Each member of the special force of the Vietnam Navy can dive 50m below the water surface while carrying a load of 500kg, ‘anchor’ motionless in the water for 24 consecutive hours, or hide themselves in the sand of a school yard without detection.

They are trained for both water- and land-based operations, including direct action, special reconnaissance, unconventional warfare and other covert demolition operations against enemies encroaching on national sovereignty.

Two years of brutal training

The barracks of the Naval Special Force -- one of the two most elite units of commando regiment 126 of the Vietnam Navy -- is located between a chain of hills and a deep river, which are also their training fields.

Members of the force are normally frogmen who are battle-hardened not only in the water, but also on land. They can hide themselves in the sand of a school yard for hours without being detected by teachers and students.

“In the cold season when temperatures drop down to 8-10 degree Celsius, these frogmen make their regular swimming session. Under such harsh weather conditions, the skin becomes blue and pale upon leaving the water. We can’t open our mouths wide or close them for cold,” said captain Nguyen Hai Trieu, who has served in the force for 18 years.

With exceptional health, they are the ones who pass the strict requirements. From thousands of soldiers only ten are selected, according to Do Quang Khai -- deputy political commissar of regiment 126.

On average, only 20-30 men are selected a year.

“They are special men of the army with a combat capability of deep and far diving and are well equipped with state-of-the-art special machines,” he added.

It takes a newly-recruited man two years of hard training to become a qualified seasoned soldier of the special force who is able to swim 10km without making a noise and dive in deep water for 1km, and be proficient in using heavy weapons.

An amphibious commando also has a strong vestibular system that helps him maintain his senses of balance and orientation during and after challenging activities of gyration. During training his feet are tied to a Ferris wheel, while he hangs upside down, and he is gyrated around and around, sometimes for several hours.

“The training program starts with developing a distance diving ability to catch a target. It is the most brutal training. Each soldier carries a load of 200kg, later up to 500kg, and dives 20-50m deep in the water. In total darkness, soldiers are guided by special devices. It is an exhausting job due to strong tidal flows in the deep water,” said captain Trieu.

“In deep water, commandos are most worried by jellyfish and sea-urchins, the sea creatures that cause itching and blisters after being touched.”

Soldiers are also trained in the ability to ‘anchor’ motionless under water to ambush selected targets. The current record for ‘anchoring’ in deep water is 24 consecutive hours at sea.

Commandos of the naval regiment 126 trains to retake an island (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

In summer, the training field moves to land with regular practice of being buried in hot sand under the scorching sunlight to train in the ability to disguise and maintain strong spirit. The capability is useful in preparing attacks on a city or against a well-fortified position. The commandos are the pioneers that surround the target, and each soldier then digs a hole and buries themselves to wait for the starting time.

They can bury themselves under hot sand from 6am till midnight the following day.

“If the weather is 35 degree Celsius, it must be 37-45 degree in the sand. It’s an exhausting work but we have to choose between life and death, success or defeat, maintaining secrecy or betrayal,” said commissar Trinh Duy Hieu.

“Our bodies turn rosy. Sun-burnt skin peels off many times and becomes as thick as the sheath of an areca tree. Our facial complexion looks dark and weather beaten,” he admitted.

“Once we advanced on a school yard and disguised ourselves by lying in sand in the yard as a test. Teachers and students walked on us but they didn’t recognize anything.”

Challenges in deep sea water

Three times a year, members of the special force are sent to Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Sea for field training for 30-50 days. They set a new record for the force by swimming continuously for 48 hours at sea.

This program is designed to train soldiers to possess good command of combat skills in water, and underwater demolition of obstacles prior to any amphibious landing.

The biggest challenges are actually the swift and whirling tidal flows in Truong Sa and attacks by aggressive sharks.

“At 40-50m under the sea in Truong Sa, you may get oxygen or nitrogen intoxication if you are not proficient in the use of machines to decompress at different levels of depth. With a certain kind of machine, your lungs may be badly damaged if water enters the equipment during your manipulation in the total darkness of the sea,” Trieu said.

Naval commandos are also trained to surpass electric detectors and confront aggressive dolphins or man-eating white sharks.

For warships with hulls that are 1-2cm thick steel, commandos can attack by getting within just 3-4 meters of the vessel and setting fire. In such a case, the commandos know in advance they will die, Trieu said.