After the long journey to visit the Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands in 2014, we met with Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoa, who lived on this outpost-island district of Vietnam for more than 10 years. Born in a central province, however, Truong Sa Island District has truly become his second home, and the local islanders are his close neighbours who have shared with him both happiness and sorrow.
Born in 1963 in central Ha Tinh Province, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoa lived on Truong Sa Lon Island since 2003 in the position of deputy chief in charge of the military on the island. He then moved to work on Song Tu Island and Son Ca Island, and then back to Truong Sa Lon Island where he has worked as the island’s Chief and Chairman of Truong Sa Town People’s Committee. With more than ten years of experience in dealing with difficulties on Truong Sa, Hoa has done well all the problems that occurred in a “constructive” manner and for the purpose of development on the island.
Hoa married Bui Thi Binh, an honest, charming woman from his native village before he decided to undertake the military job in Navy Zone 4. After he left for Truong Sa, his wife had to handle all the family affairs, including taking care of their parents and later teaching their children.
Hoa said that formerly it was very difficult to make any contact with his family due to the lack of means of communication. Knowing that his wife had to cope with untold difficulties, Hoa sent her letters regularly, in which he encouraged his wife to take care of their family.
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoa has been in Truong Sa for more than 10 years.
Photo: Dang Kim Phuong/VNP
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoa leads the flag salute on Truong Sa Lon Island.
Photo: Dang Kim Phuong/VNP
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoa takes great care of the life and training of soldiers.
Photo: Dang Kim Phuong/VNP
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoa and soldiers on Truong Sa Lon Island make chung cakes
to prepare for the 2015 Lunar New Year. Photo: Dang Kim Phuong/VNP
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoa tends young fish poison trees. Photo: Dang Kim Phuong/VNP
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoa is friendly and open to island residents. Photo: Dang Kim Phuong/VNP
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoa also works as the chairman of Truong Sa Town’s People’s Committee.
Photo: Dang Kim Phuong/VNP
Anyone who once visited Truong Sa Lon Island cannot forget the smile and affection of Pham Van Hoa.
Photo: Dang Kim Phuong/VNP
Truong Sa Lon Island is the second hometown of Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoa.
Photo: Dang Kim Phuong/VNP |
“Things have changed for the better since the telephone network has reached the island, which helps us on the island keep close contact with our relatives on the mainland. Hence, we feel quite comfortable living here,” Hoa said.
Hoa has two sons, Pham Dung Nhi, born in 1993 and a fourth-year student at Hue University of Medicine, and Pham HongVuong, born in 1995. In early 2015, Vuong was on board of the HQ 561 navy ship to go to Song Tu Island for military duty. Hoa told his wife that he wanted their son to decide his own path without any interference from his parents.
“Let him select his own path and I believe he will mature when undertaking his military mission,” Hoa told his wife.
Hoa said he expected his son would follow his career to become a naval officer and defend the country’s far-off islands, some of which Hoa himself had devoted his life to defending over the years.
Truong Sa Lon Island is inhabited by army soldiers and civilians. Apart from the duty of being ready to fight to defend the island and its watery areas, Hoa and his teammates have to take care of the islanders’ daily life. As the island’s chief, Hoa has paid much attention to the work of assisting the needy local islanders and those who are given special social allowances. He has close contact with both the army and civilian families, creating a warm, compassionate environment among the islanders.
Hoa gave special priority to promote activities at the healthcare stations for better check-ups, treatment and other services to the locals, encouraged women to implement the “family planning” program and children to study well at school. Doing all those kinds of jobs, Hoa said he wanted people living on the Truong Sa islands to enjoy a better life in a wholesome environment, and that the Truong Sa islands would further develop and become an attractive tourist destination in Vietnam.
In more than ten years working on Truong Sa islands, Hoa had only two times to be off duty for vacations on the traditional Tet (lunar New Year) holidays which is a time for family reunions. On other occasions, he stayed on the islands to enjoy the holidays with his soldiers and the islanders. Hoa said he knew pretty well how much his comrades missed their families living on the mainland during such occasions. He always took time to listen and help those who had difficulties in their family, or he would give some useful advice to those who would soon complete their military mission and return to their civilian life to find some suitable job. He also provided timely assistance to the fishermen during their fishing trips in the Truong Sa water areas and when they had trouble.
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Tuan, a commissar on Truong Sa Lon Island, had positive remarks about Hoa, saying “Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoa is a man made of firm stuff and is very enthusiastic in his job. He is always open to others, and is a close and good supporter of his comrades in arms and civilians living on the island”.