(VOVworld) – Yellow apricot blossoms and young green buds have begun to show in Vietnam’s southwestern islands, signaling the approach of the Lunar New Year and spring. Navy Zone 5 will transport gifts from mainlanders to soldiers stationed there to help them enjoy the Tet holiday while guarding national territorial waters.

Colonel Nguyen Duy Ty, Deputy Commander of Navy Zone 5, leads a delegation of representatives from various provinces to visit and present gifts to soldiers and military staff in Tho Chau island.

These days the naval units in Navy Zone 5 are busy preparing for the upcoming Tet holiday. Barracks are repaired and decorated and flowers associated with Tet have been planted in the gardens. Soldier Nguyen Van Kinh from Ha Tinh province, who is stationed on the outpost island of Tho Chu, is pruning apricot trees to make them blossom on time. Kinh says this first Tet far from home excites him very much and he’s looking forward to experiencing Tet with his comrades adding that ‘At home, Tet is always joyful as there are family, relatives, and friends. Although I’m stationed on an island, I’ve received much support and encouragement from colleagues and officials. We have a close relationship. Yesterday we' found a beautiful apricot tree in the forest to decorate the meeting hall and made 10 chung cakes for Tet. We’re almost ready for the Tet celebration.’

Captain Trieu Van Tuyen, a radar technician, said he has worked on the island for 17 years, since a time when almost no residents lived there and the garrison faced severe infrastructure shortages. Tuyen said that the most memorable Tet was in 2007, when he decided to move his whole family to the island. At the time he was extremely worried. But now he has a house near his office. His children go to school on the mainland and his wife runs a grocery. Tuyen said ‘In recent years, thanks to the support of the Party and government and close relations between the army and the people, our Tet festival is more joyful. There’s almost no difference between Tet here and Tet on the mainland. Comrades, seniors and juniors live in harmony. We encourage each other to celebrate the holiday but, at the same time, alertly protect the national territorial waters. On New Year’s Eve we will organize an exchange with the local Youth Union featuring performances. We hope the living conditions of all Vietnamese people including us will improve.’

Senior lieutenant colonel Pham Van Huy, commander of the Tho Chu Regiment, said a schedule for operation watch officers has been outlined that will ensure a happy and safe Tet holiday for all personnel. Commander Huy said: ‘This year we’ve made a lot of improvements to the material and spiritual life of the soldiers and to the duty roster. The soldiers are in a high state of readiness. Some units will have to complete guard duty before they celebrate Tet. During the Tet holiday, we will cooperate with the commune’s People’s Committee and Youth Union to organize cultural and sports activities.’

At Radar station 600 on Nam Du Island in Kien Hai district, Kien Giang province, we could feel the happy, warm atmosphere of Tet. Military personnel, teachers, the staff of An Son commune’s People’s Committee, and many local women participated in making chung cakes. Nguyen Thai Viet, vice chairman of the commune’s People’s Committee, said the New Year’s Eve party will bid farewell to a number of soldiers and staff returning to their native villages for Tet. He added ‘To ensure a happy Tet for the locals, we will hold an exchange featuring performances with all border guard stations and naval forces stationed in the province. We’ve set up teams to deliver gifts to disadvantaged and policy beneficiary households.’

To ensure a happy Tet, more than 70 tons of food and other commodities have been prepared to transport to the islands.