Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of National Defence on August 12 received a package of materials and equipment from the Australian Department of Defence to support the ministry's Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
The handover ceremony in Hanoi was co-chaired by Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defence and head of the ministry’s Steering Committee on UN peacekeeping missions participation, and Hugh Jeffrey, Deputy Secretary of Strategy, Policy, and Industry at the Australian Department of Defence.
Valued at 240,000 USD, the aid package includes two Toyota Hilux 4x4 vehicles, a Changlin GD555 wheel bulldozer, 10 shoulder gear bags, and personal care kits – 100 for women and 300 for men. The equipment is intended to enhance training effectiveness and capacity building for Vietnam’s peacekeeping forces, as well as to support the organisation of training courses, exercises, seminars, and exchanges with international experts.
Sen. Lieut. Gen. Chien praised the positive and effective defence cooperation between Vietnam and Australia over the past time, particularly in UN peacekeeping. Joint activities have included foreign language courses, aeromedical evacuation and rules-of-engagement training, and exchange of experience on mental health care, force protection, and promotion of women’s participation in peacekeeping.
Since 2018, Australia’s Royal Air Force C-17 aircraft have annually transported personnel and equipment of Vietnam’s Level-2 Field Hospital to UN missions.
Chien emphasised that the latest assistance package reflects Australia’s goodwill and strong defence ties with Vietnam, further supporting the country’s peacekeeping training. Australia remains one of Vietnam’s important partners in this field and is currently the only nation to have signed a government-level peacekeeping partnership agreement with Vietnam, in March 2024.
He instructed the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations to ensure proper management, maintenance, and effective utilisation of the donated equipment.
Looking ahead, Vietnam aims to expand its UN peacekeeping participation in terms of geographical scope, scale, formats, and areas of expertise, especially those in which the Vietnam People’s Army boasts strengths, he said, expressing hope for continued support from the United Nations, international partners, and friends, including Australia.
Hugh Jeffrey affirmed the importance of UN peacekeeping operations as a unique mechanism that has played a vital role in ensuring security, ending conflicts, and building sustainable peace in dozens of countries. He also highly valued Vietnam's increasingly active role in peacekeeping missions and expressed confidence in the growing, practical, and deeper cooperation between the two countries./.
