These are the sentiments of many wives whose husbands serve in the islands. Behind the ships that take soldiers out to sea are homes preserved by love, faith, and responsibility.
He protects the sea, she protects the house.
For over 13 years of marriage, Vu Hoang Yen has spent countless hours with her husband, Lieutenant Colonel Dam Xuan Hung, Commander of Nam Yet Island, Truong Sa Special Zone, Khanh Hoa Province. However, instead of letting distance diminish their bond, she chose to nurture a peaceful home, allowing her husband to focus on his duties. She shared: "Since becoming the wife of a soldier in Truong Sa, I feel much more resilient and strong."
Lieutenant Colonel Dam Xuan Hung has served 15 years in the military, more than 5 of which were spent in Truong Sa. He loves the sea and often tells his wife about its peaceful beauty at sunrise and sunset, the white-capped waves when the sea is rough, the square-leaved mangrove trees blooming at night, or the green vegetable patches carefully tended by officers and soldiers under harsh conditions. Every time he comes home, he brings back seashells or branches of seashell flowers. These gifts are cherished by his wife and children, as a way to bring Truong Sa closer to their family life.
Ms. Yen's house isn't overly elaborate, but the living room already has its own unique "sea-themed space." She carefully displays large and small seashells and flowers made from them on shelves. Among these simple gifts are a few family photos, including a portrait of the soldier from Truong Sa – Lieutenant Colonel Dam Xuan Hung – in his Navy uniform. Each item is connected to a story, a time he was on leave, a memory from the distant sea.
During the years her husband was away, Ms. Yen also went through many hardships. Her father-in-law fell seriously ill, and she and her family spent nearly two years trying to get him treated. Just as her father-in-law was recovering, her mother-in-law had to undergo long-term treatment, right when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. Whenever her children were sick, her parents-in-law were ill, or there were family matters to attend to, she had to manage everything herself.
But the biggest challenge was the childbirths. She had three cesarean sections. The last two children were born while Hung was on duty in Truong Sa. For the second child, he left when she was seven months pregnant, and when he returned, the child was almost two years old. The third child came to the family when he was on leave in 2025. She found out she was pregnant a few days after he returned to Truong Sa.
Once, she had to undergo an emergency C-section, and when she went into the operating room, there were no family members outside. In that moment, she was worried about her child, bewildered, and heartbroken, and tears just welled up in her eyes. Only later did her mother-in-law and her own mother arrive from their hometown. Those moments made her understand that being the wife of a soldier stationed in Truong Sa means learning to be strong during the most difficult times, because her husband, far away on the island, is also fulfilling his duty.
"There are times when I feel weak, scared, and hurt. But I think that when husband and wife love, respect, and understand each other, they will have more motivation and strength to overcome challenges. I understand his responsibilities, so I have to remind myself to be stronger so that he can focus on his work," Ms. Yen shared.
In 2024, she had the opportunity to accompany a group of relatives to Truong Sa to visit her husband. The trip allowed her to witness firsthand the harsh weather conditions on the remote islands and the image of officers and soldiers still highly focused on carrying out their duties. She was impressed by the soldiers' simplicity, hospitality, and high level of discipline; especially the way they carefully nurtured each sapling on the barren coral soil, amidst the saltwater and harsh conditions, so that the frontline islands always remained green, clean, and full of life.
From that trip, her love for her husband on the distant island seemed to grow into a greater love – a love for the sea and islands, for the homeland, and for the soldiers who are on duty day and night protecting sacred sovereignty .
“Having set foot on Truong Sa, I understand my husband's work and responsibilities even better. I feel very proud that he has contributed a small part to the task of building and protecting the Fatherland. Understanding him more, I am even more determined to try harder so that he can focus on his work,” Ms. Yen said.
Love grows stronger through seasons of separation.
In Phu Luong ward, many people are familiar with the sight of Ms. Vu Thi Hong Dieu regularly taking her two children to and from school every day. Four trips back and forth, rain or shine, she manages to balance work, children, and family. That's the familiar rhythm of a mother's life, but behind those journeys is a wife who has for many years become accustomed to her husband – Major Le Duy Hong, an officer stationed on Thuyen Chai Island (Truong Sa) – being frequently away from home performing his duties in the sea and islands.
Major Le Duy Hong has 20 years of service, but 12 of those years were spent on islands. Including all his leave days, the actual time he spends with his wife and children is only about a year. His two children, the older one 8 and the younger one 6, grew up during the times their father was away. Phone calls after 9:30 PM became the most anticipated time. Just over 10 minutes of conversation, but enough for the father to hear his children's voices, ask about their studies, and remind them to obey their mother.
Ms. Dieu and Mr. Hong met in 2007, when she was a student at the National Economics University. At that time, mobile phones were not yet widespread, and Truong Sa (Spratly Islands) did not have telecommunication coverage, making it difficult for soldiers to call home. During their seven years of dating, they only met about 4-5 times. Handwritten letters and the waiting became the thread that brought them closer together. There was a time when Mr. Hong considered ending the relationship, thinking that marrying a soldier who was often away from home would be difficult for her, but Ms. Dieu encouraged him and insisted on a long-term commitment. In 2014, they got married.
They've lived under the same roof for over 10 years, but the total time they've actually spent together is only about a year. For Mr. Hong, love is the foundation, while responsibility is what keeps the family strong through the years of separation. A soldier has a responsibility to his duty on a distant island, but also a responsibility to maintain trust with his wife, so that despite the distance, husband and wife always trust and support each other. Ms. Dieu, on the other hand, doesn't see the years of separation as a disadvantage. She sees it as her husband's sacred job and duty.
Mr. Hong recounted that his first trip to Thuyen Chai Island was when his wife was pregnant. He returned after 12 months, when his son was 7 months old. At that time, his greatest thought was, "I miss my wife so much." The second time he came home on leave, his son was over 2 years old. At that time, the boy didn't recognize his father, calling him "uncle." Therefore, the father-son bond needed time to develop.
Later, Ms. Dieu became the bridge connecting the father and his children. Every evening, when her husband called home, she would put the call on speakerphone so the children could talk to their father. Even a single day without their father's voice was enough to make the two children long for him. When the children asked why their father had been away for so long, Ms. Dieu didn't explain with grand gestures.
She recounted stories of security guards who stayed up all night to ensure everyone's safety, then gently told her children that their father was doing a similar job, only he was stationed on Thuyen Chai Island. Through these simple stories from their mother, the image of a father on the island gradually became more familiar in the children's childhood world .
The lessons that Ms. Dieu quietly instilled in her children's hearts have followed them to school. In an essay, 8-year-old Le Hong Quang wrote about the soldiers in Truong Sa and expressed very special feelings for his father. The words, though innocent, contained the pride of a young boy for his father who is on duty day and night on the distant island.
Despite the support from both families, Ms. Dieu still manages most of the daily life herself. Mr. Hong knows this and cherishes and appreciates his wife. He says she is a woman of few words but strong, expressing everything through actions, from caring for the children and being responsible towards both sides of the family to shouldering household responsibilities. As for Ms. Dieu, when talking to her husband, she doesn't dwell much on her hardships. She says, "If my husband has duties on a remote island, I also have a responsibility to keep the family peaceful so he can focus on his work."
Ms. Dieu once had the opportunity to visit Truong Sa. The trip allowed her to see firsthand where her husband was working and to understand more about what she had only known through stories before. The more she understood her husband's work, the more she loved and respected the soldiers who were on duty day and night in the islands. And when asked about the years of waiting, she didn't say how much she had sacrificed, but only said that she felt "proud and honored."
Perhaps that's also the common thread in the stories of wives whose husbands are serving in the Spratly Islands. They choose to support them in their own way, maintaining family life, caring for their children, preserving their marital love, and most importantly, keeping their soldiers on the distant islands confident that behind them there is always a peaceful and happy home.
In the journey of soldiers stationed on the islands, the home front is not only a place to return to, but also a pillar of support that keeps them steadfast at the forefront. And so, through seasons of separation, love is preserved through the simplest things. He guards the sea on the distant islands, she maintains the home on the mainland. And between them, there is always an invisible thread woven together by love, responsibility, faith, and pride in the soldier who is contributing to the steadfast protection of the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland's seas and islands.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/hau-phuong-kien-cuong-cua-linh-dao-truong-sa-1759303.html
