Firmly safeguarding Vietnam’s sovereignty over seas, islands and continental shelf

The 17th anniversary of the establishment of Naval Region 2 (March 19, 2009-2026) coincides with the unit being awarded the First-class Fatherland Protection Order by the Party and the State; while the DK1 Battalion under Naval Region 2 is also honored to receive the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces for the second time.

Rear Admiral Nguyen Van Quan (third from right), Commander of Naval Region 2 leads a working delegation to inspect training preparations at the Naval Region 2 Training Center stationed in Dong Nai.

These achievements and honors continue to inspire officers and soldiers to remain steadfast amid waves and winds, firmly safeguarding the Fatherland’s sacred sovereignty over seas, islands, and continental shelf.

Heroic tradition

Colonel Do Hong Duyen, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Deputy Political Commissar of Naval Region 2, said that to meet mission requirements on March 19, 2009, the Ministry of National Defense decided to establish Naval Region 2. Its establishment strengthened the force safeguarding a maritime area spanning more than 3,000 km, stretching from Ba Kiem Cape (Lam Dong province) to the Ganh Hao estuary (Ca Mau province), including the southern continental shelf of the Nation.

Over the past 17 years, officers and soldiers of Naval Region 2 have brought into full play and deepened the tradition of “remaining united, disciplined, brave and resilient, overcoming hardships, mastering the seas, and determined to fight and to win,” truly becoming a “steel shield” to firmly safeguard national sovereignty over the southern continental shelf.

From 2021 to 2025, Naval Region 2 excellently fulfilled its assigned political tasks: organizing 1,500 patrol, reconnaissance, and stationing voyages across the southern waters, DK1, DK2, and adjacent areas; conducting exercises, live-fire drills, and defense diplomacy missions; and maintaining nearly 2 million nautical miles with absolute safety. They maintained a firm grasp of the situation, promptly detected nearly 2.5 million maritime targets, and advised the Party Committee and Navy Command to handle situations accurately, with the right strategies, avoiding passivity or surprise, thereby firmly safeguarding sovereignty over the southern seas, islands, and continental shelf of the Fatherland.

Units under Naval Region 2 strictly maintain discipline and combat readiness regimes, proactively develop and implement combat readiness plans, and practice operational scenarios proficiently. The ships of Naval Region 2 have sailed thousands of nautical miles to carry out defense diplomacy missions and participate in multilateral naval exercises in Australia, Indonesia, and India.

With these particularly outstanding achievements over 17 years of establishment and development of Naval Region 2, along with 37 years of building, fighting, sacrifice, and growth of the DK1 Battalion under Naval Region 2, officers and soldiers have been honored to receive the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces for the second time, the First-class Fatherland Defense Order, and many other well-deserved awards.

At the same time, the High Command of Naval Region 2 regularly coordinates closely with Coast Guard Regions 3 and 4 to conduct patrol and control operations, protecting fishing grounds in border seas adjacent to neighboring countries. The regional forces have fought, negotiated, and rescued 125 Vietnamese fishing vessels with 1,625 fishermen detained by foreign authorities and persuaded more than 8,200 fishing vessels to refrain from encroaching on foreign waters for illegal fishing.

Officers and soldiers of Naval Region 2 have also participated in hundreds of search and rescue missions, provided emergency assistance to 337 fishermen, and repaired and rescued 9 fishing vessels in distress at sea; mobilized over 1,000 troops and 408 vehicles to fight forest fires and protect civil infrastructure; and mobilized nearly 2,000 man-days to assist local communities in disaster prevention and overcoming the aftermath of storms and floods.

Notably, during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 1,200 officers and soldiers along with over 400 vehicles transported 3,500 tons of supplies and nearly 1,700 patients to support localities in pandemic prevention and control. These selfless contributions of officers and soldiers of Naval Region 2 have left a profound impression, further highlighting the noble qualities of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers – Naval Soldiers” in the new era.

Firmly safeguarding maritime sovereignty

According to Rear Admiral Nguyen Van Quan, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Commander of Naval Region 2, throughout its 17 years of building and development, the Naval Region 2 has consistently focused on improving training quality, taking the mission of safeguarding the Fatherland’s seas, islands, and continental shelf, and the building of a “revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern” force as its training objectives. Breakthrough efforts have been made in training “basic skills, mastering weapons and technical equipment, and implementing safety regulations" and in cadre training. Additionally, the Naval Region 2 also regularly organizes and participates in corps-level and army-wide competitions and exercises, achieving high results.

Party and political work have been consistently paid attention to; regulations from higher authorities have been thoroughly studied and implemented; plans for political education and legal dissemination programs have been completed; and the vast majority of officers and soldiers demonstrate firm political resolve, strong unity, resilience, and readiness to accept and successfully accomplish all assigned tasks, thereby contributing to strengthening the Party organization of Naval Region 2 in terms of politics, ideology, ethics, organization, and cadre work.

“The joy of officers and soldiers of Naval Region 2 on the occasion of the 17th anniversary of its establishment is further multiplied by the honor of the DK1 Battalion receiving the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces for the second time - a recognition of these steadfast sovereignty markers on the southern continental shelf of the Fatherland,” emphasized Rear Admiral Nguyen Van Quan.

Established on July 5, 1989, over the past 37 years, generations of officers and soldiers of the DK1 Battalion have written glorious pages of history on the southern continental shelf - an area with extremely harsh weather conditions, frequently facing storms, high waves, and strong winds. Here, officers and soldiers have lived, fought, and worked amid endless waves, far from the mainland, with every kind of shortage, yet their will has never faltered. The spirit of “as long as there are people, there are rigs” has become a command from the heart, a “red thread” running through the journey of guarding the seas for generations of officers and soldiers stationed here.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Trung Duc, Secretary of the Party Committee and Political Commissar of the DK1 Battalion, said that the DK1 Battalion currently is managing and guarding 15 solid, modern offshore platforms. Officers and soldiers maintain strict watch routines, promptly detect, monitor, and report maritime and aerial targets, and closely coordinate with other forces and fishermen to form a firm, interconnected defense posture to safeguard sovereignty and provide timely, appropriate advice and responses, avoiding passivity or surprise in any situation.

“For many consecutive years, the DK1 Battalion has excellently fulfilled its missions of training, combat readiness, and stationing tasks, firmly safeguarding sovereignty over the southern seas and islands, and serving as a reliable support for fishermen operating offshore. The beautiful image of soldiers from all corners of the country, setting aside personal matters, ambitions, and aspirations, leaving behind their elderly parents, young wives, and children to serve on offshore platforms, standing resilient at the forefront of the waves and winds, overcoming hardships and making silent sacrifices to protect the Fatherland’s maritime sovereignty, has won the people’s hearts, becoming a shining symbol of steadfast patriotism and building a strong ‘fortress of faith’ at distant sea,” Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Trung Đuc added.

Having directly worked many times on the DK1 Battalion platforms, we have come to better understand the unwavering oath of these officers and soldiers to keep the seas intact. They remain determined to stay with the sea and guard the sea, truly becoming “living landmarks” safeguarding the sovereignty of the continental shelf amid the vast ocean.

During every Lunar New Year visit to the DK1 platforms, the images of officers and soldiers running around the rigs waving flags to bid farewell when high waves prevent the working delegation from boarding, along with their resolute assurances - “Comrade and members of the working delegation, please rest assured, we are united and determined to firmly safeguard the national sovereignty over seas, islands, and continental shelf in the spirit of “as long as there are people, there will be platforms” - left powerful, unforgettable emotions for all of those on the voyage.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Trung Duc shared that it is precisely the determination, courage, and the tradition of being twice awarded the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces that have forged and tempered every soldier here to hold their weapons firmly, stand steady against the waves, and remain resolute in safeguarding the the Nation’s sacred sovereignty over seas, islands, and continental shelf.

By Nguyet Ha – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha