It has become a tradition that every year, ahortly before Tet or the lunar New Year Festival begins, the C-region Naval Command visits people and soldiers stationed in Con Co island in the central province of Quang Tri. VOV reporter from Con Co noted some major changes on the island this year.

Early spring arrives on Con Co island

After readjusting the schedule several times due to rough sea, a delegation of C-region Naval Command managed to arrive on Con Co island. Tet gifts for people and soldiers stationed there include green square sticky rice cakes, pork, sweetened fruits, confectionaries and even blossoming yellow apricot flowers.
Leaving Tien Sa port of Da Nang city in late after noon, ship HQ-628 arrived at Con Co island in early morning, after 12 hours traveling. Amid the fog, Con Co island appeared like a battleship at sea. The island’s forests that were damaged during storms a few months ago have begun to bud again. The island is full of vitality in spring. The youth village in Con Co island has 11 families. When we arrived, young couple Tran Xuan Tinh and Vo Thi Sao were busi cleaning their house and laying offerings on the altar in preparation for Tet. Sao says her family volunteered to settle down on this island a decade ago. Half of that time, they celebrated lunar New Year festival on the island. As Tet approaches, all families on the island are receiving more attention from the local authorities. Ms. Sao says: "The local authorities have visited each household here to ensure we have a pleasant Tet. My family has prepared dong leaves to wrap square sticky rice cakes or banh chung for Tet". The living conditions of 11 families on the island are now stable. Their 15 kids with ages from several months to 8 years old all attend Hoa Phong Ba kindergarten and school.
These days, the local people are busy preparing everything necessary for Tet. Some is repainting their houses and offices while others are making food for the traditional lunar New Year. Head of 540 Radar Station, Major Nguyen Huy Dung told us: "This year we allocate some extra money for our staff from our local budget. We have everything for tet here as Tet gifts from mainland include sweetened fruits and confectionaries". New buildings are mushrooming in Con Co island every year. According to Le Quang Lanh, Party Secretary and President of Con Co district’s People’s Committee, the local authorities receive 5 million USD annually to upgrade the island’s infrastructure with the hope to turn it into a tourist destination. Lanh says: "We have gained some significant achievements last year, especially in infrastructure investment. We put into operation many new buildings last year and are happy to welcome another successful year."