A view of the ceremony. Photo: VNA   

The Ministry of National Defence held a ceremony in Hanoi on September 22 to see off Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 8 and Engineering Unit Rotation 5 as they departed to undertake peacekeeping missions at the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

Speaking at the ceremony, Major General Pham Manh Thang, Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations under the Ministry of National Defence, said preparations for Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 8 and Engineering Company Rotation 5 were carried out in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. The two units have basically met the requirements for deployment and are ready to perform their duties in accordance with UN standards and the requirements of each mission.

Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 8 comprises 63 military personnel drawn from military regions, army corps, military hospitals, the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations and other military agencies and units. It will replace Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 7 at UNMISS in Bentiu, South Sudan.

Engineering Unit Rotation 5 consists of 184 personnel from the Air Defence – Air Force Service, the Navy, military regions, army corps, and the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations. It will replace Engineering Unit Rotation 4 at UNISFA.

On behalf of Party and State leaders, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan expresed the trust and expectations of the Party, State and people in the Vietnamese peacekeeping forces before their departure for international missions.

Xuan affirmed that Vietnam is an active and responsible member of the UN and remains steadfast in pursuing a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, diversification and multilateralisation of external relations. The country proactively and actively participates in multilateral cooperation mechanisms to address global challenges, including traditional and non-traditional security issues, with its participation in UN peacekeeping operations being a highly concrete example.

After more than 12 years of direct contributions to the mechanism, Vietnam has gradually expanded the size, fields, locations and forms of its participation while improving its engagement quality, deploying various types of units and undertaking a wide range of positions. More than 1,600 personnel from the Vietnam People’s Army and the People’s Public Security force have taken part in UN peacekeeping operations.

Emphasising that the Party, State and people have always placed their trust in and highly valued the efforts and important contributions by the groups and individuals representing Vietnam in UN peacekeeping operations, the Vice President said Vietnamese peacekeepers had overcome numerous difficulties and challenges and successfully fulfilled their duties, helping promote the image of Vietnam and its people, as well as that of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” and Vietnamese public security officers, among the international community.

To enable Vietnam to make increasingly proactive, substantive and effective contributions to UN peacekeeping operations, she asked ministries, sectors and relevant agencies to continue to thoroughly grasp and implement the Party and State’s policy on Vietnam's participation in UN peacekeeping operations, while improving the quality of force-building and preparations.

She also urged Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 8 and Engineering Unit Rotation 5 to uphold political mettle, strengthen solidarity, strictly observe discipline, proactively overcome difficulties, comply with UN regulations and the laws of host countries, and make full use of their professional capabilities and skills to successfully fulfil their assigned tasks, thereby enhancing the image of Vietnamese blue-helmeted peacekeepers in the eyes of international friends./.