75th anniversary of Vietnam’s People Army marked in Laos

Vientiane (VNA) – The Vietnamese Embassy and Defence Attaché Agency in Laos held a ceremony in Vientiane on December 13 to celebrate the 75th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and the 30th All-People’s Defence Festival (December 22).

Colonel Tao Van Thai, Vietnamese Defence Attaché to Laos, reviewed the history of the VPA and said Vietnam’s defence diplomacy has been constantly developed and expanded, notably the country’s participation in ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) Plus meetings.

Vietnam has also actively contributed to promoting international cooperation in addressing regional security challenges for peace, stability and development, he added.

From 2014, Vietnam has sent forces to join the United Nations peacekeeping activities in South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Since October 2018, the country has twice dispatched second field hospitals to South Sudan.

A group of 290 sappers have completed the preparation work and readied to join the UN peacekeeping mission from 2020.

Recently, Vietnam has announced the White Defence Paper 2019, affirming the basic nature of Vietnam’s defence is for peace and self-defence, he said.

He added that the achievements of the VPA were partly thanks to the valuable support of international friends, especially the Lao Party, State and people./.