The best trip ever!

In life, everyone has memories about someone, something, or some milestone they passed over. Memory is a fact in the past, therefore it's either good or bad, happy or sad, unforgettable or forgettable. However, a beautiful memory is something that everyone never wants to lose.

Today I will share with you one of my best trips ever, which happened when I was a sophomore.

That was in the spring of 2018, the Youth Organization was seeking volunteers for their activities for the New Year occasion (the Youth Organization belongs to the government, which usually holds activities for nationwide students). That year's activity was to visit a military island, join some local activities, and give presents to residents there to help them have a fulfilling Tết holiday. This activity took place in 7 days and cost ~$500, but it was completely free for 15 selected students. The first time I heard about that, I was really excited and applied immediately, fortunately, I was chosen by the committee and became one of the lucky students.

That island's name is Thổ Chu, a military island, which marks the west border of Vietnam to other countries in South West Asia. Because of it's political nature, tourists are not allowed to come, only the military and the local residents enter this island. Thổ Chu is 220km away from the land, and it takes 8 hours to reach by ship, and it takes 5 days to have one trip from the land to the island. Therefore, it is hard to trade goods so the living condition of the locals there is still low. Due to this, the island still keeps its beautiful nature with the white sand and the blue sea.

When I came to this island, I was impressed by its beauty. It is the rawest but the most beautiful island I have visited in my life. Welcoming us to the island were the representatives from the government. After settling down in two empty classrooms of a primary school on the island, we began to visit the military forces: Infantry, Navy Army, Coast Guard, Border Guard,...

In the following days, we organized a festival for children, gave away books/comics to the library, gave gifts to disadvantaged households, painted the house, cleaned the coast, etc.

Because of the material and spiritual deprivation of the islanders, they are very welcoming and enthusiastic. From this trip, I made many more friends, went to a new land - an important military land of Vietnam, experienced seeing Vietnam's maritime border through a lighthouse, etc., and many other firsts that it may be rare for me to experience again.

I think it's a pleasure and also a beautiful memory I have in my life that I won't forget.