In the Vietnam People's Navy, submarines are a special combat force, operating in a special environment and requiring high discipline and precision. Narrow living spaces, lack of natural light, no internet connection, phone signal, TV... are challenges for submarine sailors in finding suitable forms of entertainment after stressful working hours.

The 189th Brigade Library holds hundreds of books for submarine officers and sailors.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Trung Hieu, Political Commissar (Submarine 182 - Hanoi) said: “In the special operating conditions of a submarine, after hours of training and stressful shifts, to regenerate energy, health, and maintain the spirit and will of officers and sailors, we maintain many forms of entertainment for officers and sailors to choose from, such as watching movies at the club, organizing chess and Chinese chess exchanges, organizing birthday parties in the depths of the sea, reporting on journeys in the depths of the sea... Among these forms, reading books is the form most chosen by officers and sailors.”

On a submarine, reading is not just a hobby or entertainment. It is also an effective method for officers and sailors to self-study and research to improve their professional qualifications and situation handling skills while performing their duties.

Major Tran Trung Nguyen, Head of Radar - Sonar (Ship 187 - Ba Ria - Vung Tau) shared: “Kilo 636 submarine is a modern diesel - electric submarine class, integrating many advanced technical technologies, requiring sailors to have high professional qualifications, comprehensive understanding and the ability to handle situations quickly. In that context, reading books has become an effective form of self-study, helping me consolidate specialized knowledge, update new knowledge, experience in exploitation, preservation, maintenance, firmly mastering weapons and technical equipment, as a basis for application in the training process, work, research, innovation, technical improvement to serve training tasks and combat readiness”.

Reading books on board is not random or spontaneous, but has formed a habit, a culture that is maintained seriously and disciplined by officers and sailors. Many sailors have set themselves the goal of reading books every day, choosing books by topic to cultivate professional knowledge, practice logical thinking, or simply find a little lightness from emotional poems and writings about their homeland and country.

Senior Lieutenant Le Manh Hoang, signal operator (Submarine Crew No. 8) confided: “I spend at least 30 minutes reading every day. When I am on duty at sea, I spend more time reading. While reading, I often take notes of the content I like and then share it with my comrades, teammates, or introduce the book for them to read together. I often read books about history, literature, and art. Before each trip to sea to carry out a mission, I go to the library to choose and borrow books that I like to read.”

Read books at the submarine club.

Reading is not only a “lonely” journey between people and books, it also becomes a bridge of affection between sailors. They share and exchange books, discuss the content, and tell each other interesting things they have just read. That contributes to building a special atmosphere of solidarity - something extremely valuable in a closed environment like a submarine and during long voyages at sea.

On each submarine, there is a small bookcase placed solemnly in the ship's Club. Although there is not much space, the bookcase contains many carefully selected books, newspapers and magazines; from political theory books, books about the Party, beloved Uncle Ho, to classic domestic and international literary works; history, geography, life skills books; legal documents, military specialties, submarine engineering; books about the sea and islands of the Fatherland... Each book, each small bookcase is a vivid expression of "submarine culture" - becoming a familiar destination for officers and sailors every time they finish their duty, training or during quiet evenings in the middle of the ocean.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Thuan, Political Commissar of Submarine 183 - Ho Chi Minh City, books are not only regularly supplemented from the Brigade's library, but also donated by sister units, and some are books contributed by sailors on the ship during campaigns. Books that sailors love, have been attached to during their time studying, working or given by relatives, now become common property for comrades to read.

Along with the book donation campaign, the unit also encourages sailors to read by giving officers and sailors their favorite books on their birthdays or for their achievements in training, combat readiness and work at the unit. "In my opinion, giving books is not only a way to express gratitude and encouragement, but also contributes to building reading habits, nurturing personality and bravery for submarine sailors," Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Thuan emphasized.

Sharing memories of meeting, exchanging, learning and spreading the value of books and reading culture with submarine sailors of Brigade 189, Doctor of Education, poet Nguyen Thuy Anh, Head of the Reading with Children Club, commented: “Through contact, survey and learning about reading stories at Brigade 189, I see that reading books and promoting the value of books receive special attention from the Brigade leader as well as commanders of agencies and units, and reading has become a habit of many officers and sailors. Perhaps, for submarine sailors, reading books is not simply a way to relax after hours of hard training and working trips at sea, but also a method of self-study and improving qualifications effectively. The sharp questions raised when discussing books show that sailors are practicing personal techniques related to fast reading, deep reading, note-taking and critical thinking".

"I think these are the basic steps in building an effective and sustainable reading culture in the Army. It can be said that reading for submarine sailors of Brigade 189 is not a superficial movement but has become a deep, substantial activity, bringing real benefits to their work and life," Doctor of Education, poet Nguyen Thuy Anh confided.

Officers and sailors visit book models.

Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Van Dong, Party Committee Secretary, Political Commissar of the Brigade, said: “To maintain the reading culture in the unit, contribute to enriching spiritual life, improving understanding, and educating awareness and responsibility for officers and soldiers in performing their duties, in recent times, the Brigade has deployed and maintained the effective operation of many models and activities such as: "Legal bookcase", "A book a week", "Reading books in the heart of the sea", "10 pages a day"; weekly making clips to introduce books and showing them to soldiers, organizing book discussions, linking the reading movement with the model "A word of Uncle Ho's teaching a day", "A legal situation a week"...

Reading culture has contributed to building the personality and image of a model, beautiful Vietnamese submarine sailor from within the unit, family to society with typical qualities of "Honor, responsibility, courtesy, discipline, solidarity, humility, resilience, determination to win".

Accompanying submarine sailors in the deep ocean, books still silently speak - not with words, but with the power to nourish the spirit, cultivate intelligence and foster patriotism for submarine sailors.

Amidst the humming sound of the engine and the silence typical of the ocean floor, the pages of the book continue to be turned - like small but powerful lights, accompanying the submarine sailors of Brigade 189 on their journey to master the ocean.

Article and photos: NGOC DUC - THANH TRI

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/nuoi-duong-van-hoa-bo-doi-cu-ho/doc-sach-trong-long-bien-thoi-quen-nuoi-duong-tinh-than-cua-thuy-thu-tau-ngam-824922