Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of National Defence (MND) on August 10 held a ceremony to hand over the President’s decisions appointing two officers of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) to serve in United Nations peacekeeping missions in South Sudan and Abyei.
The two officers are Captain Nguyen Ngoc Anh, a logistics assistant at the Logistics and Technical Division of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (VDPO), who will serve as a logistics staff officer at the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), and Captain Nguyen Van Nam from the Chemical Warfare Officers Training School under the Chemistry Corps, who will serve as a military observer at the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the VPA Senior Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan hailed the achievements of Vietnamese military personnel in UN peacekeeping over the past more than 12 years.
He highlighted their efforts to overcome difficulties and successfully fulfill assigned tasks, contributing to enhancing the image and reputation of Vietnam, the VPA and Vietnamese peacekeeping forces in the international arena.
Congratulating the two officers, Tan, who is also deputy head of the MND's steering committee for participation in the UN peacekeeping operations, showed his belief that they will uphold the traditions of the VPA and Vietnamese peacekeeping forces and successfully fulfill their missions. He also commended the VDPO and relevant agencies and units for their thorough preparations.
According to VDPO Deputy Director Colonel Pham Tan Phong, the two officers were selected based on their political and moral qualities, professional competence, military expertise, foreign-language proficiency, health, and ability to work in an international environment.
They have completed pre-deployment training and professional UN peacekeeping courses at home and abroad, covering peacekeeping operations, military expertise, work in multinational environments, security and safety, and handling situations in mission areas.
Anh previously served as an administrative officer with Vietnam’s Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 4 at UNMISS from 2022-2023, while Nam has received specialised training relevant to his upcoming role as a military observer./.
