This meaningful activity was co-organised by the Viet Nam Journalists Association and the Naval Command to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Viet Nam’s Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925– June 21, 2025), the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Viet Nam People's Navy, and the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Truong Sa Archipelago.
A historic journey
The Truong Sa Archipelago, the place at the forefront of the wind and waves, has long been an indomitable symbol of national sovereignty. Every year, the Navy Command organises many delegations to visit and work with the military and people in Truong Sa. In each of these voyages, there is always the active participation of journalists to record vivid stories of daily lives as well as the spirit of working, studying, and readiness to fight of the officers and soldiers there.
However, working delegation No. 25 in 2025 to Truong Sa was considered especially significant, described by the journalists as having a “historical imprint,” with the participation of 100 members, who are leaders and reporters from central and local press agencies, representatives of the Viet Nam Journalists Association, and provincial and municipal journalist associations.
Le Quoc Minh, Member of the Party Central Committee (PCC), Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the PCC Commission for Communication, Education and Mass Mobilisation, and Chairman of the Viet Nam Journalists Association, stated that implementing the plan to organise working delegation No. 25 to Truong Sa and DK1/19 in 2025, all units, organisations, the Viet Nam Journalists Association and the Naval Command have actively and thoroughly prepared for the mission.
“During the trip, authorised by the delegation leader, I launched an emulation movement with the theme: solidarity, compassion, honour, and determination to triumph to successfully fulfilling the goals of the trip in 2025 to visit and encourage the officers, soldiers and people on Truong Sa and the DK1 platform," he said.
The seven-day journey on Vessel KN 290 took the journalists to Da Thi, Sinh Ton, Co Lin, Len Dao, Da Tay A, Truong Sa Islands, and the DK1-19 Platform. As part of the trip, the Viet Nam Journalists Association and supporting units contributed 1.7 billion VND to the Naval Command to build a CQ-01 vessel and present other practical gifts worth nearly 1 billion VND to officers, soldiers, and residents on the islands.
To every Vietnamese person, Truong Sa is considered a steel shield at sea and a site of glorious historical significance to the nation. Attending the trip and the memorial ceremony for the martyrs at Gac Ma Reef and the DK1 platform left the journalists deeply moved and profoundly grateful.
The journalists reviewed the events of March 14, 1988, at Gac Ma, when 64 officers and soldiers of the Viet Nam People's Navy heroically sacrificed their lives defending maritime sovereignty. Among them, the image of Heroic Martyr, Second Lieutenant Tran Van Phuong, Deputy Commander of Gac Ma Island, has become an immortal symbol.
In the face of the enemy's attack, he calmly commanded his comrades to firmly hold the national flag, shouting: "Do not retreat, let your blood colour the national flag and the glorious tradition of the Navy!" Before sacrificing himself, he wrapped the national flag around his body, showing his indomitable spirit and undying faith in the revolutionary ideal.
Or the story of Hero, Captain, Major Vu Huy Le, with his intelligence and courage, commanded the ship HQ-505 to rush to Co Lin coral reef, turning the ship into a living fortress, affirming Viet Nam's inviolable sovereignty.
Over the years, the Party, State, Central Military Commission, and Naval Command have paid special attention to gratitude activities, caring for the families of fallen soldiers and searching for and collecting their remains. However, the vast sea and limited human capacity, many martyrs still lie beneath the endless waves.
Bowing their heads in tears before the wreath of remembrance, releasing flowers and origami cranes into the deep blue sea during the memorial for the heroic martyrs who fell to defend the national maritime sovereignty, members of the delegation could not hold back tears. In those sacred moments, journalists felt more deeply the value of peace and independence.
Journalist Tran Anh Tu, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Information and Communication, overwhelmed with emotion, composed a heartfelt poem for his daughter: “If one day you go to Truong Sa/You will see how vast our homeland is/The immense sea and deep blue sky/My island, your island/Our island/If you come here, look at the figures/Of naval soldiers guarding the sky and sea/Loyal hearts, shunning glory/Leaving home to protect the nation’s land and sea/... My daughter, four thousand years of hardship/Heads held high in the sunlight and winds of Truong Sa.”
Those lines of poetry are not just a personal sentiment but a common voice of journalists, full of pride and gratitude for every inch of the homeland’s frontline territory preserved by the blood and bones of many previous generations.
Once again, journalists are reminded of their mission in communication work, contributing to spreading patriotism, arousing national pride through high-quality press products, inspiring, and bringing the breath of life to all classes of people, especially the young generation.
Journey of the soul, arousing sense of responsibility
The trip to Truong Sa of working delegation No. 25 can be considered as a "journey of the soul", leaving in the hearts of journalists many impressions and emotions that are difficult to describe in words. Although this is the 5th time to Truong Sa, photojournalist Tran Thanh Dat, Nhan Dan Newspaper still feels as moved as the first time.
Every visit leaves a lasting impression, but for him, this trip was the most meaningful because of the presence of 100 journalists, which created a warm, sincere, and cohesive atmosphere. Dat captured many poignant moments, such as an image of a three-year-old girl, daughter of a local family on Truong Sa Lon Island, hugging a young 19-year-old soldier with intimacy and love as if he were her brother.
Or the emotional farewell between the working delegation and the soldiers and residents on Truong Sa Island, singing a heartfelt song through tears. As the one behind the camera, he struggled to contain his emotions, striving to preserve that moment forever in images filled with sentiment.
Visiting Truong Sa for the first time, Dang Thi Thu Huong, Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, shared: “As the sole representative from the journalism training sector, I was deeply moved. Seeing the vast and majestic sea and sky of the homeland, my love and pride for the country grew stronger. The resolute eyes and radiant smiles on the sun-kissed faces of the young soldiers fuelled my will and awakened a desire to serve the country.
As a lecturer, I will pass on these values to generations of students so they may continue the proud tradition of Viet Nam’s revolutionary press: integrity of heart, clarity of mind, sharpness of pen, and building a professional, modern, and humane journalism.”
Thanks to the care of the Party, State, and people, under the spirit of “The whole nation for Truong Sa, Truong Sa for the whole nation,” this land has transformed. Greenery now covers the islands, evoking the peace of home. Many projects in the economy, culture, society, defence, and security have been developed, and the material and spiritual lives of soldiers and residents continue to improve.
Today, Truong Sa is powered by clean energy and connected by television and mobile networks. The gap between the mainland and Truong Sa is narrowing. Nevertheless, due to its strategic location, Truong Sa’s peace remains under threat, facing ongoing hardships and challenges. However, rising above all difficulties, the soldiers persist in clinging to the land, guarding the sea, ready to sacrifice their youth to safeguard sovereignty and maritime peace.
“When I first set foot on Da Thi Island on May 25, 2025, for me, it was a historic moment in my life when I thought about the two words sacred Fatherland," Journalist Do Nguyen Hoang Dung, Vice Chairwoman of the Ba Ria–Vung Tau Journalists Association, shared. And she was urged by the question: "Who am I in this sacred land of the Fatherland?"
“You awakened within me reflections on responsibility and personal contribution, sparking and spreading patriotism, a consciousness of national values transformed into individual action,” Hoang Dung said when observing and talking with the soldiers guarding the islands.
Concluding this extraordinary journey, each journalist likely carried away their own set of questions. Though different, all these reflections surely deepened the sense of responsibility among journalists to protect the homeland’s maritime sovereignty, expressed through meaningful and concrete contributions in their daily work.
