New York (VNA) – The Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN) and the Vietnamese Military Attaché’s Office held a ceremony in New York on December 9 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) (December 22,1944 - 2024) and the 35th anniversary of the All People’s Defence Festival (December 22, 1989 - 2024).
The event, under the chair of Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the UN, was attended by UN Deputy Secretary-General Atul Khare, UN Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee, and nearly 200 guests, including ambassadors, mission heads, and military advisors from UN member states.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Giang highlighted that over the past eight decades, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and with the support of the Vietnamese people, and the assistance of international friends, the VPA has grown significantly. It has achieved remarkable victories, including the 1954 Dien Bien Phu victory and the 1975 Ho Chi Minh Campaign, which secured national independence and unity. The VPA has also made practical contributions to regional peace, stability, and humanitarian efforts.
The diplomat reaffirmed Vietnam’s “four no’s” defence policy, along with a foreign policy of independence and active international integration. Vietnam has engaged in numerous bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation mechanisms, reinforcing strategic trust and contributing to global peace, security and development. Over the past decade, Vietnam has deployed more than 800 personnel, including a high percentage of women, to UN peacekeeping missions, leaving a positive impression on the international community and earning high regard from the UN and global partners.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Atul Khare hailed the VPA for its historic achievements and its vital role in Vietnam’s development.
He emphasised the importance of peacekeeping as a pillar in the Vietnam-UN partnership and praised Vietnam’s outstanding contributions, particularly through its Level-2 Field Hospitals and engineering teams in missions in Africa.
On this occasion, he expressed gratitude to Vietnam’s soldiers who sacrificed their lives for national liberation as well as international peace and security, including Lieutenant Colonel Do Anh, who fell in the line of duty while serving in the Central African Republic peacekeeping mission./.
