On a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to manila, I looked out the window to find a beautiful view. The distant ocean was dotted with tiny green islands rimmed with white sand. Container ships cut through the blue water, heading southwest or northeast. The islands, I realized, belonged to the Truong Sa Archipelago, part of Vietnam's Khanh Hoa province. Abroad, they are known as the Spratley Islands.

Having been to the Truong Sa Islands, I found my bird's-eye-view especially fascinating. I first visited these remote islands in 1996, having boarded a navy ship in Cam Ranh Bay at 7pm and reached the islands at dawn.

The trip was unforgettable, For much of the journey the sea was calm, but within a space of 30 minutes a storm blew. our ship, weighing thousands of tons, was tossed like a dry leaf, its bow crashing into the wares and its propeller spinning in the air like that of an airplane. I felt as though hammers the size of houses were battering the ship. In that dangerous situation, where we feared for our lives, the sailors regaled us with stories of their journeys and adventures.

On another trip, while the map showed that our boat was near the islands, there was no sign of land. Some miles away we could see heavy rain falling. Informed by radio that it was raining in the Truong Sa Archipelago, we turned towards the rain and, sure enough, sighted land.

Among my fellow travelers was a troupe of performing artists, traveling to the islands to entertain the troops. All they had was a guitar, although the soldiers posted on the islands had promised to get a drum. True to their word, the soldiers cut the top off of an old oil drum and sounded as impressive as a "real" one. When the show was due to open there was no electricity. Using metal pipes, rags and gasoline, the soldiers made torches. The performance was excellent until everyone looked at each other and burst out laughing: the oily smoke had turned everyone's face pith black.

What I remember best in the sea, where I watched schools of flying fish streaming past like silver arrows. At night the sea round the Truong Sa Islands looked stunning. Shining a light on the water revealed squid. The fishing was excellent. It did not take us long to catch black cod or grouper as big as banana shoots.

As much as we loved the fishing, we didn't envy the fish. but at least two notable people ended up swimming like fish during our visit. The poet Duong Thuan was so intent on watching some squid that he fell overboard late at night, while the journalist Nguyen Nhu Phong disappeared into a hole in a coral reef. he was walking across the exposed reef carrying a camera bag for a colleague when he suddenly vanished. With a plop his plump from was submerged, leaving only the camera bag floating on the surface. When we pulled Phong up he was still clinging to the camera bag, desperate to keep the equipment from being damaged by the water.

Lying about 500 nautical miles from Vietnam's coast, the Truong Sa Islands are surprisingly green. On the main island, Great Truong Sa, maple trees offer shade. On Nam Yet Island the soldiers served us coconut milk and so Song Tu Tay Island we enjoyed cool nhau juice, which has therapeutic qualities.

Over the past decade, the island's soldiers have grown vegetables in wooden pots set on oil-covered poles to protect them from mice. Today, spinach, cabbage and other greens are spreading across the inlands.

I spent a morning touring Nam Yet, the most beautiful island in the Truong Sa. Incredibly tall coconut palms and green maples offered shade, while seabirds bustled around the water's edge. The receding tide revealed a white sandbar, the water as clear as glass and the silky sand unmarred by footsteps.

One day, I imagine that these islands will become a popular tourist destination. As a new airport is under construction on Great Truong Sa that day may be close. Watching the islands from above as I flew towards Manila I recalled my wonderful experiences in the Truong Sa Archipelago. Someday, I hope to be able to take a Vietnam Airlines flight back to those beautiful shores.