The Ministry of National Defence of Vietnam has decided to deploy an 82-member military humanitarian and disaster relief team to Venezuela to support search and rescue operations and post-earthquake recovery efforts following the devastating earthquakes that struck the South American country on June 24.
The ministry is scheduled to hold a meeting to assign tasks in Hanoi on June 28 afternoon before the contingent's departure.
The deployment comes after two deadly earthquakes caused severe casualties and widespread damage in Venezuela. To support relief efforts, the Vietnam People's Army has established a humanitarian assistance mission comprising command personnel, a military engineering search-and-rescue unit, medical personnel, and a canine search-and-rescue unit.
During the mission, the Vietnamese force will use search dogs to locate victims trapped under collapsed structures, conduct urban search-and-rescue operations, provide emergency medical assistance to survivors, and carry out other humanitarian tasks to help Venezuelan authorities and local communities recover from the disaster.
Logistical preparations have also been completed. According to the General Department of Logistics -Technical Services under the ministry, relief supplies, including food, drinking water, medicines and equipment, were assembled, inspected and packed on the morning of June 28.
The military-run joint stock Company 22 mobilised its workforce to operate around the clock, producing 50 tonnes of compressed ration bars, three tonnes of canned meat and 3,000 litres of clean water for the relief mission. The supplies have been transported by Brigade 971 to Noi Bai International Airport for loading and shipment to Venezuela as scheduled.
The relief shipment carries not only essential supplies but also the solidarity and goodwill of the Vietnamese people toward those affected by the disaster. Vietnam had sent search and rescue teams to Turkey in 2023 and Myanmar in 2025./.
