Ahead of the new school year, teachers and students of class 7A1, Giang Vo 1 Secondary School (Ha Noi) have had a special experience visiting to the exhibition “A Stretch of Homeland” at Ho Guom Cultural Information Centre. Here, they both admired precious images and documents about the nation’s seas and islands, and exchanged with Nguyen Trung Hieu, a Truong Sa soldier in 2017–2018. He was once known as the inspiration for the photo “Smile of the Soldier.”
Seven years after completing his military service, the soldier’s smile remains bright and radiant, though his eyes now reflect more experience. Despite being busy with daily work, whenever he receives an invitation to exhibitions or exchanges to tell stories of the distant islands to students, he is always enthusiastic to join.
In the space of Ho Guom Cultural Information Centre, Hieu had a spontaneous and heartfelt conversation with teachers and especially students, conveying messages of love for the Fatherland and the resilience of soldiers at the forefront.
For the students of the capital city, the meeting was a beautiful, memorable and emotional experience, and at the same time a profound lesson on the responsibility of the young generation towards the nation.
In Ninh Binh – a land rich in learning traditions – students of Yen Ninh Town Secondary School, Yen Khanh commune, are also being nurtured with love for the Fatherland through practical activities. During an extracurricular session, the students wrote letters to Truong Sa Spratly.
Teacher Pham Thi Tuyen, Vice Principal of the school, movingly shared: “Sitting beside the children as they write each line to the soldiers, many emotions arise in me. I think of them – those who guard the sea and sky day and night, enduring harsh sun and wind. Thanks to them, the Fatherland is always peaceful so that teachers and students like us can live and study in peace.”
The letters of children from the mainland carry innocence and purity but are also full of affection and gratitude. They wrote of pride, of love for the sea and islands, sending heartfelt encouragement to the soldiers on the front line.
For many of them, this was the first time they had written a letter to soldiers in Truong Sa. Through each line, they felt more mature, more responsible, and more determined.
Teacher Dinh Thi Ngoc, from Quang Trung Primary School, Hoa Lu ward, Ninh Binh province, went to Ha Noi to visit many exhibitions, participate in movements and then carry out activities in her hometown.
She said: “I was truly touched to accompany students in writing letters to officers and soldiers in Truong Sa. The simple, innocent letters filled with affection are bridges linking the mainland with the islands, sending warm encouragement to those who safeguard the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland day and night.”
As an active member of the Viet Nam Sea and Islands Association, Dinh Thi Ngoc continues to spread this meaningful activity to more schools, not only in Ninh Binh but also in Hai Phong, Lai Chau, and Ha No so that students nationwide have the opportunity to express their love for the Fatherland, gratitude and pride towards the forces who are day and night protecting the sovereignty of the nation.
On the upcoming September 2 holiday, the organising committee of the exhibition “A Stretch of Homeland” continues to invite soldiers who once served in Truong Sa to meet with the public. These exchanges are likened to lessons outside of textbooks, where love for the Fatherland is spread strongly through real stories and real people.
Sharing his feelings while immersing in the atmosphere of pride in Ha Noi on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of National Day, Nguyen Trung Hieu said: “Back then, in Truong Sa, I was just in my late teens. The smile in the photo people call ‘Smile of the Soldier’ was the smile of youthful innocence, of faith, of a heart full of enthusiasm. Amidst the harsh sun and wind on the distant islands, that smile was our way of encouraging ourselves and our comrades, that all would stand firm so the mainland could remain at peace.”
Hieu shared that upon returning to the mainland, that smile has settled within him, as he has come to understand more deeply the value of peace and love for the homeland. Today, seeing students with their clear eyes, he hopes that youthful smiles continue to be lit in the next generation. Those will forever be proud, dignified smiles, contributing to keeping the nation united.
The letters to Truong Sa, the smiles and stories from soldiers of distant islands are not only beautiful memories for today’s teachers and students, but also the baggage nurturing patriotism for future generations.
From the capital to the countryside, the affection of young generations for the sea and islands helps them understand more deeply the value of peace, gratitude for silent sacrifices, and greater determination to study and train. This is the most profound way of patriotic education, so that love for the Fatherland begins from simple, sincere things and spreads widely.
