Chinese and Vietnamese youth are planting trees of friendship
(Photo by Li Weimin)

　　On September 2, 18 young servicemen in uniform boarded Flight VN901 of the Vietnamese Airline from the Capital International Airport in Beijing, bringing with them the passion, friendship and enterprising spirit of young Chinese servicemen to Vietnam.

　　Meeting friends with songs

　　"China and Vietnam, mountains link mountains, rivers link rivers…", songs become the most direct and natural means of communications.

　　Due to the language barrier and limited number of interpreters, the Chinese and Vietnamese young people chose music notes as the bridge to build up their friendship. At a get-together party, the young people of the two countries expressed desire for forming deep friendly ties with singing and dancing.

　　Although not a singer, Wu Yongjun, the young secretary from National University of Defense Technology always led to sing the songs such as On the Way Bback from Range Practice and I am a Solider. Vietnamese young people must be deeply impressed by this active pretty female soldier.

　　Gu Qi and Ji Lingjie, two actresses from the Song and Dance Troupe of the Political Department of the Air Force were perhaps most favored by the Vietnamese youths, as they received many flowers from them, and the Vietnamese youths even could speak their Chinese names.

　　Seeking common ground while shelving differences

　　"China and Vietnam are interdependent as lips and teeth and share many common ground. The young soldiers of both sides face the same task of how to play their due roles in the revolutionization, modernization and regularization of their armed forces…", this is the opening remarks made by Chen Zunjiang, director of the PLA delegation, at the exchange meeting with the Vietnamese youth.

At the meeting a Vietnamese young man talked about his understanding of the important thought of "Three Represents". We were greatly surprised and asked him how he managed to know about it. He told us he learned the information from Internet. The Vietnamese youth had great admiration for the changes taking place in China, and naturally they paid great attention to the advanced theory.

Zhang Hongjian, deputy director of the delegation quoted the lines of Chairman Ho Chi Minh, "Deep in the forest was where we discussed about military strategy; late at night was when we sailed back below the bright moon", which won applauses and drawn nearer of both sides.

　　Longing for peace

　　During the visit, a Vietnamese soldier taught the delegation a song, the words of the song were " I am looking at you, you are looking at me, we are brothers…."

When servicemen met each other, what they talked about most were not war but desire for peace.

　　In Ho Chi Minh City, we visited original battle sites that the Vietnamese fought against the French and the U.S. invaders such as the Unification Hall, Martyr Temple, and War Memorial and saw the damages caused by the wars and various aids China provided to Vietnam.　The members of the Chinese delegation also reciprocated their counterparts with the history and the stories of heroes emerged in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Before the end of the　visit , the young servicemen of two countries wrote down their longing for world peace on the visitor's book.

　　By Li Weimin and Li Lihan

　　(September 27, PLA Daily)