A homeland garden in middle of the sea

Hundreds of nautical miles from the mainland, the DK1 platforms remain green with vegetable gardens tended by officers and soldiers.

The 2026 Lunar New Year feast prepared by officers and soldiers at DK1/12, featuring home-grown sprouts.

Beyond improving their meals, the vegetable beds and the chickens, and pigs raised on the platforms bring a taste of home to service members at sea, helping ease their longing for the mainland and their families.

A vital food reserve for servicemen at sea

With no land available, personnel stationed on the DK1 platforms make use of every available space to install composite containers for growing vegetables. Despite limited space and harsh conditions, their offshore gardens produce a wide variety of crops, including gynura, dill, chili peppers, mustard greens, pennywort, Malabar spinach, amaranth, kumquat, wild betel leaves, lemongrass, and galangal.

According to the soldiers, every available space is utilized to grow greenery. Because strong sea winds are a constant threat, the gardens must be properly shielded. As wind directions change with the seasons, the design and protection of the gardens must also be adjusted accordingly. Vegetable varieties are carefully selected to suit different times of the year.

To keep the gardens green year-round, DK1 officers and soldiers must not only tend them carefully but also select suitable crops. During calmer seas, they can grow a wider variety of vegetables, while rough seas and strong winds require varieties with greater resilience.

The biggest challenge in growing vegetables on offshore platforms is the supply of access to fresh water. Water is used very sparingly, with water used for cooking and washing vegetables carefully saved for irrigation. During the dry season, service members prioritize drought-resistant varieties. Longevity spinach is among the most commonly grown vegetables because it can withstand strong sea winds and dry conditions. It is often cooked in fish soup, a familiar dish in meals served to DK1 service members. Mustard greens, Malabar spinach, and water spinach are also easy to grow and care for, and are well-suited to conditions at sea.

Soldier Nguyen Thanh Dat, who is responsible for tending the vegetable garden and raising livestock at DK1/15, said he had undergone six months of training before being assigned to the platform. During that time, he imagined life there would be extremely difficult and that he would be expected to rely mainly on canned food. In reality, he was surprised by the relatively abundant supply of fresh food on the platform, particularly fresh fish caught by the officers and soldiers themselves, as well as green vegetables grown in their gardens.

Having had no previous experience in livestock farming, Dat learned the work step by step from more experienced comrades. “Knowing that this is an important source of fresh and reserve food that helps protect everyone's health, I always feel a strong sense of responsibility to fulfill my duties. I am happy doing this work because I can grow fresh vegetables for everyone's daily meals,” he said.

According to Cao Ba, Commander of the DK1/12 Platform, the platform is located in an area where foreign warships frequently operate. The unit strictly maintains its duty shifts, conducts reconnaissance and combat training, and practices response plans while strengthening surveillance and detection of air and maritime targets to avoid being caught off guard in any situation.

In addition to maintaining combat readiness, the unit places a strong emphasis on food production to improve living conditions for its personnel. Far from the mainland and constantly exposed to strong waves and winds, growing vegetables and raising livestock on the platform are considerably more difficult. Seawater, salt deposits, and limited freshwater supplies remain major obstacles, requiring personnel to conserve water carefully.

A piece of home in the ocean

Growing vegetables and raising livestock on the platforms helps improve meals and maintain the health of officers and soldiers, enabling them to remain ready for duty and fulfill their mission of safeguarding the country's sacred maritime sovereignty. The water spinach, Malabar spinach, pumpkin vines, galangal, and lemongrass also carry familiar flavors of home to service members living and working amid the waves and winds.

The vegetable garden and livestock area at DK1/15.

Nguyen Minh Dat, a soldier stationed at DK1/11, said he had never imagined living in a place surrounded by nothing but an immense expanse of sea and sky. His first days on the platform were filled with unfamiliar experiences that differed from what he had initially imagined. With guidance and support from more experienced personnel, the young soldiers gradually adapted to the platform's unique living conditions.

Assigned to livestock duties, Dat continues to perform his work even during storms to help ensure a reserve food supply for the unit. Officers and soldiers also actively care for the vegetable garden and livestock as an enjoyable part of their daily routine.

“The platform can grow all kinds of familiar vegetables from home, such as water spinach, Malabar spinach, and amaranth. The garden not only improves our meals but also helps ease everyone's homesickness and longing for their families and homeland,” Dat said.

Professional serviceman Nguyen Tien Thanh, who is stationed at DK1/11, said the platform can grow vegetables year-round. After training sessions, personnel spend time tending the garden. “The platform even has a rooster whose crow wakes us every morning. As a service member at sea, it makes us feel closer to home,” Thanh said.

According to Thanh, food production is also a source of spiritual comfort for personnel stationed far out at sea. They take turns caring for the vegetable garden and livestock, both ensuring a supply of fresh food and creating moments of relaxation after training and duty.

Amid the vast expanse of sea and sky, a small garden of green vegetables, the crowing of a rooster, and a few livestock have become familiar reminders of home. From the vegetable containers on the platforms, the service members' hands deliver more than just food. They cultivate a patch of green that also nurtures their spirits, helping those who remain on duty at the DK1 platforms, day and night, feel closer to the mainland, their families, and their homeland.

By Binh Nguyen – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho