As a fortunate member of Task Group 21 in 2024, visiting the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, Ms. Thai Thi Ngan (from Ho Chi Minh City) received many gifts, including bang vuong fruit. The bang vuong trees, with their resilient nature, have long been considered a symbol of Vietnam’s steadfast islands. The fruit symbolises not only gratitude for the connection between the islands and the mainland but also the soldiers' promise to always stand firm, ready to defend the country's sovereignty over its seas and islands.

Ms. Nguyen Thu Minh (from Hanoi) also received meaningful gifts. However, she didn't just bring back souvenirs for herself; she took on a higher duty.🍸 Holding in her hands a letter from a soldier stationed on the island, she became a special messenger. This letter, written by a soldier named Nguyen Duc Viet from Truong Sa Lon Island, was a reply to Vu Gia Han, a student at Tan Dong Secondary School in Yen Bai province. Han is one of hundreds of students who wrote letters to the soldiers stationed in the Spratly archipelago Islands and folded thousands of paper cranes in remembrance of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the battle to defend Gac Ma Island in 1988./.