Article 2: Journeys from heart help dispel doubts about sovereignty over homeland's sea and islands
(CPV) - Over the past 11 years, about 530 overseas Vietnamese have visited Truong Sa. They are living proofs, living witnesses to prove the just cause of Vietnam, in defending independence and the sacred sovereignty over sea and islands of the homeland.
Among overseas Vietnamese visiting Truong Sa, some of them were still carrying extreme thoughts and suspicions. However, hearing with their own ears and seeing with their own eyes the efforts of the Party and State in preserving and protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands, the silent sacrifices of our army and people in Truong Sa, people who were on the other side of the front line have experienced profound change. Since then, they have looked at the Fatherland with warm eyes and loving hearts towards their compatriots.
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| Over 300-year-old Phong Ba (Heliotropium foertherianum) tree on Song Tu Tay Island |
Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Son, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Chairman of the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese, recalled the trip to Truong Sa in 2014, which brought him the most profound memories of his four visits to Truong Sa.
That year, the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese invited a number of overseas Vietnamese from the US to attend the program, including extremists who had joined opposition organizations. “They do not believe that we are firmly defending Vietnam's territorial sovereignty and territorial waters; they also propagate false information on Vietnam’s foreign policy, on policy on overseas Vietnamese affairs, on the cause of defending the Fatherland, including the sovereignty of the territorial waters,” Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Son recalled.
However, it was this ship HQ 571 that brought them to Truong Sa to witness the truth with their own eyes. In Truong Sa, officers and soldiers of the Vietnam People's Navy are firmly defending the country's sovereignty over the sacred seas and islands; side by side with the forces are compatriots throughout the country. The Party and State of Vietnam are implementing a foreign policy of peace, friendly cooperation, and wishes for a sustainable and long-term coexistence with countries in the region and the world.
Mr. Son said that during the 9-night 10-day trip to visit nine islands and two platforms of the country, these people were gradually tamed and they were subdued by their minds and their hearts.
When they returned to their host countries, they themselves confirmed and pursuaded to those who were doubtful about the protection of sea and island sovereignty of our Party and State. These are living proofs, living witnesses to prove the just cause of Vietnam, in defending independence, and the sacred sovereignty over sea and islands of the homeland.
Mr. Son affirmed that the viewpoints of those who still have extreme and suspicious thoughts have clearly changed right after their visits to Truong Sa, because they have witnessed the truth with their own eyes, not just heard the distorted allegations as before.
The Truong Sa trips have great significance in building a firm belief in the right policies of the Party and State towards the overseas Vietnamese community, arousing in the overseas Vietnamese national pride, proud of the tradition of fighting against foreign invaders, of the culture imbued with the Vietnamese national identity, of the humane and humanitarian spirit of our ancestors.
“I think that, from the first trip in 2012 to the tenth trip in 2023, distorted public opinions and misinformation about Vietnam's foreign policy as well as the cause of protecting Vietnam's sovereignty over seas and islands have stopped.
The Truong Sa trips help overseas Vietnamese far from the homeland to recognize the reality of the sea and island situation in their homeland to have an accurate viewpoint of the guidelines and policies of the Party and State on sea and islands; at the same time, clearly affirming that Vietnam's seas and islands are a part of the sacred territory of the Fatherland. Our army and people still preserve every inch of land and sea of the Fatherland," Mr. Son shared./.
(The articles use several documents and photos of some colleagues)
Article 1: Breakthrough idea of taking overseas Vietnamese to visit Truong Sa
Article 3: Overseas Vietnamese’s warm sentiment towards beloved Truong Sa