting, and propagation in Truong Sa is many times more difficult than on the mainland due to the harsh climate. However, under the skillful and hard-working hands of officers and soldiers, a series of square-fruited banyan tree branches were successfully grafted, thousands of square-fruited banyan tree seeds, and water coconuts germinated and grew out of the sandy soil.
 |
Square-fruited banyan tree nursery on Song Tu Tay Island. |
The Song Tu Tay Island tree nursery is 80 square meters wide, and is growing varieties of banyan, phong ba, bao cap, mu u, and bougainvillea. There are two ways to grow trees: seeding and grafting. When the banyan fruit is ripe and falls, the soldiers take it home to plant, and when it has 2 leaves, they put it in bags and plant it...
Song Tu Tay Island used to be covered with shade, and the harsh sunlight of Truong Sa could not penetrate it. But storm No.9 in December 2021 swept through, uprooting and collapsing most of the trees on the island. The whole island was left bare of fish and sand under the sunlight. Seawater flooded the soil, making the soil salty. With help from the mainland, 22,000 seedlings were sent out, put in the nursery to get used to the water and soil, and the soldiers' efforts have made Song Tu Tay Island green again.
The results of the implementation on the 5 islands of Son Ca, Tien Nu, Thuyen Chai, Nam Yet, Phan Vinh under the first phase of the “Greening Truong Sa" programme have gain specific results. The total number of trees planted on the islands is more than 40,000 trees. Among them are many types of trees that have come from the mainland to the island and grown well such as coconut, banyan, candleberry, mango... There are trees that are suitable for new soil such as casuarina, after only three months they are taller than a person’s head.
At this time, trees are also the image of the homeland. On the large Truong Sa Island, agarwood trees are growing green - the symbolic tree of Khanh Hoa province, planted by Khanh Hoa Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Hai Ninh and Rear Admiral Nguyen The Tot in 2022. Looking at the agarwood trees, it feels like Khanh Hoa province - where Truong Sa Island district is located - is very close.
Vegetable gardens in the midst of storms and winds
On the island, there are not only trees, but also the lush green of many types of vegetables. Anyone who has been to Truong Sa is surprised by the green vegetable leaves that are much larger than on the mainland. It is not a “miracle” but is “watered” by the sweat and intelligence and creativity of the soldiers on the island.
The dry season on the island lasts long, it only starts to rain in August and September, the soldiers dig holes to bury plastic tanks to store rainwater, and use domestic water to water vegetables. Fish intestines and many organic wastes are buried according to scientific procedures to become fertilizer for vegetables.
On small islands such as Da Thi, Co Lin, Len Dao..., soldiers carefully collect every handful of fertile soil from the mainland, using buckets, pots, plastic barrels, cement pots, and composite pots to grow green vegetables. The vegetable gardens and growing areas are enclosed to avoid salty sea winds.
Even on the submerged island of Co Lin, mustard greens, spinach, water spinach, and jute grow well. With only 78m2 of vegetable growing land, 725kg of vegetables have been harvested, basically ensuring green vegetables for the soldiers' meals. The settling pond system is arranged continuously from the outside to the inside of the garden. The water through the salt settling process will be watered at the base of the trees to keep them moist. Watering the vegetable garden also brings joy to each soldier on the island.
 |
Truong Sa soldiers are taking care of the vegetable garden |
Colonel Nguyen Trung Quang said that the Technical-Logistics Department of Navy Region 4 has invested in building 5 stainless steel vegetable gardens on 5 islands of Sinh Ton, Da Tay A, Co Lin, Nui Le B, Toc Tan C with a total value of 1.25 billion VND from the budget of the Fund “For the homeland’s sea and islands - for the frontline of the Fatherland” sponsored by Ho Chi Minh City.
The stainless-steel vegetable garden is made according to a unified model, sturdy and beautiful, covered with white fishing line, with sunshade net, so that the rain does not pour directly on the roots, limiting water evaporation.
Many submerged islands are already lush with vegetables, but are lacking shade trees. Colonel Nguyen Trung Quang is wondering how to plant more trees on the submerged island, which is very small and mostly made of concrete, bricks and stones. Colonel Quang has the idea of pouring soil into composite plastic barrels, installing wheels, planting trees inside but being able to move them to avoid tides, sun, and storms. To implement that idea as well as promote the “Greening Truong Sa” programme, funding resources from the mainland are needed.
The Resolution of the Navy Region 4 Party Committee on “Greening Truong Sa” after two years of implementation has had impressive initial results. Currently, more than 80% of the area of the islands with suitable conditions for planting perennial trees is covered with green.
Through coordination and working with localities, businesses and individuals in implementing the “Greening Truong Sa” programme in 2023 and 2024, the results of planting, grafting trees and mobilizing support for nearly hundreds of thousands of trees and hundreds of thousands of tons of fertilizers and nutritious soil have been achieved.
“Greening Truong Sa” has proven its practicality and effectiveness, from a program of Naval Region 4 it has become a project of the General Department of Logistics and has been expanded by the Ministry of Defence, becoming a programme of the entire army.
After nearly 50 years of liberation, Truong Sa has “changed its skin” and the green colour on the archipelago has shown the vitality and peaceful life of the soldiers and people here, determined to build the island district into an economic, cultural and social centre at sea for the whole country.
