Coast guard officers in the southern Vietnamese city of Vung Tau are now able to harvest their first batch of fresh produce from their high-tech vegetable farm following several months of hard work.

Officers from the 3^Rd Regional Coast Guard, stationed in the southern beach city, have been growing the clean veggies at the high-tech garden which they built by themselves.

Covering an area of 1,000 square meters, the farm is different from those at other armed force units in Vietnam thanks to its automatic watering system, which helps preserve water resources.

The vegetables are covered with multi-layered nets imported from Israel, which protect them from heavy downpours and many types of pests.

The greenhouse is equipped with a special system that can reduce temperature by four to five degrees Celsius compared to the outdoor atmosphere and a set of gutters, which are designed to store rainwater for use.

In order to prevent bees and other bugs from piercing through their cucurbits, the officers hung several plastic bottles with small holes on their surface and sugar inside to lure the insects away from the veggies.

The coast guards invested over VND500 million (US$22,224) in the purchase of materials and equipment and spent over 300 days setting up the farm.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Ha, logistics manager of the 3^rd Regional Command, building the farm was a challenge as the soil was muddy while the weather was also unpredictable.

However, commanders of the coast guards agreed on establishing the high-tech vegetable farm to provide necessary food for daily consumption.

Harvested produce from the garden is also used to supply those onboard the vessels of the coast guard unit, allowing officers to be more proactive during their missions at sea.