The first time coming to Tra Ban island (Ban Sen commune, Van Don district, Quang Ninh), the love for the land, the love for the people, the love for the army and the people in the days preparing to welcome the spring of At Ty was bustling and left in each of us many unforgettable memories.
Eye of the Sea
At around 5am on a day at the end of the year, we followed a working group led by Rear Admiral Vu Van Nam, Commander of Naval Region 1, to Tra Ban Island. After 2 hours, we reached Area A, Radar Station 485 on the top of the mountain, where officers and soldiers were on duty to guard the sky and the sea.
Radar station 485 is at an altitude of 485 m above sea level. The station is responsible for managing, observing, detecting and reporting accurately and promptly air and sea targets to the higher command headquarters. Station 485 is known as the “Eye of the Sea”.
Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Ngoc Tu, Deputy Head of Station 485, said that the unit was stationed on a high mountain with harsh weather conditions, so food, provisions, and necessities had to be transported from the mainland to the island. Officers and soldiers had to transport over 10 km from the foot of the mountain to the top, mainly by road. Despite the hardships and difficulties, officers and soldiers always encouraged each other, worked with peace of mind, and were on duty 24/7.
Sergeant Nguyen Si Vu, from Thanh Hoa, who is celebrating Tet on the island for the first time, shared: "This place has given me new awareness in the army, a perspective on the sea and islands, and increased my responsibility to the country. I have participated in many jobs on the island, which will be a preparation for my future life."
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Manh Thanh, Chief of Radar Region 1 of the Navy, from Hai Duong, stationed at the station more than 20 years ago, said: "At that time, Ban Sen commune did not have national grid electricity, so the station's activities were very limited. The main food was dried food. The unit had to dig a well under the stream so that in the dry season they would have water to bathe. In the cold winter, they had to light a fire to boil water next to the well to bathe. For more than ten years now, the station has had electricity, clean water, and a freezer, ensuring fresh food. The unit also actively grew vegetables, raised chickens and pigs, so the soldiers' lives have improved a lot compared to before."
In 2024, agencies and units are always ready to fight; observe, detect and chase away 973 foreign fishing vessels violating Vietnam's waters. Region 1 also actively participates in search and rescue, fire prevention and fighting. Hundreds of cars, boats, over 7,000 officers and soldiers were mobilized to carry out search and rescue missions during storm No. 3 (Yagi), including rescuing 20 people, pulling 3 fishing boats, cutting down 2,500 fallen trees...
Naval Region 1 has effectively implemented the program "Vietnam Navy as a fulcrum for fishermen to go offshore and stick to the sea". Organized talks and propaganda about the sea and islands for nearly 40,000 cadres and party members; promoted human resource attraction for 14,000 teachers and students in the northern provinces...
Achieving that result in 2024 is the result of outstanding efforts of officers and soldiers in the entire region, including important contributions from officers and soldiers of Radar Station 485, one of the "divine eyes of the sea".
Warm military-civilian relationship
Radar station 485 of Naval Region 1 is located in Ban Sen commune on Tra Ban island with an estimated land area of about 87 km2.2. The island is 23 km long, 6 km wide, 20 nautical miles from the mainland, 10 km from Cai Bau Island. This is the largest island in Bai Tu Long Bay. On the island there are 317 households, with 1,234 people, including 7 ethnic groups living together (Kinh, Hoa, Tay, Nung, San Diu, Dao, Muong), of which 38% are ethnic minorities.
There are many different ways to get to Tra Ban from the mainland, but the easiest is to take a wooden boat or speedboat departing from Cai Rong port or Ao Tien port (Van Don district). In 2015, there was an electricity grid here, and in 2021 there was a solid concrete road across the island. In recent years, with the attention of authorities at all levels, the material and spiritual life of the islanders has gradually improved. The main economic development industries here include: afforestation, forest exploitation, orange and tea growing, aquaculture, fishing, etc.
On the occasion of the approaching Lunar New Year, Rear Admiral Vu Van Nam, Commander of Naval Region 1, was moved to thank the Party Committee, the commune government, agencies on the island for their valuable attention, direction and support for the officers and soldiers of Station 485 over the years from the Ban Sen people. At the spring meeting, on behalf of Naval Region 1, the Commander of the region presented Tet gifts to the Party Committee, People's Council and People's Committee of Ban Sen commune; presented gifts to 10 families with preferential policies and families in difficult circumstances on the island; presented gifts to the kindergarten, primary school and secondary school of Ban Sen commune, the twinned unit of the radar station.
Comrade Dinh Trung Kien, Secretary of the Ban Sen Commune Party Committee, excitedly said: More than 60 years ago, the island was chosen by the Navy as an observation point for the Northeastern sea and sky of the Fatherland. The station participated in the fight and achieved many achievements in the resistance war against the US to save the country. The Party Committee, government and people of the commune have always cared for, supported and been a solid rear for the stationed unit. The commune sincerely thanks generations of cadres and soldiers of the station for contributing a lot of effort and money to build the works of the commune and the villages. Tra Ban Island is considered a fence of Quang Ninh province as well as the northern sea area. The radar station located in the area regularly coordinates closely with the local government to propagate and mobilize people to actively participate in building new rural areas; proactively advise and propose local Party committees and authorities to do a good job in local defense and military work; Carry out coordination well to ensure a firm and accurate grasp of the situation, control the area, effectively handle all situations, avoid being passive or surprised, and firmly protect the sovereignty of the nation's seas and islands.
Saying goodbye to the beautiful island, walking on the concrete roads, schools and many constructions where the military and people are always close, we were filled with longing to return one day soon. Tra Ban is truly a fence island in the northeast of the Fatherland.
TRAN TUAN